Mill Pond Garden to hold open day Sept. 22

Mill Pond Garden near Lewes will be open from 9:30 a.m. to noon, Sunday, Sept. 22, showcasing the equinox garden’s bounty of seasonal flowers. A horticulturist will be on duty to answer questions.

An $18 ticket will admit one car with up to six passengers included. Tickets may be purchased with cash only at check-in or via the website, millpondgarden.com.

This transition time shows the end-of-summer blossoms and the beginning of autumn flowers, along with the abundance of wildlife typical of this time of year, including hummingbirds and maybe a well-grown praying mantis. The many seasonal beauties include native goldenrod, mist flowers, asters, hibiscus, Liriope, Benary’s giant zinnias, diamond grass, huge annuals and tropicals like banana trees, plus bright-colored berries on trees and shrubs like native hollies, hawthorn, devil’s club and more. Maturing seeds and fruits will attract even more birds and insects than usual.

Visitors may like to check out the garden’s home-made native bee boxes to see the egg-laying reed tubes being sealed up with clay for next spring’s hatch and pollinating to begin. There is also a stack of mushroom-growing logs so guests can see how easy it is for homeowners to grow their own mushrooms of many kinds in a deep-shade spot, including cold-weather varieties like shitakes, or hot-weather types like lion’s mane and chicken of the woods.

Mill Pond Garden is the only professional botanical garden in the Cape Region, dedicated to providing the advantages of professional horticulture and mostly native displays tailored to local growing conditions. The garden is also a Certified Wildlife Habitat as recognized by the National Wildlife Federation, displaying a wealth of ideas for gardeners to help attract and increase wildlife.

Because this time of year is a bit cooler, many people enjoy outdoor entertaining and using their gardens for sitting or walking. Mill Pond Garden visitors may like to note what plants provide interesting and beautiful flowers or other enjoyments, and find out what might do well in their own gardens. As well-known Delaware scientist Douglas Tallamy said, “If 27 million home gardeners in America each add some basics for wildlife to their gardens, it may arrest or reverse the extinction event rapidly going on.” 

Mill Pond Garden is located off Minos Conaway Road at 31401 Melloy Court, Lewes.