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Sip & Saunter benefits Delaware Botanic Gardens

Volunteers are the driving force behind the 37-acre, award-winning natural area
The Piet Oudolf Meadow greets visitors to Delaware Botanic Gardens on Piney Neck Road near Dagsboro. The two-acre garden was designed and planted by the world-renowned Dutchman. The DBG hosted its Sip & Saunter fundraiser June 28. RON MACARTHUR PHOTOS
Ron MacArthur
July 8, 2023

It was a perfect night June 28 to Sip & Saunter at Delaware Botanic Gardens near Dagsboro. Sponsored by Dogfish Head, the event featured refreshments from Taste of Good Earth Market and sips of assorted wines, beers and cocktails, and of course, saunters through the five gardens on the 37-acre property along Pepper Creek.

The event is one of the special functions hosted by the gardens throughout the year, which also include the annual Farm Dinner, Fall Harvest Celebration, Bugs and Brews, special Earth Day and Mother’s Day celebrations, and Frolic in the Folly.

The goal of DBC is to create a living natural habitat to demonstrate the important impact native plants have on people and wildlife with an environmentally sustainable habitat, and also create a teaching and learning center with hands-on experiences through outdoor classroom classes and programs.

Since opening in 2019, DBG has been named the 2022 Best Attraction by the Southern Delaware Tourism Office, and its 200-plus volunteers were honored with the Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer Service Award in 2021. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first full season took place in 2021.

The gardens include the signature two-acre Piet Oudolf Meadow with 70,000 perennial plants and grasses, and 84,000 spring bulbs. Oudolf is an internationally recognized meadow designer. The meadow is an important feeding area for the 85 species of birds on the property. Other gardens include the Folly Garden, built in a grove of walnut trees on the site of the land’s original farmhouse with a reflective pond, and 37,500 bulbs and shade plants, and the Dogfish Head Learning Garden, featuring an outdoor classroom and wetlands pond. The Rhyne Garden provides natural rainwater runoff filtering in the parking lot and surrounds the welcome center.

The 12-acre Woodlands features more than two miles of handicapped-accessible trails, volunteer-made wooden creatures, the Knoll viewing spot with a boardwalk and access to the Pepper Creek shoreline.

The 37-acre parcel is leased by DBG for $1 per year from the Sussex County Land Trust. During an aggressive fundraising campaign, DBG raised $5.5 million from 2014 to 2021 with events, in-kind donations and contributions from individuals and businesses, and grants from foundations.

The gardens are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday through Sunday from mid-March to mid-November, with an ever-changing seasonal array of flowers and plants. Tours reserved in advance take place at 10 a.m. Go to delawaregardens.org for more information.

 

Delaware Botanic Gardens Executive Director Sheryl Swed, left, and President Ray Sander lead the board. Swed has been involved with DBG since its inception.
Sip & Saunter attendees enjoy food, drink and music during the fundraiser.
Fifth Avenue band members fill the gardens with music. They are (l-r) Monte Wisbrock, Ken Schleifer and Cody Munzert.
Attendees take advantage of the sipping part of the event as they stop and get some liquid refreshments.
David and Cindy Small are strong supporters of the gardens. David accepted the position of chair of the advisory board in 2022.
To combat sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion from the brackish Pepper Creek, staff and volunteers have undertaken a project to construct a living shoreline.
Board member and Vice President Brent Baker explains how the large birds nests in the Woodland are built, using broken and trimmed limbs from the forest. Some of the areas are used as outdoor classrooms.
The 12-acre Woodlands includes handicap-accessible walking trails, volunteer-made wooden creatures like this large snail, and native plants. The area slopes to the 1,000-foot shoreline along Pepper Creek.
Folly Garden is always the coolest spot in the gardens with a grove of walnut trees. The garden was built at the site of the original 20th century farmhouse on the parcel. The garden features a reflecting pond, and 37,500 bulbs and shade-growing plants.
With plans developed by internationally recognized Dutch meadow designer Piet Oudolf, a team of volunteers and experienced horticulturists followed his lead to create the signature meadows.
Lilies are in bloom at the edge of Folly Garden where the land’s original farmhouse once stood.
A bee lands on a cornflower along a trail leading to the Woodlands.
It’s a perfect time to visit the gardens, as most of the summer flowers, like this gladiola, are in full bloom.
Every part of the gardens is a sight to behold.

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