Description
Mt. Cuba Center is the region’s premier native plant garden. Our mission is to foster an appreciation for plants of the Appalachian Piedmont and the conservation of their environment through garden display, education and research.
Mt. Cuba Center is a non-profit horticultural institution in northern Delaware located on nearly 600 acres. We’re dedicated to the study, conservation, and appreciation of plants native to the Appalachian Piedmont Region through garden display, education, and research. Our woodland wildflower gardens are recognized as the region’s finest.
Mt. Cuba Center is the former home and family estate of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland. In 1935, the Copelands built a stately Colonial Revival manor house near the village of Mt. Cuba, near Wilmington, Delaware. The Copelands were prominent members of the community. Mr. Copeland served as President and Chairman of the Du Pont Company, while Mrs. Copeland was a leader in many community and cultural organizations.
Mr. and Mrs. Copeland both shared an interest and enthusiasm for plants and gardening. Shortly after completing their house, they embarked on a mission to design and develop a series of garden spaces on their estate.
The Copelands called upon well-known Philadelphia landscape architect, Thomas W. Sears, to plan the formal gardens and terraces around the house. In the 1950s, the Copelands selected noted landscape designer, Marian C. Coffin, to design the Round Garden. Later, in the 1960s, the Copelands hired landscape architect Seth Kelsey, who helped them develop the woodland wildflower gardens with native plants, design their ponds, and plan many woodland garden paths.
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