February 29, 2024
At the Philadelphia Area Fling last September (click here for my posts on that), attendees were given a copy of the new book Du Pont Gardens in the Brandywine Valley. The good folks at Longwood Gardens handed out books as we boarded the buses after a nice dinner with live music accompanied by prime seats at the Longwood Fountain show. Yes, we were treated like royalty!
When I got home, I put the book on my tall reading pile and got back to writing my new book. (It’s about Texas gardens across the state, coming out next year.) And so it stayed until last week, when I finally had time to open it up.
Du Pont Gardens is a heavy hardcover of beautiful photographs and historical information about five large gardens created by the wealthy Du Pont family over a period of 100 years, from the early 1800s to the early 1900s, in the Brandywine Valley, a pleasant horticultural region between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware .
The early Du Ponts emigrated from France in 1800 and became rich in the manufacture of gunpowder. Eventually, the family expanded into the chemical and automotive industries. They weren’t just good at making money. They were good at making gardens. A surprising number of Du Pont’s descendants used their wealth to build extravagant country houses and gardens, and then ensured that, after their deaths, the gardens remained public spaces. Today we are the beneficiaries of their horticultural and philanthropic designs.
The five estates featured in this book are Longwood Gardens, Nemours Estate, Winterthur, Hagley and Mt. Cuba Center. Of those, I’ve visited Longwood and Winterthur several times (find my Must-See Gardens photo tours under Delaware and Pennsylvania), and I wanted to see Mount Cuba. I didn’t know the other two, but I’d like to see them now.
Larry Lederman took the wonderful photographs for this book, showing the Du Pont gardens during the growing season. Martha McDowell, who teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden, provides historical context for each garden. I enjoyed learning how each garden came to be and how that particular region and era gave birth to so many great gardens.
If you have visited the Brandywine Valley Gardens or hope to, or if you want a memento of your visit to Longwood or other Du Pont Gardens, I think you will enjoy this book as well.
All photos by Larry Lederman Du Pont Gardens in the Brandywine Valleycourtesy of Monacelli Press.
Disclosure: Longwood Gardens provided me with a copy Du Pont Gardens in the Brandywine Valley, and I reviewed it at my own discretion and without any compensation. This post, like everything in Digging, is my personal opinion.
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Digging Deeper
March 16: To attend the third annual Budding Out Plant Sale & Festival 3/16 at John Fairey Garden in Hempstead. Rare and distinctive plants from the garden nursery and selected plant vendors will be for sale. Additional offerings include art, ceramics, jewelry, food, music and presentations. Admission: $5 for members, $10 for non-members, children 12 and under free. Working hours: from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; members receive early admission at 9am (membership available day of event).
30-31. March: Come see Austin Cactus & Succulent Society Show in the Zilker Botanical Garden on March 30 and 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Includes a plant display with specimen cacti and succulents, handmade pottery, a daily silent auction and hourly plant raffle, and expert advice. Admission is included with paid Zilker Garden admission, $5 to $8 for adults, $3 to $4 for children (under 2 free).
April 6: Come out to Austin’s Mayfield Park on 4/6 for Mayfield Park Gardening Symposium & Fundraiser, from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. This annual park benefit includes a raffle, plant sale and garden speakers.
May 4: Explore “splendid backyards, perfect pools and pergolas, and outdoor rooms and gardens” at ATX outdoor trip 4. 5. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Landscape architects, designers and builders will be on hand to answer questions. Tickets are $33.85 for adults, $17.85 for children 10-17.
May 11: Save the date for Austin Home’s Great Outdoors Tour on 5/11.
June 1-2: Take a two-day bar and garden tour in and around Austin at the annual Austin Pond and Garden Tour, held on February 1 and 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 to $25.
Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I host in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners several times a year in Austin. These are limited attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and request to be added. Season 8 begins in the fall of 2024. Stay tuned for more information!
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