The estate has the most developed and largest
jardin à la française (French formal garden)-style landscape park and collection of individual gardens in North America. The design is patterned after the
gardens of Versailles surrounding the
Petit Trianon at the
Château de Versailles. Their central axis extends ⅓ of a mile from the mansion
facade, paralleling the main avenue leading to the house. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with plantings,
fountains,
pools, a
carillon tower, statuary, and a
pavilion surrounded by naturalized
woodlands. :The named features include: • The Boxwood Garden – French
parterre garden with
boxwood edging and a central faun fountain. • The Colonnade (1926) – memorial to
Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours and his son
Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, designed by
Thomas Hastings. • The Maze Garden – a
maze garden with main hedges of Western Arborvitae 'Spring Grove', inner hedges of Japanese Barberry 'Crimson Pygmy', and central statue of Achievement, by
Henri Crenier, atop a base with images of
Triton and
Neptune's face. • The Reflecting Pool (1 acre) – in diameter, with 157 jets, backed by Japanese
cryptomeria, pink flowering
horse chestnut, and
pin oaks. • The Sunken Gardens – designed by Alfred Victor du Pont and Gabriel Masséna. Features large lake, grottoes, and 1930 statue by
Charles-Marie Sarrabezolles (1888–1971). A. V. du Pont (1900–1970) was the only son of the owner and an architect trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. • The Temple of Love – in classical style, with life-sized statue of
Diana (1780) by
Jean-Antoine Houdon. ==Restoration and renovation==