Delaware Botanic Gardens

"All gardening is landscape painting."

-- William Kent

With quite a few public gardens located in and around northern Delaware, you might think that another Botanic Garden in the southern part of the state is unnecessary. I did. I was wrong.

The Delaware Botanic Gardens are relatively new. The idea of a garden highlighting the flora and fauna of the Delaware Inland Bays was conceived in 2012. Over the next seven years, the land was acquired and the gardens were laid out.

They opened in the fall of 2019, but then the world came to a stop the following spring. With the help of some grants and the dedication of a lot of volunteers, the gardens managed to survive and have now reopened.

The land was once a soybean farm that came under the control of Sussex County who kept it vacant for years. When the county was approached by the garden's board, they loved the idea of a public garden and have leased the land to the gardens for $1/year for the next 99 years with options to renew.

I had the opportunity to explore the gardens during the Delmarva Birding Weekend. One of the excursions was through the gardens and I jumped at the opportunity to be able to wander around while the gardens were closed to the public.

I had never been on a birding walk. It was an experience that I am very glad I have had, but not one that I will rush to repeat. It is amusing to watch thirty adults, all with binoculars and cameras, all staring up the same bird. Having said that, I did get to see a bald eagle sitting in its nest, so perhaps I should be a touch less snarky.

The gardens include a large meadow section that highlights native plants. In this way, the plants attract pollinators and they survive more easily. Next to the meadow is a large woodland.

The gardens are lovely and a perfect place for a walk. While the flowers were not in bloom, we were told that we had missed hundreds of daffodils from the week before. The meadow is expected to bloom for the summer.

The walk through the woods, however, is exceptional. The gardens pride themselves on not allowing anything to go to waste. With the branches and twigs that fall, they create these huge bird nests. They become places of refuge for forest creatures, all kinds of bugs, and black snakes. We did not see a snake, but we saw plenty of evidence that they are around.

The gardens sit right on the edge of Pepper Creek. As you walk, you get gorgeous glimpses of the water until you are almost right on top of it. The shoreline is protected, so there is no boat launching or swimming, but there are plenty of benches where you can sit and gaze over the water listening to the rustling of the woods behind you.

Because I was with the birders, the tour we were on showed us every bit of the gardens. It is only about 37 acres, so there is not a lot. I did find myself, however, taking loads of photos and the birders were in absolute heaven. At the end of the day, they counted 20-something species they had seen.

I highly recommend these gardens for a visit. Flat, easy walking through stunning gardens and woodlands. And, a bald eagle soaring overhead.

Logistics:  The gardens are located in Dagsboro, inland from Bethany Beach. Your GPS will get you there with no problem. As you approach the gate, slow down and keep your eyes open as the sign to show that you are there is small and attached to a fence.

As this is still a relatively new endeavor and they are heavily reliant on volunteers, the opening hours are limited for now. There are a myriad of opportunities to donate funds and time, all of which are outlined on the website.

The website is exceptional with a lot of information about the gardens and what the plans are moving forward. Very interesting reading.

Delaware Botanic Gardens

30220 Piney Neck Road

Dagsboro, DE

302-321-9061

delawaregardens.org