DELAWARE BOTANIC GARDENS INC

What DELAWARE BOTANIC GARDENS INC does

Delaware Botanic Gardens, Inc. (DBG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public botanic garden operating on a 37-acre site at 30220 Piney Neck Road in Dagsboro, Sussex County, Delaware, along the tidal Pepper Creek. Founded in 2012, the organization broke ground on December 1, 2016 and opened to the public in 2019; it is now preparing for its eighth season beginning March 19, 2026. The site comprises 11 themed gardens, including the only Piet Oudolf-designed meadow on the East Coast, a 2-acre Piet Oudolf Meadow Garden containing over 70,000 perennial plants and grasses, more than 200,000 spring bulbs, 12 acres of woodlands, 1,000 feet of tidal waterfront, and the newly completed 3,300-square-foot Annette Pennoni Meadow Pavilion (opened 2025). The garden serves general-public visitors, families and school groups, event renters, and members, with programming that includes guided tours, classes, yoga, sound baths, and lectures, supplemented by a live-streaming Eagle Cam and ADA-compliant facilities including golf-cart rentals and EV charging stations.

Name

DELAWARE BOTANIC GARDENS INC

Legal name

Delaware Botanic Gardens, Inc.

Website

https://delawaregardens.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Delaware Botanic Gardens, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a 37-acre public botanic garden in Dagsboro, Delaware, featuring the only Piet Oudolf-designed meadow on the East Coast, and serving general-public visitors, families, event renters, and members through admissions, programming, facility rentals, and philanthropy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Botanic Gardens

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH)

Keywords

• Public botanic garden
• Garden admission tickets
• Horticultural education programs
• Native plant conservation
• Botanical event venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Dagsboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Visitors pay admission fees to enter the garden. Adults pay $15, with free admission for members and children 16 and under.
2. Memberships: Annual membership packages providing free admission and other benefits to members.
3. Gift Shop Sales: Sale of merchandise including DBG-branded items, local artisan gifts, books, prints, pottery, and plants.
4. Facility Rentals: Rental of the Annette Pennoni Meadow Pavilion and Gallery Garden for private events, weddings, and community gatherings.
5. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, corporate sponsorships, annual fundraising dinners, and special campaign fundraising (e.g., Eagle Cam campaign raised over $80,000).
6. Classes and Tours: Revenue from guided tours ($10), educational classes ($10), and specialty programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Delaware Botanic Gardens operates a 37-acre public botanic garden at Pepper Creek in Sussex County, Delaware, offering paid admission, annual memberships, guided tours, educational classes, facility rentals for private events, and an on-site gift shop. The garden features the only Piet Oudolf-designed meadow on the East Coast, over 200,000 spring bulbs, 70,000+ perennial plantings, and 1,000 feet of tidal waterfront, with a live-streaming Eagle Cam.

Product overview

Delaware Botanic Gardens is a single-site public botanic garden operating on 37 acres in Dagsboro, Delaware. The offering centers on public garden admission to view multiple themed gardens, supplemented by fee-based guided tours, educational programs, and facility rentals. The organization offers a gift shop, membership program, and a live Eagle Cam for remote viewing. There is no modular software product architecture; the 'products' are services and facilities of the physical garden operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Garden Admission

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10 million dollars raised since 2014 for garden development and operations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• DANA (Delaware Alliance for Non-profit Advancement)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 22 September 2025Served as consultants for DBG's 2025-2028 Strategic Plan development. President & CEO Shelia Bravo led the planning process with DBG's Board, Staff, Volunteers, and community supporters.
• Food Bank of DelawarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025Community partnership for food donation programs. DBG offers free admission in exchange for food donations on designated days (Mother's Day, Earth Day, Veterans Day), helping address food insecurity in Sussex County. Over 3,000 pounds of food donated over two years.
• Pennoni Associates Inc.majorTechnology or Integration · 12 October 2024Engineering firm that provided design and engineering services for the Annette Pennoni Meadow Pavilion. Founder Chuck Pennoni made the project possible, and the Pennoni engineering team led by Mark Davidson contributed to the pavilion's development.
• Sussex County Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2024Involved in the original acquisition of the 37-acre Cannon Tract Farm which became the DBG home site. DBG hosted the Land Trust's 25th anniversary celebration.
• DNREC / Delaware Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2024Collaborated on the Tree for Every Delawarean Initiative (TEDI). DBG distributed about 250 native trees to guests as part of this state environmental program.
• Electric Vehicle Institute (EVI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2021Partnered to install two electric vehicle charging stations in the main guest parking lot. EVI sees synergy between their mission of improving EV mobility and DBG's environmental stewardship values.
• American Public Gardens AssociationcoreOthersDBG is a member of the American Public Gardens Association, a professional organization that provides resources, networking, and credibility for public botanical gardens.
• SoDel ConceptsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant group that provides catering for DBG's annual fundraising dinner. Scott Kammerer, President of SoDel Concepts, has been a long-time partner creating the farm-to-table dinner event. Company has provided naming rights for the Learning Garden.
• Dogfish Head BrewerymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided naming rights for the Learning Garden. Long-time corporate partner supporting DBG's development.
• SEA Studio ArchitectsmajorTechnology or IntegrationAward-winning architecture firm that designed the Annette Pennoni Meadow Pavilion and other DBG facilities including the ADA-compliant restroom building.
• HDOnTapmajorTechnology or IntegrationTechnology company that designed the Eagle Camera system. Same company that installed the Eagle Cam at Big Bear Valley in California.
• Windows on WildlifemajorTechnology or IntegrationInstalled the Eagle Camera along Pepper Creek in late September, enabling live streaming of the eagle nest.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: Public botanical garden in Boothbay, Maine, similarly sized as a regional destination with themed gardens, native plant focus, admissions, memberships, events, and educational programs. Highly comparable operating model and scale.
• Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden: Regional public botanical garden in Richmond, Virginia, with admissions, memberships, themed gardens, and educational programming. Comparable operating model and scale to DBG.
• Brookside Gardens: Public botanical garden in Wheaton, Maryland, with admissions, memberships, themed gardens, and educational programs. Comparable mid-Atlantic public garden of similar size and programming scope.
• Norfolk Botanical Garden: Coastal mid-Atlantic public garden with similar acreage scale, themed gardens, admissions, memberships, and seasonal programming. Closely comparable regional coastal botanical garden with overlapping visitor demographics.
• Mt. Cuba Center: Delaware-based public garden focused on native plants and ecological horticulture, located in Hockessin, DE. Direct peer given shared geography, native plant mission, and visitor overlap with southern Delaware.
• Morris Arboretum: University-affiliated public arboretum in Philadelphia with similar acreage, themed gardens, and programming. Comparable as a mid-Atlantic horticultural destination with educational mission.

Regional players

• Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library: Garden and museum destination in northern Delaware. Competes for the same Delaware tourism market but offers a different (historic estate/garden) experience; relevant for understanding regional visitor flow.

Broad incumbents

• New York Botanical Garden: Iconic, large-scale public botanical garden in the Bronx with global brand, comparable mission around horticulture, education, and conservation. Operates as the dominant East Coast incumbent in the same category.
• Longwood Gardens: Premier public botanical garden in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, ~2 hours from DBG. Comparable as a mid-Atlantic destination garden with admissions, memberships, events, and educational programming, but at significantly larger scale and with a global brand.

Others

• American Public Gardens Association: Industry association of which DBG is a member. Provides professional resources, networking, and credibility to public gardens; relevant as an ecosystem enabler rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/delawaregardens
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/delaware-botanic-gardens-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DELAWARE BOTANIC GARDENS INC