Mt. Cuba Center

Native plants can make for some lovely cut arrangements, even in the winter! The variety of textures and colors, especially from dried seed heads, pairs nicely with evergreen foliage. Native cuttings shown here include ironweed (Vernonia), sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis), and oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia).

🌱 Calling all native plant enthusiasts and budding professionals! Kickstart your career with an internship at Mt. Cuba Center! We offer immersive, hands-on opportunities to grow your skills in the beautiful setting of a renowned native plant botanic garden. Our 2025 internship opportunities include: 🌳 Arboriculture 🌳 Greenhouse & Research 🌳 Horticulture 🌳 Natural Lands 🌳 Plant Conservation Science 🌳 Public Gardens Operations & Leadership Find out more info and apply on our website (link in bio).

You’re getting the year off to a great start with excellent What’s That Wednesday guesses! Yesterday’s image was fruit from a magnolia tree, which is specifically (as many of you said), an aggregate of follicles. The bright red seeds ripen in fall and feed birds and small mammals, and the cone-like structure holding them all adds winter interest. Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is one of our most attractive native broad-leaved evergreen trees, which can reach heights of 50’ or taller. Its thick, glossy leaves add color and texture in the winter, and the large, fragrant white flowers are stunning. Grow southern magnolia in full sun with acidic, well-drained soils.

What's That Wednesday is back for 2025! Guess what's pictured here!

Don’t miss our 2025 online lecture series: Gardens in a Changing Climate to be inspired, informed, and motivated as you think about planning your own garden this year. Sustainable Gardens in a Changing Climate kicks off the series on Saturday, January 11 from 11 am-12:30 pm. Learn how shifting climate patterns affect plant growth and leave with actionable insights to cultivate resilient, thriving gardens in the face of environmental change. Sign up for all three webinars for a discounted price. Can’t make it to the live lectures? You’ll receive a link to watch the recording at your own leisure. Find out more and register on our website (link in bio).

Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is a long-lived coniferous evergreen tree native to the eastern temperate forest that grows up to 30’-60’ tall. The scale-like evergreen foliage varies in color from green to blue-green and gives the plant an overall spiny texture. Plants produce bluish, waxy berry-like female cones, commonly referred to as juniper berries, that ripen in autumn and feed birds through the winter. In fact, cedar waxwings get part of their name from their preference for eating these “berries”. Eastern red cedar is highly adaptable, with a high tolerance for heat, cold, salt, drought, and other unfavorable conditions. This plant grows best in full sun, where it makes a great specimen plant, evergreen screen, or addition to a wildlife garden to enjoy all year long.

Kick off 2025 with learning something new! From the basics of botany to gardening skills and the how-tos of gardening in harmony with nature, check out Mt. Cuba’s in-person, online, and on-demand courses and grow your knowledge this year (link in bio)!

Happy New Year! We wish you a 2025 filled with the wonder, solace, and enjoyment that nature provides.

Colorful fall foliage that lasts into winter, bounteous flowers, and an interesting bark? There’s a lot to love about oakleaf hydrangeas!

American holly (Ilex opaca) is the festive native evergreen tree with bright red berries that is especially recognizable around the holiday season. As Delaware’s state tree, you can find American holly growing in the woods around the mid-Atlantic region, where the trees can reach up to 40-60 feet tall. Plant American holly in full sun to part shade in average to moist well-drained soil and both you and the birds will enjoy this beautiful native plant!

You likely heard “Christmas Song”, with the line, “chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”, many times leading up to the holiday, and perhaps you enjoy eating roasted chestnuts in the winter. However, did you know that the chestnuts you eat will have come from Europe or Asia rather than American chestnut trees? The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was one of the largest and most abundant trees of the eastern deciduous forest, comprising approximate 25% of the trees in mature forests in our area. However, beginning in 1904, chestnuts rapidly declined due to an introduced Asian bark fungus, called chestnut blight. Various initiatives are underway to bring back the grand American chestnut tree. Mt. Cuba Center hosts a study site for one such project from the American Chestnut Foundation. The goal of this initiative is to breed trees with Chinese chestnut’s resistance to the blight but with other characteristics (such as form and leaf palatability) of the American chestnut. You can see our chestnut plot across from Hobson Pond in the natural lands area and read more at the link below. Perhaps one winter in the future you will be able to roast American chestnuts on an open fire!

Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) looks great not only around the holidays, but all year round thanks to its evergreen fronds. Native to eastern North America, you can find Christmas fern growing in shaded woods as well as on slopes and stream banks. It is especially easy to spot in the winter, when there are few other green leaves in the forest. This fern is hardy and adaptable and can tolerate dry soil, making it a great addition to any garden. Grow Christmas fern in well-drained soil in shade or part shade, where it will typically reach a size of 2 feet wide and tall. Enjoy this native plant all throughout the year!