Mt. Cuba Center, dedicated to the study of the Piedmont flora, realizes the vision of the late Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland. On the gently rolling hills of the Delaware Piedmont, the Copelands established their 630-acre estate to preserve the historic rural pastures and fields, protect the native forests and develop a series of naturalistic woodland wildflower gardens and formal landscapes.

Today, Mt. Cuba Center is a non-profit institution committed to promoting an appreciation for plants native to the Piedmont, encouraging their use in gardens and supporting their conservation in nature.

The Copelands began acquiring land near Wilmington, Delaware in 1935, completing construction of a Georgian-style house in 1937. During the late 1930's, formal areas were designed by the prominent Philadelphia landscape architect Thomas W. Sears and later, in the 1950's, by noted landscape designer Marian C. Coffin.

Development of the wildflower gardens began in earnest during the 1960's, growing out the Copelands' longstanding appreciation for the rolling hills of northern Delaware and concern for its fast-disappearing native wildflowers. In the early 1980's, with input from director Dr. Richard W. Lighty (1983-1998), the Copelands expanded the scope of their gardening efforts from Delaware's flora to encompass that of the entire Piedmont region. In so doing, Mrs. Copeland commented, "(The Piedmont) . . . contains a great variety of native plants, many of which have migrated from areas with dissimilar climates and soils. Thus I had a virutally unlimited variety of flora from which to choose for my gardens."

The Piedmont extends nearly one thousand miles from the Hudson River south to central Alabama. It is bordered on the west by the Blue Ridge and the Appalachian Mountains; to the east by the fall line and the Coastal Plain. This region contains over 3,000 taxa of higher plants, many of which have garden value.

Following the death of Mr. Copeland in 1983, Mrs. Copeland continued garden development and refinement. Her involvement became legendary, with constant oversight of plant selection, siting, maintenance and garden design. Thanks to Mrs. Copeland's keen eye for naturalistic gardening, the woodland gardens produce some of the most spectacular displays of wildflowers under display anywhere in the mid-Atlantic region.

Mrs. Copeland died in 2001, but the Copeland's legacy lives on through the programs, gardens and land they preserved for all to enjoy. Tours, educational programs and plant introductions provide a means for future generations to gain an appreciation of the diversity and landscape potential of plants that comprise the Piedmont flora.

The plant collection is well-documented with well over 4,000 accesions, representing more than 1,800 taxa. Approximately 75% of the plants in the collection are of Piedmont origin. Plant records are maintained using a computerized data base (BG-BASE) and a CAD-based computer mapping system (BG-Map). These systems function as an integrated tool for study and maintenance of plants in the garden.

Plant introduction was initiated in 1989 emphasizing superior Piedmont plants; long lived, with broad regional adaptability and stress tolerance. Several introductions from Mt. Cuba Center have become garden mainstays including Aster laevis 'Bluebird,' Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome' and Solidago sphacelata 'Golden Fleece.' A number of future introductions are on the horizon.

Horticultural research focuses on underused or difficult-to-propagate plants. Some of the target genera include Cimicifuga, Cypripedium, Helonias, Hepatica, Hexastylis, Stewartia and Trillium. Mt. Cuba Center is a "national collection" holder for two of these genera -- Hexastylis and Trillium.