The Gardens of Scotland

Sarah Farnsworth, PowerPoint presentation on The Gardens of Scotland for The Country Gardeners, March 2013. The slides were lovely and we had the opportunity to learn a bit about the flora, fauna and history of a beautiful part of our world - and we were able to listen to Sarah's wonderful accent, at the same time!  This presentation is highly recommended to other clubs in search of a horticultural program.

Environmental Studies School

Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania

National Garden Club’s Environmental Studies School

Outline of Course Requirements and Instructor Criteria

The Mission Statement for the Environmental Studies School:

The Environmental Studies Schools offer National Garden Clubs, Inc. members the opportunity to learn more about all the facets of our physical world known as the environment.  This encompasses land conservation, land trust, water conservation, ground water protection, air quality, energy awareness, waste awareness, litter, and recycling, among the many subject matters and includes legislative issues relative to the environment.  The quality of life is threatened by negative forces of mankind and it is necessary to teach all humans the necessity of maintaining the quality of our environment as we pass on the care of our world to our children and grandchildren.   We touch many lives as we share this knowledge and influence those around us.

School Description

The Living Earth Environmental Studies School is composed of a minimum of 40 hours of study of specific units divided into four courses.  Each course must contain a minimum of eight different lectures and a related two hour minimum field trip.  The first course is an overview, while the next courses investigate AIR, LAND, and WATER.  Non-NGC attendees are welcome.  To obtain NGC certification, a participant must attend all coursework including the field trips, pass a written exam on course materials, and be a member of a NGC club.

Course I – The Living Earth required topics: Ecology, Plants – Biodiversity, Urban Forestry, Environmental Science, Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Networking and Outreach, Historic Environmental Actions and Leaders, Earth Stewardship, Nature Discovery field trip.

Course II – The Living Earth – Land and Relate Issues required topics: Ecology(Land), Plants (Agriculture), Source Reduction of Pollutants, Toxins and Materials, Coastal Zone Management, Environmental Science (Resources), Wildlife – Misunderstood Animals, Earth Stewardship (Gardening with Nature), one supplemental subject, Nature Discovery field trip emphasizing land issues.

Course III – The Living Earth – Air and Related Issues required topics:  Ecology (Air), Plants (the Rain Forest), Environmental Ethics, Environmental Science (Pollution), Wildlife (Endangered Plants and Wildlife), Initiating School Programs, Earth Stewardship (Material Sources and Citizen Education Programs), one supplemental subject, Nature Discovery field trip emphasizing air issues.

Course IV – The Living Earth – Water and Related Issues: Ecology, Plants (Aquatic Plants), Wetlands, Environmental Science, (Sustainability), Wildlife (Aquatic Animals), Youth Programs in Environmental Education, Earth Stewardship (Effective Citizenship), one supplemental subject, Nature Discovery field trip emphasizing water issues.

Each Course must be registered with NGC at least three months in advance and must follow the specified curriculum in the interest of uniformity and maintaining standards of quality.  Each instructor prepares five multiple choice (No essay or true/false) questions from material presented and also contained in the lecture outline which is given to each student.  Each Course must have at least two different instructors and trained environmental educations facilitators.  All instructors’ credentials must be submitted to NGC for approval prior to registering the Course.  Each instructor must meet one or more of the following criteria:

A)     Hold a degree in Environmental Studies or an environmentally related field

B)      Be actively participating in the teaching of environmental subjects

C)    Hold academic rank at an accredited college or university

D)    Be employed by a recognized nature center, conservation organization or state, county or city department of natural resources, ecology, environmental quality or related agency

E)    The units of Ecology and Environmental Science should be taught by members of the teaching profession

 

JHM 10-11

Mt. Cuba Center Open Days

 

Mt. Cuba Center Announces Open Days

April 19 to November 9, 2013

No reservations required to see the gardens on Fridays and Saturdays

 

 

 

            This spring, Mt. Cuba Center, one of America's most distinguished native plant gardens, will be more accessible than ever. From April 19th through November 9th, 2013, the gardens will be open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. Visitors are encouraged to explore the scenic ponds or take a restful seat in the Formal Garden, participate in learning activities or enjoy a brief specialized tour. No reservations are required and tickets may be purchased onsite the day of a visit. Open Day tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for ages 6-16, and free for children 5 and under. The former home of Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland located in the rolling hills of the Brandywine Valley outside Wilmington, Delaware, Mt. Cuba Center focuses on native plants of the eastern United States through displays, research and education programs. The scenic woodland gardens are the featured point of interest in the nearly 600 acres of natural lands dedicated to the conservation of rare and endangered plants in a managed open space.

The Visitor Experience

            The emphasis on native materials begins at the entrance sign, crafted from Barley Mill gneiss, a rock found only in this area, and surrounded by native plants that were chosen for their strong visual appeal to both garden visitors and drive-by traffic. The hand-forged steel gate created by a local artist, Greg Leavitt, incorporates some of Mrs. Copeland's favorite native plants - trilliums, magnolias and ferns, a hint of what is to come. Bordering the main drive are Rock and Scree gardens, whose foundations were created when the indigenous rock formation was blasted to create a driveway to the main house. The garden showcases drought and heat-tolerant plants from the Appalachian Piedmont.
            At the end of the ½-mile drive is the administrative and educational headquarters of Mt. Cuba Center, a Colonial Revival-style house, completed in 1937. Guided garden tours and education classes begin at this stately building. Open Day visitors are greeted in the Guest Parking lot where tickets may be purchased. From any starting point, the next stop is the native plant gardens that are uniquely Mt. Cuba Center's own.

The Gardens of Mt. Cuba Center

            On the scenic terrace, plantings of espaliered southern magnolias, mature American hollies and flashy native azaleas bloom in the heat of summer. Allees of sweet gums and oaks add structure to this garden by leading visitors down a leafy corridor to the kinetic statue "Samara turning with the Wind" by local artist Andre Harvey.
            Designed by prominent landscape architects Thomas Sears and Marian Coffin, the Formal Garden features seasonal displays of color-themed annuals, native perennial and showy native shrubs in concentric circles. The annuals are picked to best show the color combinations found at the Maltese cross-shaped pool area.
            Leaving the formal area, visitors may enter the Trial Garden. Here, tickseeds, coral bells and Baptisia as well as other native species are tested for their performance in a variety of conditions. Over a 3-year trial period, the goal is to determine which species and cultivars survive best in mid-Atlantic conditions: hot, humid summers and unpredictable winters and to share that research with the nursery industry. Visitors are encouraged to vote for their favorites. Data from this garden is collected, tabulated for publication and found under the Horticultural Research section of Mt. Cuba Center's website: www.mtcubacenter.org/horticultural-research/trial-garden-research/.
            From the sunny trial area, the coolness of the woods beckons. The giant tulip poplars draw one's gaze upwards, a sight that Mrs. Copeland wished to share -- "I want visitors to look up as well as look down." Visitors experience this naturalistic garden as so uncontrived as to appear that the plants and trees grew here of their own accord. Trilliums, false rue-anemone and bloodroot blanket the ground in spring, creating tapestries of floral displays. Flowering azaleas, hydrangea, and buckeye compliment the understory through the summer. Autumn brings brilliant color change to the leaves of hickory, tupelo, and oaks from green to brilliant crimsons, yellows, and auburns. Winding paths disappear in the distance - beckoning garden visitors to travel further down the hill.

            At the bottom of a long downhill stroll are the Pond Gardens. This woodland area includes a series of four man-made ponds connected by rills and spillways. Lowland plants such oaks, birches and magnolias make their home here along with other plants that require "wet feet" for sun or shade. In the bog garden are many pitcher plants and even native orchids. Visitors may rest in the 19^th-century gazebo and listen for the sounds that water and nature bring together.
            The Meadow at Mt. Cuba Center showcases native plants of open sunny areas and woods edges of the Piedmont. Paths through the middle of this sunny grassland wander past beautiful, fragrant flowering plants. Native grasses such as little bluestem, broom sedge, and yellow Indian grass dominate the Meadow and become the canvas for a constantly changing collection of beautiful wildflowers from late spring until frost.

            Evening Access to the Gardens

            In addition to regular Open Day hours - 10AM to 4PM on Fridays and Saturdays - Friday hours will be extended to 7pm from May 3 to July 26. Visitors are encouraged to relax and rejuvenate in the cooler evening air, bring a meal and dine in the new outdoor picnic area.

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For further information, contact Julia Ehrhardt, Director of Visitor Experience, jehrhardt@mtcubacenter.org, 302-239-8834