Adventures in the Polly Mobile 2: Mt. Cuba Center and Longwood Gardens

Woods Path, Mt. Cuba Center

The morning was frigid. Armed with ski gloves, I followed Barb to work, winding down the narrow roads of the Brandywine Valley. We came to the elaborate gate of Mt. Cuba Center, previously the Copeland's Estate and quickly climbed the hill of the approach to the house. A quick glance out the right side revealed a vista across the rolling hills in the Valley and to the left a rock garden in the retaining wall! We parked our cars and Barb led me through a tunnel of Rhododendrons and leaning Oxydendrum arboretum. She said she loved parking there because in the spring the Trillium are beautiful. Sadly, the morning was a cold grey and the Rhododendrons' leaves were looking forlorn in the biting cold.

Barb led me across the sweeping brick front of the du Pont-Copeland's beautiful home and went in the front door! Immediately the wealth of the previous inhabitants was evident: elegant wallpaper, hand-carved staircase and crown moulding, rich carpets and beautiful furniture. Every detail was closely tended to. I was reminded briefly of walking into the Biltmore Estate. After meeting several people, Barb led me into the basement where the plant records department was and then took me for a tour of the three story house. I think my jaw was on the floor the entire time. Just wow. And everyone was so welcoming too.

Yet again, once the house tour was done, we decided to head outside to see the gardens. The winter time is not the best time to see a garden at its best, but that doesn't mean a garden shouldn't be seen. Barb decided to check some areas while we were out there, so we bundled up and headed out. We walked through the formal garden and Barb told me about the upcoming renovations, then through the Trial Garden. If you don't see anything else (well, except the Trilliums), the Trial Gardens are worth the trip. Mt. Cuba Center is on the cutting edge of trialing natives and they have an impressive garden to do it in.

The cold slowed us down and we tried to keep moving, but I couldn't help but stop and look closer. Barb led me down the west slope path to the ponds, where we met one of the area gardeners, who stopped to talk with us a bit. We continued on and came to the area that Barb needed to check. Flags were spread throughout the area, and if you looked even closer, so were metal tags. Almost invisible reminders there were plants dormant there. I took the moment to look around me and take in the cathedral-like atmosphere of the Liriodendron tulipifera towering above the lake, and tried to imagine what the garden would look like in the spring, summer, fall when all of the plants would be active, growing in a great chorus in this great church.

The cold got the best of both of us and we made our way back up to the house; around the ponds, through the meadow, the dogwood path and trillium garden, and then up the woods path. I was most impressed even just seeing the bones of the garden and I can't wait to see the gardens in the full glory of spring.

We took a moment to warm ourselves and then we were out again, this time in a golf cart for a tour of the farther-flung areas of the gardens. Barb took me by several areas, until we ended up at the greenhouse facilities. One of the wonderful ladies there gave us both a tour of the facilities and we both learned a lot. There were the challenges of having to both use and maintain aging facilities, but the facilities themselves were interesting for their historical value. You could easily imagine what the cold storage rooms looked like full of bulbs for forcing and what the benches would look like with plants, immaculately manicured and full of flowers, ready to go up to the house. Facilities for the sake of surrounding yourself with beauty and perfection. What an incredible idea.

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After such a wonderful tour and stimulating discussion over lunch afterwards, I was sad to leave the ladies at Mt. Cuba, but I was off for a tour of the curious boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) collection with the boxwood curator at Longwood Gardens. I eventually made it to the production area of Longwood after getting terribly lost. Again. Barrett was so nice though and was very patient with how late I was.

Once I was there I asked him tons of questions and we eventually made it out to the plots. Much like the Hort Field Lab at N.C. State, the production area was like an in-ground nursery, and the Buxus I'd come to see were planted out in rows, Round-up circles around them and metal tags identifying where they'd come from. Come to find out the Buxus sempervirens out there were cuttings taken from wild plants with desirable traits from countries around the Black Sea, from Albania to Azerbaijan (check out this map to see them!). There were dwarf forms, variegation of every kind (viral, chimeric or otherwise), dark green, light green, open forms, tight forms. A good sampling of the genetic diversity of the species. It was hard to tell they were all the same species sometimes.

So, why does Longwood have these specimens? There are many reasons, and historical value and breeding are the main ones. Longwood Gardens has released many cultivars into the horticultural trade, two of which are boxwoods: 'Longwood' and 'Belleville'. There may be more breeding in the future, so keep your eyes peeled for new releases and between now and then you can see them at the gardens.

 

Okay, okay. So boxwoods may not necessarily be the most stimulating topic, but Barrett had also planned for us to check out the Christmas display. It was obvious in the extravagant trees and decorations in the Conservatories there was every attention to detail, and stunning lights displayed in the giant trees outside were captivating even to adults. There was something new to see at each glance. The stroll through the Conservatories that evening will always stay with me.

Handmade steampunk Cardinal looking proud. The theme of the Christmas was birds.