Family Time and Native Gardens in Delaware
Some of what makes this life 100% worth the effort it takes to pick up and wholly move your home every week or two are the people you get to see. This week in Delaware, we are close to Kate’s aunt and uncle and so grateful that they could spend time with us!
Today we had lunch at Crooked Hammock Brewery (which was awesome!) and walked through Mt Cuba Center . Mt. Cuba was originally the estate of Lammot du Pont Copeland and his wife Pamela Copeland, with most of the property being purchased in 1935. They worked with husband and wife architect team Samuel and Victorine Homsey to design and build the mansion on property which is still in use to this date as a visitors and education center.
Working with landscape artists along the way, the Copelands built amazing gardens, but in 1960, in the face of rapid development all around them, they turned their focus to native plants and conserving the natural ecosystem of the location. The main 50 acres of gardens now are a membership conservancy gardens (open to the public for a fee) and also serve as ecological research hub for native plant trials. In speaking with one of the many volunteers, they are currently testing growth of plants and the affects of certain naturally occurring fungi.
We spent a lovely afternoon meandering through the both the curated portion of the gardens and the incredible landscapes of native flora.
