Marian Coffin Gardens at Gibraltar/Preservation Delaware

The Marian Coffin Gardens at Gibraltar are a free and open-to-the-public historic garden in Wilmington, Delaware. Designed beginning in 1916 by pioneering landscape architect Marian Cruger Coffin for Hugh Rodney Sharp and his family, Gibraltar is one of Coffin’s most significant surviving residential landscapes, featuring formal garden rooms, terraces, sculptures, water features, and dramatic changes in elevation.

Owned and stewarded by Preservation Delaware, Inc., the gardens are undergoing an ongoing revival guided by Coffin’s original plans, plant lists, photographs, and archival research. Historic preservation is balanced with ecological stewardship, including native plantings, invasive species removal, and tree renewal. Tours, educational programs, volunteer opportunities, and community events connect visitors with the gardens and Coffin’s legacy.