PLEASE NOTE: In the autumn of 1995, we hatched the idea for a free, local gardening publication. The following spring, we published the first issue of Michigan Gardener magazine. Advertisers, readers, and distribution sites embraced our vision. Thus began an exciting journey of helping our local gardening community grow and prosper.
After 27 years, nearly 200 issues published, and millions of copies printed, we have decided it is time to end the publication of our Print Magazine and E-Newsletter.

Archive for the Cranbrook tag

Cranbrook Japanese garden receives grant support to begin rejuvenation

April 2, 2019 • Leave a Comment

Created in 1915 by Cranbrook founder George Booth and his father, Henry Wood Booth, Cranbrook’s Japanese garden is among the oldest in North America. Although the garden today remains a place of inspiration and renewal for visitors, the space itself needs rejuvenation. With the support of the Consulate General of Japan in Detroit, the Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research has received a grant from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) that will start the necessary work.

“There are six gardens worldwide that received one of these grants in 2018,” said Gregory Wittkopp, Director of the Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research. “We are very fortunate to be one of these six gardens.”

The MLIT grant provided funding to bring six gardeners to Cranbrook from the Japan Federation of Landscape Contractors. Over the course of six days, the gardeners helped transform one corner—the lily pond cascade—into what will once again be a place of beauty and contemplation. This work is the first of a six-phase master plan for the entire garden that is being designed by Sadafumi Uchiyama, garden curator of the famed Portland Japanese garden in Oregon.

Wittkopp said that Cranbrook “wants to respect the history and legacy of the garden, while also taking the opportunity to enhance it. Our goal is to make sure that this becomes a garden that is actively used for a variety of reasons, and that people find meaning here.”

North American Japanese Gardens Association presents event at Cranbrook

April 13, 2018 • Leave a Comment

Cranbrook Japanese garden. (Photo: Eric Franchy)

The North American Japanese Gardens Association (NAJGA) is holding a regional event at Cranbrook Gardens in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan on May 17-19, 2018. This event—”Creation & Rejuvenation: Six Japanese-Style Gardens in Michigan”—brings together garden professionals and hobbyists to explore the challenges and benefits of Japanese gardens in the Midwest using six case studies. Garden tours include the Cranbrook Japanese Garden, Freer House, McGregor Reflecting Pool and Sculpture Gardens, Kathleen and Milton Muelder Japanese Garden, Shigematsu Memorial Garden, The Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden, and Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. Click here for more information.

Cranbrook Gardens to offer free admission

July 25, 2017 • 1 Comment

For the third year, admission is free to Cranbrook Gardens through October 31, 2017, courtesy of its sponsors. The gardens are open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm for self-guided visits.

Spanning 40 acres around historic Cranbrook House, the former home of Cranbrook’s founders, George Gough and Ellen Scripps Booth, Cranbrook Gardens is known for its formal gardens featuring fountains, statuary, lakes, streams and extensive plantings. Highlights include the Sunken Garden, Herb Garden, Bog Garden, Native Plant/Wildflower Garden, Reflecting Pool Garden, and Sundial Garden.

The Sunken Garden, a formal garden surrounded by fieldstone walls, was originally established by the Booths as a vegetable garden. They used the crop to feed the people living and working on their estate a century ago. The Booths lowered the garden to extend the growing season. In later years, the Booths moved the vegetable garden to another location and transformed the original space into a flower garden. Today, Cranbrook House & Gardens Auxiliary’s captivating layouts for the Sunken Garden attract thousands of visitors each year.

Since there is no cost to enter the grounds, guests are encouraged to visit the Sunken Garden and all the gardens often to discover firsthand how they evolve from spring through fall. Although the gardens are free, tours of Cranbrook House and special events require paid admission, and donations are always welcome. All proceeds help support the preservation of Cranbrook House & Gardens, a National Historic Landmark. For more info, click here.

Japanese garden expert to present lecture at Cranbrook Institute of Science

April 16, 2016 • Leave a Comment

George and Ellen Booth transformed a humble rock garden on their country estate in Bloomfield Hills into a serene Japanese garden.

On Sunday, April 24, 2016, 3:00 p.m., Dr. Kendall H. Brown presents “Cranbrook’s Japanese Garden in Context: Japanese-style Landscapes in America, Then and Now.” Co-sponsored by the Japan America Society of Michigan and Southwestern Ontario and hosted in partnership with Cranbrook Institute of Science (map), the lecture admission is free. Seating is limited; doors open at 2:30 p.m.

In 1915, Cranbrook founders George and Ellen Booth attended the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Inspired by the exposition’s Japanese pavilion, they returned to Cranbrook and transformed a humble rock garden on their country estate in Bloomfield Hills into a serene Japanese garden. This lecture explores the fashion for Japanese gardens in America in the first decades of the 20th century, tracing their presence at worlds’ fairs, commercial sites, and great country homes. The presentation concludes by sketching how Japanese gardens are playing new, dynamic roles as sites of wellness and transformation today.

Dr. Brown is Professor of Asian Art History in the School of Art at California State University, Long Beach. He received BA and MA degrees in history and art history from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University. Professor Brown is a leading figure in the study of Japanese gardens in North America. His book, Quiet Beauty: The Japanese Gardens of North America, is considered the definitive study in this field. This is his first lecture in Michigan.

Naturalizing the Home Garden: A Native Garden Design Workshop for Beginners

February 28, 2014 • Leave a Comment

Friends of the Rouge and the Alliance of Rouge Communities have organized native garden design workshops in metropolitan Detroit to educate residents about the ecological and economic benefits of gardening with native wildflowers and grasses.

The leading source of pollution in the Rouge River is contaminated stormwater. The quantity of rainwater that rushes to the river during every rain event wreaks havoc on the river system and undermines the great work that has been done to improve water quality. When the river rapidly rises, stream banks are stripped of vegetation and sediment enters the water. This clogs the gills of fish and insect larva the fish feed on.

Watershed residents can easily reduce the amount of rainwater that leaves their property by creating attractive native gardens that are strategically placed to absorb rain water.

Workshop dates and locations:

Wednesday, March 5, 6:00-7:15 p.m.
Livonia Civic Center Library, 32777 5 Mile Road, Livonia
Monday, March 31, 6:00-7:15 p.m.
Cranbrook Institute of Science, 39221 Woodward Ave, Bloomfield Hills
Tuesday, April 15, 6:00-7:15 p.m.
Caroline Kennedy Library, 24590 George Ave, Dearborn Heights

Optional expert assistance is available for a limited number of workshop attendees immediately following the workshop. Interested persons are encouraged to register early as space is limited. Registration is required for expert assistance. Information and registration is available online or by calling 313-792-9621.

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