Springtime is the best time of year to explore the many beautiful botanical gardens in Michigan. The following 17 public gardens and when to visit them will inspire you to grab your camera, birdwatching binoculars, and hiking boots and get outside (or inside) to enjoy the best of Michigan’s native and imported flora ranging from delicate and extremely rare tropical plants at Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids to native habitat preserves around the state. Which garden will you visit first?
There are few things I enjoy more than exploring new gardens. There’s just something so refreshing and exhilarating about seeing rare flowers and plants in thoughtful displays and walking amongst nature in such a refined way that I just get enough of. My husband and I are planning to move out of state this year, and before we do, I’m making it my personal mission to visit all of Michigan’s best public botanical gardens and conservatories.
This list of 17 incredible botanical gardens in Michigan will help you find and enjoy Michigan’s gorgeous gardens to the fullest. Most of these are only worth visiting in the warmer months, as they’re just empty flower beds and dormant trees and bushes the rest of the year. Any gardens that can be enjoyed all year long will be denoted as such.
Anna Whitcomb Scripps Belle Isle Conservatory
Detroit, Michigan
This stunning indoor and outdoor garden can be visited any time of year, and is one of the loveliest public spaces in all of Detroit. The conservatory’s glasshouse is modeled after Kew Garden’s glasshouse in London, England, and there are works of art on loan or reproduced from the Detroit Institute of Arts.
When to Visit
This garden features indoor and outdoor gardens, it’s one I love to visit anytime of year.
Cranbook House & Gardens
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Tours are available from May through October of the house and its sumptuous gardens built on 40 acres of land, featuring more than 10,000 to give shade to the unique garden features, like the classical herb garden, Japanese reflection pond, water jokes, and garden pathways. This luxurious garden in southeast Michigan has changing floral displays each year, and the garden layouts are completely unique each year.
When to Visit
This garden features only outdoor gardens, so it’s best visited between the months of May and September.
Dow Gardens
Midland, Michigan
This 110 acre botanical garden in Midland, Michigan and is primarily reflective of native landscaping in Mid-Michigan. The 1700 plant species that call this garden home are all found native in Michigan, so it’s a wonderful place to visit if you’re looking to learn more about the flora in the Mitten State. Dow Gardens is also home to the nation’s largest canopy walk, 1,400 feet long, which is 40 feet above ground, and allows guests to wander over ponds, apple orchards, meadows, and more.
When to Visit
This garden features indoor and outdoor gardens, making it one I love to visit anytime of year.
Fernwood Botanical Gardens & Nature Preserve
Berrien County, Michigan
Home to sprawling gardens, and a 55 acre nature preserve, this garden reflects the best of Michigan’s native flora, and early in the morning, animals like foxes and deer may be spotted here. This is one of my favorite botanical gardens in Michigan.
When to Visit
This garden features outdoor gardens, it’s one I love to visit from May – September.
Ford House Gardens
Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan
This gorgeous historic home has one of the best examples of native landscaping in the entire state. Using only plants native to Michigan, the landscapers of The Edsel & Eleanor Ford House have strategically made the house and its botanical gardens look as though its coexisting with nature, in the way many English countryside cottages have mastered.
When to Visit
This estate garden features outdoor gardens and walkways, it’s one I love to visit from May – September.
Frederik Meijer Gardens
Grand Rapids, Michigan
A celebration of botanicals and artistic expression, Frederik Meijer Gardens has been promoting both in Western Michigan since 1995 as one of the most elegant botanical gardens in Michigan. Explore the world-famous Sculpture Park, which comes alive during the Art Prize (the world’s largest art festival), stroll through the nation’s most authentic Japanese Garden, and explore the various glass house rooms, each representing a different climate. Keep an eye on their website to plan for fascinating art exhibits. Past exhibits have included work by Ai WeiWei, 500+ year old bonsais, and many more.
When to Visit
This garden features both indoor and outdoor gardens, making it the perfect place to enjoy all year long.
Grand Hotel Gardens
Mackinac Island, Michigan
Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island is home to several different gardens, including the herb garden, tea garden, the secret garden, and many other displays of botanical and horticultural expertise, all maintained by the hotel’s team of master gardeners. During a guest’s stay, guests will see more than 150 different varieties of flowers at any given time, like tulips, dahlias, lilacs (brought in by French traders 250+ years ago), cosmos, peonies, and of course the hotel’s signature flower, Americana Red Geraniums. The hotel’s Rose Walk includes more than 25 unique varieties of roses, and the soil of the flower beds is created from the hotel’s compost, one of their many sustainability initiatives.During the spring season, the hotel plants as many as 80,000 tulip bulbs around the hotel gardens.
When to Visit
This garden features outdoor gardens that are only accessible during the hotel’s open season. It’s one I love to visit from May – October.
Hidden Lake Gardens
Tipton, Michigan
The Hidden Lake Gardens preserves an undeveloped area of the scenic Irish Hills, and is a wonderful spot for enjoying winding hiking trails, educational gardens, and birdwatching.
When to Visit
This garden features outdoor gardens and hiking trails that are best visited from May – October, but they are open all year long.
Imlay City Lavender Farm & Gardens
Imlay City, Michigan
The lavender fields in Imlay City come alive during the annual Lavender Festival (July 9 – 11th, 2020) with the sound of honey bees floating in the balmy summer air, pollinating the delicate blooms of the French Lavender that grows in beautiful, neat purple rows at Indigo Lavender Farms.
When to Visit
This garden features outdoor gardens and activities, and is best accessed during the Lavender Festival, July 9th-11th where visitors may harvest their own lavender, shop lavender scented products, and enjoy lavender laced treats like lavender lemonade and lavender ice cream.
Leila Arboretum
Battle Creek, Michigan
Designated a “center for culture amid natural beauty” by the widow of the business tycoon behind Post cereals, this beautiful 72 acre garden is an oasis of nature amongst one of Michigan’s most industrialized towns. The beautiful and thoughtfully planned out gardens are a wonder to behold, and are the perfect place for a picnic, sketching, or simply being alone with one’s own thoughts.
When to Visit
This outdoor garden is best accessed during the summertime, from May to September.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum are a wonderful place for nature lovers to bird watch, hike along the trails, and enjoy the various gardens and greenhouses. The main glasshouse displays primarily tropical plants, has a koi pond, and at the very back of the glasshouse, there is a small but lovely koi pond.
When to Visit
This garden features outdoor gardens and activities, and is best accessed during the summertime, from May to September, however the indoor glasshouse is beautiful all year long.
MSU Horticulture Gardens
East Lansing, Michigan
Home to six unique gardens, including a large rose garden and conservatory, as well as annual & perennial gardens, an arboretum and a sprawling vegetable garden.
When to Visit
This outdoor garden is best accessed during the summertime, from May to September.
Taylor Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
Taylor, Michigan
The smallest garden on the list, the Taylor Conservatory & Botanical Gardens has one of Michigan’s most magnificent glasshouses, and is famous statewide for its fun and festive flower themed tea parties.
When to Visit
This outdoor garden is best accessed during the summertime, from May to September.
Veldheer Tulip Garden & Farm
Holland, Michigan
Holland’s only tulip farm, Veldheers Tulip Farm & Gardens is open year round, but peak bloom of the tulips is the first week or two of May, during the Tulip Time Festival! Did I mention that they maintain around 5 & 1/2 MILLION tulips each spring? It’s truly an incredible thing to behold!
When to Visit
This garden features outdoor gardens and indoor shopping, and is best accessed during the first and second week of May, but is open all year long.
Windmill Island Gardens & Conservatory
Holland, Michigan
My favorite place to see the tulips during Holland’s Tulip Time Festival, Windmill Island Gardens offers fields of flowers alongside a replica Dutch city, complete with the DeZwaan Windmill. The purpose of these gardens is to preserve Dutch heritage and pride, and to educate visitors on what life would have looked like for the Dutch citizens who eventually left the Netherlands and moved to Michigan, and in doing so, they’ve created one of the most beautiful public gardens in the world. The indoor conservatory is one of the most unique Botanical Gardens in Michigan.
When to Visit
This garden features outdoor gardens and indoor shopping, and is best accessed during the first and second week of May, but is open all year long.
W.J. Beal Botanical Garden
East Lansing, Michigan
Michigan State University’s five acre botanical garden is a beautiful place to stroll in the spring and summertime to enjoy the beautiful variety of flowers and plants. The oldest continuously operating campus botanical garden, the W.J. Beal Botanical Garden is a must see for anyone who appreciates nature, enjoys admiring flowers, and for anyone looking to learn more about flora from botanical gardens in Michigan.
When to Visit
This garden features outdoor gardens, and is best enjoyed beginning in late April until the last week of September, but is open all year long.
Safe Travels!
xAnnie Fairfax
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