Share: 

Beautiful evening for sipping and sauntering

Delaware Botanic Gardens hosts annual fundraising event
Delaware Botanic Gardens hosted its annual Sip & Saunter June 16. Bonnie Zonko takes a picture of husband Charles Zonko in the Folly Garden. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTOS
Chris Flood
June 29, 2021

Story Location:
Delaware Botanic Gardens
30220 Piney Neck Road
Dagsboro, DE 19939
United States

With a nice breeze, low humidity, warm temperatures and clear skies, Delaware Botanic Gardens hosted its annual Sip & Saunter fundraiser June 16.  For many of the visitors, because of COVID restrictions, it was the first time seeing the recently completed living shoreline along Pepper Creek.

The sold-out event featured beer, wine and cocktail tasting stations provided by Dogfish Head, catering by Good Earth Market and music by Eva Tooker of Coastal Keys.

For more information on Delaware Botanic Gardens, go to delawaregardens.org, or email Executive Director Sheryl Swed at sherylswed@delawaregardens.org.

It’s hard to believe, but this shoreline was nothing but a mud flat this time last year. Thanks to a partnership between the Center for the Inland Bays and Delaware Botanic Gardens, thousands of grass plugs were planted.
This is one large bird house.
Eva Tooker of Coastal Keys entertains guests as they enjoy the shade.
Good Earth Market owner Susan Ryan is all smiles preparing a plate of food.
The bright green of the Meadow Garden plants stands out against the shaded vase near the Folly Garden.
Artist John Schisler uses this trail as inspiration for his oil painting.
Among the sippers and saunterers was the crew from the Center for Inland Bays. Pictured are (l-r) CIB Executive Director Chris Bason, Outreach and Education Coordinator Lisa Swanger, Office Manager Brittany Burlsem, Science and Restoration Coordinator Dr. Marianne Walch, Development Coordinator Anna Short, and Communication Specialist Maddy Goss.
Here’s proof there are animals in the wooded areas of the garden.
These scarlet bee balms look like mini fireworks.
Made up of downed limbs, these large bird nests are all over the place. A devil’s walking stick plant has decided to make the center of one of the nests its home.
A lot of work went into making the garden’s recently completed living shoreline. This information board explains the project.
A view of the under-construction restrooms from the western trail of the Woodland Gardens.
As the evening shade sets in, guests gather on the new observation deck.

Most Popular

Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. Additionally, Flood moonlights as the company’s circulation manager, which primarily means fixing boxes that are jammed with coins during daylight hours, but sometimes means delivering papers in the middle of the night. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.

Most Popular