Nearly 17,000 plants take form at Delaware Botanic Gardens

Planting has begun at the new Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek.

The first third of a 2-acre meadow meticulously planned by Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf – known for the High Line and Battery Gardens in New York City, the Lurie Gardens in Chicago, and other high-profile gardens in London and Barcelona – is being created on former farmland.

"For (Oudolf) to come to Sussex County and put one of his iconic meadows here in the middle of Delaware ... it will be a real magnet for people to come here to make Dagsboro a destination," said Delaware Botanic Gardens President Ray Sander. "It's a very positive economic benefit.

The meadow will ultimately contain 65,000 plants, 85 percent native to Delmarva but including some exotics that are pollination-compatible with the natives. Completion of the planting is expected in 2018.

The first phase of planting, which will continue through September, involves a third of the meadow and includes 17,000 plants of 54 varieties. A buffer of native grass species is also underway.

Plants were specifically chosen to make the meadow seem "less designed," Oudolf said.

The blooming perennials and grasses inside the meadow are being planted in tightly spaced blocks. As the plants mature and propagate, they will take on a naturalistic, tightly mingled appearance that will discourage weeds, said the garden's Chief Horticulturalist Gregg Tepper.

The phase one plants will mature by Autumn 2018, Oudolf said. Phases two and three will be planted in Summer 2018.

The meadow has an organic shape, with curving paths crisscrossing through it.

Three low, grassy mounds will provide an elevated perspective of the meadow and provide spaces for special events like weddings, Sander said.

"The whole layout is so that people can meander through the garden," Oudolf said. "Every turn is another perspective. Straight lines only focus you on the end, and we don't want that. We want people to discover something at every turn."

Plants were chosen that will bloom or go to seed at different times of year, providing not just spring-summer beauty, but also fall colors and "good winter skeletons," Oudolf said.

Planting is being done by a small army of volunteers. Many are with the Delaware Federation of Garden Clubs, but some botanists came to deliver plants from nurseries at University of Delaware and University of Maryland and stayed to help, said Executive Director Sheryl Swed.

Negotiations have been ongoing since last winter to get this variety of specialized plants within the limited budget.

A key is meticulous planning and engaging volunteers, top experts and contractors that believe in Oudolf's vision and are willing to work within the gardens' financial limitations, Sander said.

In addition to the meadow, the 37-acre gardens will include 12 acres of managed woodland. Half of that is already complete, with winding paths crossing its low hills from the meadow down to 100 feet of waterfront on Pepper Creek.

The woodland also will celebrate the native plants of the peninsula.

"It's an idea garden for those that have woods, plus it's a habitat and it's a buffer zone for rain and water and conserving resources," Tepper said.

The plans also call for an outdoor living classroom adjacent to the meadow, an education and visitors center and a restaurant with views of the meadow, Sander said.

A focus will be educating the public not just about these plants, but how to translate the horticultural and design concepts to their own homes, he said.

A groundbreaking ceremony in December 2016 was attended by former Gov. Jack Markell and Carla Markell. Funding for the gardens was raised through grants and multiple fundraising efforts following a $750,000 kickoff grant from Longwood Foundation.

Delaware Botanic Gardens is slated to open in 2019.

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