Spring Garden Event Highlights

Take a leisurely stroll through the garden and estate guided by one of our staff members and hear about Winterthur’s history, design, and plants. After the guided walk, stop at our tailgate in a secret location for lively conversation and tasty treats, including hors d’oeuvres and a selection of hard and soft beverages. Registration required.

The Organ Historical Society (OHS) and Natural Lands present Friday Organ Concerts in the Main House at Stoneleigh. Local organists will perform a selection of sweeping musical pieces surrounded by the elegant beauty of the Tudor-revival style home.

Join us for a casual stroll around campus hunting for mushrooms! Bethany Teigen, founder of the Philadelphia Mycology Club, will lead the way, teaching participants how to properly forage for mushrooms. This class is intended for beginners and will include a general introduction to the fungal kingdom and identification information on each specimen found.

Learn how to add your fresh garden ingredients to seasonal cocktails. This class will focus on flavor combinations, techniques, and use ingredients accessible to any home bartender. Class is for ages 21-plus. BYO cheese and crackers if you wish to have a snack with your sips!

The diverse and growing gardens of Stoneleigh sustain a variety of migratory songbirds during spring migration. Flycatchers, orioles, thrushes, and warblers wing their way across the garden, stopping to fuel up during their journeys. Bring a pair of binoculars and get ready for a relaxing morning of looking and listening for birds in the garden.

Explore Henry Francis du Pont’s process, from seed and plant selection to tablescape, with Catharine Dann Roeber, director of academic affairs, and Jennifer Vess, archivist. Included with admission. Members free.

Learn how insects and native plants interact and support each other—in both public gardens and our own backyards. After an indoor lecture, we will move outside to explore the plants and pollinators in the gardens of Stoneleigh.

Enjoy bourbon tastings, a bourbon- inspired cocktail, live bluegrass, the garden, and more as we bring some Kentucky Derby style to Delaware. $58; $29 for designated drivers and students. Learn more at winterthur.org. Reservations are required by May 3.

Join Chanticleer Horticulturist Timothy Erdmann and learn to design containers that work together as cohesive displays rather than individual showpieces. Move beyond the conventional thriller / filler / spiller formula to develop sophisticated approaches that echo the naturalistic plantings found throughout Chanticleer.

Enjoy a walk and take about Winterthur’s most formal garden, and one of the last gardens designed by Marian Coffin: the Sundial Garden, with Michelle Stapleford, horticulturist. Included with admission. Members free.

Come explore Tyler Arboretum after dark! Bring the family to walk the trails on a short, guided hike, roast marshmallows at the Edible Garden Classroom, study moths under our light-traps, and complete science experiments that can only be done under the cover of night. FREE for everyone!

Pack your prettiest picnic and step into the timeless charm of a country-estate garden party as Winterthur marks the museum’s 75th anniversary with a 20-piece big band, a parade, vintage automobiles, and guided garden experiences. Inspired by the H.F. du Pont family’s love of entertaining outdoors, Winterthur’s May garden party takes place amid the scenic open fields alongside Azalea Woods. Pack your own picnic or indulge in seasonal offerings from our food truck vendors.

A slow, guided walk through Laurel Hill’s green burial gardens while harvesting a beautiful mix of native plant materials to create a journey stick. Journey sticks are similar to story sticks made by Native Americans and are incredibly personal, tactile, and intentional keepsakes that commemorate your route. After creating your journey stick, we’ll journal together.

Don’t miss the first Free Open Boating Day at Glen Foerd! Take out a canoe, rowboat, or kayak and explore parts of the Poquessing Creek and Delaware River.

Join botanical artist Margaret Saylor for a program encouraging observation of the natural world through drawing. We’ll explore the minute details and plant characteristics of spring specimens. Begin a sketchbook or add to an existing one. Use graphite, Micron pen, and/or watercolor to depict plant life. Who knows… this could be the start of a lifelong sketchbook habit.

An exclusive, after-hours tour featuring two of our favorite things: plants and wine. Led by Stoneleigh Director Ethan Kauffman and sommelier Michele Gargiulo, take an evening stroll through the garden and enjoy a specially curated sampling of four different natural wines.

Join Chanticleer Plant Information Coordinator Eric Hsu for an exploration of choice shade perennials that bloom beautifully in spring. Through an indoor presentation and guided garden walk, Eric will showcase exceptional plants like Arisaema, Disporum, Epimedium, and Primula, discussing their specific growing needs, cultural requirements, and how to successfully integrate them into home gardens and landscapes.

Enjoy a walk in the spring garden, hear about the plants that are in bloom, and get some spring garden care tips from Collin Hadsell, horticulturist. Included with admission. Members free.

Join us for an evening by the river with live music, food, drinks, and a craft table for all ages!

Take time to smell the roses, literally! Join Gregg, Laurel Hill’s Senior Horticulturist, for this special tour that will enchant you with fragrant heirloom roses, gorgeous flowering shrubs, and many surprises. The Medallion Garden at Laurel Hill East offers incredible floral features that are a treat for the senses.

Perplexed by ferns when shopping at garden centers? Discover how these much-loved woodland plants provide textural interest and flourish in shade where other plants struggle. Join Chanticleer horticulturist Przemek Walczak for an indoor presentation and guided walk that takes a detailed look at fern identification, cultivation basics, and growing conditions.

Class will take place on the Out on a Limb exhibit. Practice yoga 50 feet above ground surrounded by a canopy of trees. This class is a wonderful way to combine the mental benefits of yoga with the beauty of the natural environment. This unique practice is for participants of all skill levels.

Spend a morning learning about the Rose Garden while enjoying locally made pastries and rose tea.