Mt. Cuba Center

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Mt. Cuba Center
Foamflower Tiarella 'Cygnet' Flower Closeup 2000px.JPG
The flowers of the Foamflower (Tiarella). Photo taken at the Mt. Cuba Center where it was identified
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Location3120 Barley Mill Rd.
Nearest city Hockessin, Delaware
Coordinates 39°47′18″N75°38′54″W / 39.78841°N 75.64828°W / 39.78841; -75.64828 Coordinates: 39°47′18″N75°38′54″W / 39.78841°N 75.64828°W / 39.78841; -75.64828
Area7.4 acres (3.0 ha)
Built1937 (1937)
Built byJ. S. Cornell & Son
Architect Victorine & Samuel Homsey (house)
Thomas Warren Sears (landscape)
Architectural style Colonial Revival
NRHP reference No. 03000172 [1]
Added to NRHPApril 2, 2003

Mt. Cuba Center is a non-profit botanical garden located in Hockessin, Delaware, near Wilmington, in the gently rolling hills of the Delaware Piedmont. Its woodland gardens produce some of the most spectacular displays of wildflowers in the mid-Atlantic region. Mt. Cuba is open to the public from April through November for general admission, guided tours and special programs. Education courses, including a Certificate in Ecological Gardening, are offered year-round.

Contents

Gardens

Mt. Cuba's well-documented plant collection is focused on the study of eastern North American flora, with emphasis on the Appalachian Piedmont. The collections hold over 6,500 accessions. Horticultural research focuses on Coreopsis, Heuchera, Baptisia, and Trillium . Mt. Cuba Center is a "national collection" holder for Hexastylis and Trillium. [2] [3] Several of its introductions are widely popular, including Aster laevis 'Bluebird', Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome' and Solidago sphacelata 'Golden Fleece'.

The Center encompasses a diverse set of grounds, ranging from a Lilac Alleé, Formal Garden, and South Terrace to more natural gardens including the Dogwood Path, Meadow, Pond Garden, West Slope Path, Woods Path and Rock Wall.

The 6,500 accessions of plants in the collection represent more than 2,200 taxa on a diverse set of grounds, ranging from formal to naturalistic gardens. Garden areas include native plant meadows, woodland and pond gardens and historic non-native plantings such as a lilac alleé. A prominent trial garden has focused Horticultural research on the genera Coreopsis, Heuchera, Baptisia,Monarda and Trillium and several of its introductions are widely popular, including Aster laevis 'Bluebird', Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome' and Solidago sphacelata 'Golden Fleece'. Mt. Cuba Center is an American Public Gardens Association Plant Collections Network holder for Hexastylis and Trillium.

Mt. Cuba Center's over 500 acres of Natural Lands surround the gardens and managed landscapes and consist of steeply rolling hills, stream valleys, rock outcrops, and deciduous forests. Mt. Cuba Center focuses on restoration and conservation in its Natural Lands which available to the public through educational programs and through science-based research projects and collaborations.

A 2020 reader's choice poll voted the Mt. Cuba Center the best botanical garden in the United States. [4]

Education

Mt. Cuba Center offers continuing education classes in horticulture, conservation, art and wellness. Participants have the option of following educational tracks leading towards a certificate in ecological gardening, which emphasizes the importance of gardening in the context of a greater ecosystem. Mt. Cuba also offers a 12-week summer internship program and a fellowship supporting field research.

History

The Copelands' former mansion Mt Cuba Center.JPG
The Copelands' former mansion
Near the dogwood path, Mt. Cuba Center Near the dogwood patch at Mt. Cuba Center.jpg
Near the dogwood path, Mt. Cuba Center

Mt. Cuba Center is the former home and family estate of Lammot du Pont Copeland and his wife, Pamela Cunningham Copeland. In 1935, the Copelands built a stately Colonial Revival manor house near the village of Mt. Cuba, outside of Wilmington, Delaware. The Copelands were prominent members of the community. Mr. Copeland served as President and Chairman of the DuPont Company, while Mrs. Copeland was a leader in many community and cultural organizations. During the late 1930s, formal areas were designed first by the prominent Philadelphia landscape architect Thomas W. Sears and later, in the 1950s, by noted landscape designer Marian Cruger Coffin.[2]

In the 1960s, the Copelands were becoming acutely aware of a changing land ethic and they became more interested in ecology and the need for conservation. Mrs. Copeland, in particular, was increasingly concerned about wildflowers and the impact on them by development and unscrupulous practices. In response, landscape architect Seth Kelsey was hired to develop the woodland wildflower gardens with native plants, design their ponds, and plan many woodland garden paths.

In 1983, Dr. Richard Lighty was hired by the Copelands as their first Director of Horticulture. The Copelands expanded their horticultural endeavors to study native plants of the Appalachian Piedmont, the beginnings of a botanic garden on a private estate. That same year, Mr. Copeland passed away. In the late 1980s, Mt. Cuba Center began hosting visitors by offering docent-led tours during the spring. Mt. Cuba Center horticulturists also began documenting their increasingly diverse native plant collections.

In 2001, Mrs. Copeland died. Mt. Cuba Center was no longer a botanic garden on a private estate but a public garden for all to be inspired about native plants. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Continuing education classes started in 2006. In 2013, Mt. Cuba Center launched general admission during the spring, summer, and fall seasons.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Solidago</i> Genus of plants

Solidago, commonly called goldenrods, is a genus of about 100 to 120 species of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae. Most are herbaceous perennial species found in open areas such as meadows, prairies, and savannas. They are mostly native to North America, including Mexico; a few species are native to South America and Eurasia. Some American species have also been introduced into Europe and other parts of the world.

<i>Trillium grandiflorum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium grandiflorum, the white trillium, large-flowered trillium, great white trillium, white wake-robin or French: trille blanc, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. A monocotyledonous, herbaceous perennial, the plant is native to eastern North America, from northern Quebec to the southern parts of the United States through the Appalachian Mountains into northernmost Georgia and west to Minnesota. There are also several isolated populations in Nova Scotia, Maine, southern Illinois, and Iowa.

<i>Symphyotrichum novae-angliae</i> A flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to eastern North America

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, the New England aster, hairy Michaelmas-daisy, or Michaelmas daisy, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is a perennial herbaceous plant native to eastern North America, and has been introduced to Europe. The seeds and nectar of this fall-flowering species are important to a wide variety of animals. Numerous cultivars have been developed and the species is a popular garden plant, especially in Europe.

Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens

The Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens in Stamford, Connecticut contains 93 acres of parkland, gardens, landscapes, and hiking trails that focus on the regional plants, ecology and character of Southwestern New England. The Arboretum is open and accessible to the public every day of the year and is located at 151 Brookdale Road.

The Cofrin Memorial Arboretum 290 acres surrounds the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay campus in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States. Its six miles (10 km) of trails are open to the public.

<i>Coreopsis lanceolata</i> Species of flowering plant

Coreopsis lanceolata, the lance-leaved coreopsis, is a North American species of tickseed in the sunflower family.

<i>Heuchera</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Saxifragaceae

Heuchera is a genus of largely evergreen perennial plants in the family Saxifragaceae, all native to North America. Common names include alumroot and coral bells.

Matthaei Botanical Gardens

The University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens includes botanical gardens, natural areas with trails, and several research-quality habitats. The conservatory is popular year round. The public entrance is at 1800 North Dixboro Road in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The grounds are open every day, but trails are not maintained in the winter. The conservatory, garden store, and lobby are open 7 days a week: Mon., Tues., and Thurs. - Sun., 10:00 am–4:30 pm; Wednesdays 10 am-8 pm. The building complex is only closed on three holidays a year. The institution's main web site with updated information is Matthaei Botanical Gardens.

The Plant Collections Network (PCN) is a group of North American botanical gardens and arboreta that coordinates a continent-wide approach to plant germplasm preservation, and promotes excellence in plant collections management. The program is administered by the American Public Gardens Association from its headquarters in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania in collaboration with the USDA- Agricultural Research Service.

<i>Baptisia tinctoria</i> Species of flowering plant

Baptisia tinctoria is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to eastern North America.

<i>Coreopsis verticillata</i> Species of flowering plant

Coreopsis verticillata is a North American species of tickseed in the sunflower family. It is found primarily in the east-central United States, from Maryland south to Georgia, with isolated populations as far west as Oklahoma and as far north as Québec and Ontario. The common names are whorled tickseed, whorled coreopsis, thread-leaved tickseed, thread leaf coreopsis, and pot-of-gold.

<i>Coreopsis palmata</i> Species of flowering plant

Coreopsis palmata is a North American species of flowering plant in the aster family native to North America.

<i>Symphyotrichum lateriflorum</i> A flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to eastern and central North America

Symphyotrichum lateriflorum is a species of flowering plant of the aster family (Asteraceae) native to eastern and central North America. Commonly known as calico aster, starved aster, and white woodland aster, it is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach 120 centimeters high and 30 centimeters across. Each flower head has many tiny florets put together into what appear as one.

<i>Trillium sulcatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium sulcatum, the furrowed wakerobin, southern red trillium or Barksdale trillium, is a perennial wildflower that blooms in April and May. It is native to the southern Appalachian Mountains and nearby areas from West Virginia to Alabama.

Tony Avent is an American horticulturist and plantsman. He and wife and business partner, Anita Avent, own Plant Delights Nursery and Juniper Level Botanic Garden in Raleigh, North Carolina. In addition, he is a well-known plant explorer, author and public speaker.

Toronto Botanical Garden

The Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG) is located at 777 Lawrence Avenue East at Leslie Street, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Termed "The little garden with big ideas", the TBG is nearly four acres and features 17 themed "city-sized gardens". Located in the north-east corner of Edwards Gardens, the TBG is a non-profit horticultural and educational organization with a mission to connect people, plants and the natural world through education, inspiration and leadership.

Pamela Cunningham Copeland

Pamela Cunningham Copeland was an American horticulturist and historical preservationist, known for her philanthropy. Her home and gardens became Mt. Cuba Center, a public garden and research center for Appalachian Piedmont flora that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Trillium grandiflorum Pamela Copeland Flowering plant cultivar

Trillium grandiflorum 'Pamela Copeland' is a cultivated double form of the large-flowered trillium, Trillium grandiflorum.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Hexastylis | American Public Gardens Association". publicgardens.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
  3. "Trillium | American Public Gardens Association". publicgardens.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
  4. "Best Botanical Garden Winners (2020) | USA TODAY 10Best". 10Best. Retrieved 2020-07-29.