Chateau Country Landscapes

The four du Pont estates and garden landscapes located in Pennsylvania and Delaware provide the nucleus for Delaware’s Chateau Country. Autumn, with its mild weather and impressive foliage, is a fantastic time to visit this area of the Brandywine Valley. Long holiday weekends present an opportunity to learn how French émigrés, beginning in Colonial times, translated their culture here. Find out about European garden history and landscaping, and learn about introducing new elements to home landscapes. Here is a little about each of the four gardens:

• The Hagley Museum, site of the gunpowder works founded by E. I. du Pont in 1802, is located on 235 acres by the Brandywine River in Wilmington, Delaware. It shows an early American workers’ community and restored mills, along with the home and restored French-style gardens cultivated by the E. I. du Pont family.
• Winterthur, an American country estate, is the former home of Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969). In the early 20th century, he and his father, Henry Algernon du Pont, designed Winterthur in the spirit of 18th- and 19th-century European country houses. Plan to devote at least a day’s visit to exploring the grounds and gardens at Winterthur. Each time I visit, I learn something new. Here is a little of what you can expect in the autumn:

1. The 60-acre naturalistic Winterthur Garden;
2. Major Plant Groupings arranged by Du Pont in color combinations and carefully orchestrated for a succession of bloom from late January to November; and especially
3. Autumn’s Bulbs, Berries & Foliage.

• Autumn colors come alive at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA from October 4 – 27. Industrialist Pierre S. du Pont bought land in 1906 that was to become Longwood. Now this premier horticultural spot offers 1,050 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows; 20 outdoor gardens; and 20 indoor gardens within 4 acres of heated greenhouses. Autumn is the best time to see and study my two favorites:

1. The Outdoor Water Lily Display is at its peak in late summer and early fall – usually through October 15. The Victoria ‘Longwood Hybrid’ (Longwood hybrid water-platter) is outstanding as it reaches a mature size of over 7 feet in diameter.
2. The Italian Water Garden uses visual foreshortening and authentic European design elements to create a stunning effect. Pierre du Pont thought about a water garden for nearly a decade, and after trips to Italy and France chose the Villa Gamberaia, near Florence, Italy, for inspiration. Historians believe that he probably based the Longwood plan on one published in a garden book.

• The Nemours Mansion and Gardens offer a late 18th century setting in which I have let loose my imagination.The 47,000 sq. ft. mansion built from 1909 to 1910 is a fine example of a French chateau in the style of Louis XVIth and looms over the surrounding formal gardens. Unfortunately, Nemours is closed for major renovations and restorations beginning on 1 January, 2005 for approximately two years. Meanwhile, a virtual tour of the mansion’s interior and the gardens is available. The garden portion includes:

1. Front View of Mansion,
2. Southern Gardens,
3. View from Mansion Interior,
4. Reflecting Pool,
5. Maze Garden and Maze Garden Statue,
6. Colonnade and Statuary,
7. Sunken Gardens, and Temple of Love.

©Text and Photography by Georgene A. Bramlage, October 2006. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.