First encounter

“There is a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into the soul and delights and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations.”
– Washington Irving

I have always found that walking in nature is a perfect way to recharge and refresh. While I’m not one to hike with sturdy boots and backpack, meandering on paths through a wooded setting is a delightful way to spend some time. And I’ve found a lovely spot for doing so here in southern Delaware at the Delaware Botanic Gardens.

Last weekend, I made my first of what will undoubtedly be many forays to the gardens, which are perfectly situated along the Pepper Creek. The site only recently opened – in 2019 – and it has several phases of development yet to go. But it has its charms even now.

At the front of the property is a terrific cultivated meadow garden (designed by famous landscape architect Piet Oudolf) which was in its fall glory. I’m told they’ll cut it back so that the 84,000 spring flower bulbs can make their showing in the spring, and I’ll look forward to seeing that as well.

But the gem of the place is a walk in the woods. There is easily an hour’s worth of walking paths among the trees. And there are fun surprises along the way – the old homestead, an array of creatures formed from a variety of forest flotsam, benches on which to sit a spell, and a lovely observation deck overlook on Pepper Creek.

On a gorgeous early fall day, it was just the right kind of sabbatical for a Sunday afternoon. I even parked myself on the bench at the creek overlook to read a book. Perfect.

I’ve been scoping out the Lewes Library book clubs, and this past week attended the “natural selections” book club for which I read Suzanne Simard’s Finding the Mother Tree. It’s a memoir of a forest ecologist who – through decades of painstaking research – discovered that trees communicate with and support one another through a network of mycelium (fungi) among their roots. How fascinating to learn of the flashes of insight that led to a long-term, complex research agenda on forest ecosystems that is changing the way we manage these natural resources. (See her TEDTalk for more.) Suzanne Simard is an emulatable scientist making a real difference in the world, and it’s not easy when you are up against maddening misogyny, stubborn beliefs, and powerful monied interests as well as bugs, bears, and other natural forces.

But just as remarkable is the thought that plants communicate, and anticipate, and take deliberate action to support one another. We could take a lesson! I was thinking about that as I walked above the network of roots in the woodlands, wondering what the trees were whispering to one another both beneath the ground and in the murmur of the breeze overhead.

I imagine Longwood Gardens will always hold prominence in my heart, and I plan to keep up my membership there. It will be a treat to make day trips to visit and witness the seasonal changes that have been so uplifting to me. It’s a favorite spot for Roma and me, and I want to keep that tradition going. And I will of course want to see and celebrate the new Mediterranean-inspired West Conservatory when it opens in fall of 2024.

But it’s great to know that a special botanic garden and safe walk in the woods is close to my new home as well.

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”
– John Muir