Goodstay House and Gardens – Wilmington, Delaware

Goodstay House and Gardens – Wilmington, Delaware

Visiting the Goodstay property will be a beautiful experience in the beauty of a garden from the 1700’s.  The garden has been restored to the former splendor for all to enjoy.  There is a over 100 year old wisteria vine which arches over the gate to the garden, the gravel walks and boxwood hedges are all typical of that time period.

Dating from about 1740 the house and garden are a piece of history with a beautiful story to share.  In 1923 the house became the property of the Wheelwrights.  Mr. Wheelwright was a landscape architect and the two of them spent 13 years transforming their American Tudor-style kitchen garden – a rectangular space made up of six squares known as “knots” into the beautiful gardens.

The gardens were planted with irises, roses, peonies, daffodils, daylilies and azaleas.  In its prime, the flower beds were replanted five times a year to keep them beautiful.  As a final touch the couple added an avenue of 30 pink blossoming magnolia trees leading to a circular reflecting pool in 1937.

There is an octagonal apple house which was formerly an ice house and a root cellar that has been restored and now serves as the Visitor Center.

The garden clubs of the area have taken on the task of updating and maintaining the gardens.  They have added herbs to the knot gardens and replaced some of the roses with newer varieties since the old ones were in really bad condition.

Goodstay’s Turkey Rock Garden, named after a large rock on which turkeys roosted, is bordered by lilacs.  This garden also has daffodils and daylilies as well as a statue by the sculptor William Zorach.

There are a variety of other flowers in the gardens for you to enjoy too.  Beyond the formal garden is a natural woodland garden with a spring-fed stream.  A great place for visitors to find wild yellow tulips, may apples, Johnny jump-ups, dog-toothed violets, trilliums, wild azaleas and winter hazels.

The gardens are open to the public and the Goodstay House is a facility of the University of Delaware.

Hours: Open every day during daylight hours.

Location: Directly across the street from Gibraltar on Rout 52 on the south side of the street.  2600 Pennsylvania Ave., Wilmington, Delaware 19806

For a guided tour contact the Friends of Goodstay Center by appointment at 302-573-4450.

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