Live music, daily tours, free admission day mark the celebration of public horticulture
Mt. Cuba Center joins public gardens across the country in celebration of National Public Gardens Week from May 15 to May 19 with special tours and daily activities, and a day of free admission to the gardens on Saturday, May 18. This week also marks the first Twilight on the Terrace event for the season, taking place on Friday, May 17.
Visitors to Mt. Cuba Center during National Public Gardens Week can enjoy daily Garden Highlights Walks, a children’s storybook reading at Story Time Sprouts (Thursday, May 16, 10:30 AM), instruction on leading your own yard makeover with Transform your Yard from Basic to Beautiful (Thursday, May 16, 5 P.M.), Twilight on the Terrace (Friday, May 17, 5-7 P.M.), plus free admission on Saturday, May 18.
At Twilight on the Terrace on Friday May 17 at 5 P.M., guests can experience the best of Yorklyn, Delaware as neighboring organizations set up shop in the gardens in anticipation of Yorklyn Day on June 2nd. With live music from Acoustic Turnpike and craft brews from Dew Point Brewery providing the perfect atmosphere, guests of all ages can enjoy the pre-Yorklyn Day programming. The Center for Creative Arts will guide art activities, including a votive candle holder and a windsock craft. The Yorklyn Pool will have a prize wheel and hands-on activities, Auburn Valley State Park will show off artifacts and history from the nearby National Vulcanized Fibre factory site. An antique automobile from the Marshall Steam Museum will be on display in Mt. Cuba Center’s forecourt, as well.
The week’s festivities, by day, are:
Wednesday, May 15:
- Hike the Mt. Cuba Center to Ashland Loop; 9 A.M. to 12:30 P.M.; $29
- Garden Highlights Walks; 11 A.M. and 2 P.M.; $2
Thursday, May 16:
- Story Time Sprouts; 10:30-11:30 A.M.; Free with admission
- Garden Highlights Walks; 11 A.M. and 2 P.M.; $2
- Transform Your Yard from Basic to Beautiful; 5:30-7 P.M.; $29
Friday, May 17:
- Ikebana-Inspired Floral Arrangement; 10 A.M.-12 P.M.; $59
- Garden Highlights Walks; 11 A.M. and 2 P.M.; $2
- Twilight on the Terrace; 5-8 P.M.; Free with admission
Saturday, May 18:
- Free General Admission; 10 A.M.-4 P.M.
- Rain Barrel Workshop; 10 A.M.-12 P.M.; $29
- Hourly Garden Highlights Walks; $2
Sunday, May 19:
- Garden Highlights Walks; 11 A.M. and 2 P.M.; $2
- Native Plants, Traditional Medicine; 1-3 P.M.; $29
National Public Gardens Week commemorates the nation’s public garden heritage during the height of spring. Botanical gardens, arboreta, historical sites and conservatories across the country participate, including the 30-plus gardens in the greater Philadelphia region. Learn more about this annual celebration here: https://www.publicgardens.org/programs/national-public-gardens-week/about-national-public-gardens-week