One of the nation’s newest public gardens, the Delaware Botanic Gardens, owes part of its existence to RAS Landscape Architects in Media, writes Adrian Higgins for The Washington Post.

The centerpiece of the Gardens is a 70,000-plant, two-acre field of perennials and grasses near the Delaware Shore, creating a meadow conceived by Dutch plant designer Piet Oudolf.

It opened in a former soybean field and creek-side woodland near Dagsboro, Del., west of Bethany Beach.

The 37-acre attraction is a work in progress; the meadow and woodland are ready to be enjoyed, and infrastructure is in place, but the main visitor center, a central water feature and other key elements have yet to appear.

The gardening team is small, headed by Brian Trader, late of Longwood Gardens, and relies on a corps of volunteers.

Individuals tapped into the local business community to make it happen, along with grants from various foundations. The land is owned by a conservation trust.

“Every time I think the world is coming to an end, this project breathes new life into me,” said Ray Sander, the garden’s president.

The goal is to get 30,000 visitors in the first season.

Read more about this new garden here.

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