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| Nancy Brown Peace Carillon |
Piet Oudolf Opens Public Garden on Detroit's Belle Isle.
When "rockstar" garden expert Piet (pronounced
Pete) Oudolf received a letter from a Detroit garden
club member asking him to please consider
producing one of his signature naturalist gardens in
the Motor City, one would have expected a polite
refusal at best. The Dutch designer is one of the
most sought-after of this century. Oudolf's clients are
generally limited to wealthy landowners or municipalities with a robust tourism industry.
Ever walked the High Line in New York City's Chelsea district or the Lurie Garden in Millenium Park in downtown Chicago? These Oudolf creations attract millions of visitors each year.
Oudolf not only responded to the cheeky Detroiter, he ultimately agreed to design a naturalistic garden installation on an island park in the city. To assist with fundraising and offset his fees, Oudolf flew from his home in the Netherlands for a slide presentation and book signing at a downtown university.
The garden club, partnered with the State of Michigan, raising the necessary funds to compensate Oudolf and purchase the massive amount of native plants needed to populate his design. Volunteers installed and tended the garden.
Launched in the summer of 2021, Oudolf's Detroit garden has flourished. Experienced gardeners expect first year gardens to be sparse. Due to the loving care of volunteers, dense native plantings, and favorable riverfront climate, the garden is already lovely. It will only improve.
Positioned on Belle Isle, in the shadow of an elderly clocktower overlooking the Detroit River, the garden sways to the gentle river breezes. The naturalistic plantings are in sharp contrast to the neighboring gated formal Conservatory garden.
Piet Oudolf's gardens feature the natural landscape. His gardens conform to the chosen site in form and substance. Oudolf does not bend the environment to meet his vision. The world acclaimed garden designer adapts his design to embrace the locale and the vagrancies of nature unique to the site. His Detroit garden reflects the gritty city's resiliance and innate yet simple beauty.
Belle Isle is located where the Detroit River opens to Lake St. Clair. Developed in the nineteenth century, the 982 acre island is connected to mainland Detroit by the Macarthur Bridge, a sweeping 2,193 foot structure consisting of 19 arches which was built in 1923.
The island is home to numerous attractions, including an aquarium, nature center and trails, Great Lakes Museum, golf course, sandy beach, casino/event space, Scott Fountain, Coast Guard station and a yacht club. A wide ribbon of pavement encircles the island, hosting organized runs, biking, walking and the Detroit Grand Prix. Now Detroit has its own Oudolf garden.
The Oudolf Garden Detroit is rated 12/10.
There is no charge to enjoy the garden, but donations are gratefully accepted.
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