beautiful yellow tree peony bloom

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Matthaei Botanical Gardens

1800 N. Dixboro Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48105 – Map
Tues – Sun 10am-4:30pm | Wed 10am-8:00pm | Closed Mondays

Matthaei Botanical Gardens has something for everyone: Outdoor garden spaces featuring bonsai, native plants, and perennials, a garden created just for kids, nearly 3 miles of trails, and an indoor conservatory filled with plants from around the world.

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Nichols Arboretum

1610 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor – Map
Daily 8am-8pm

As you explore Nichols Arboretum you’ll find one of the richest landscapes in the region, including vast panoramas, broad valleys, and intimate dales and glens.

Pink rhododendron
Nature play pop up at Gaffield Children's garden
Nature Play Pop Ups

The Gaffield Children’s Garden at Matthaei Botanical Gardens is hosting weekly hands-on Nature Play Pop-ups for fall 2023. Young children will have hands-on fun while taking a closer look at nature, and parents will leave with easy ideas to encourage creative nature play at home. 

Group of six children approximately aged 10 to 13 years.  The children are looking at the camera holding out hillicopter seeds from a nearby tree.
Field Trips

We offer amazing opportunities for classroom groups to visit Matthaei in-person or virtually. Our field trips are easy to schedule, interactive, and fun. 

bumblebee on goldenrod
Get to Know Michigan’s Bees

Discover the hidden world of Michigan’s native bees and their vital role in local ecosystems as we  highlight their unique appearances, behaviors, and essential interactions with plants.

 

Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum is a transformative force for social and ecological resilience through the waters and lands we steward. We turn this commitment into action by:
  • Positioning humans as active participants within the natural world and compelling the university community and our publics to negotiate the full complexity that entails
  • Advancing partnerships, programs, user experience, and all that we steward to catalyze equity and justice in a radically changing world
  • Emerging as University of Michigan’s premier partner for research, teaching, and public impact in sustainability, climate-forward practices, and biocultural diversity
  • Promoting healthier communities, cultures, and ecosystems through active care and cultivation of the gardens, fields, natural habitats, and dynamic systems that sustain our world.

Learn more about our Strategic Plan at this link.

MBGNA News

Interview with Waasnodekwe – Northern Lights Woman

What is the significance of the Northern Lights for you and your tribe? For me, from the Anishinaabe perspective, the northern lights, Waasnoode, is a sacred act that we see that represents the word “waas” which is light and then part of it, “noode”, so it's to me...

Campus Farm experiments with composting stadium waste

Pilot project cultivates sustainability and experiential learning  Compost from football games could be used to grow produce at the student-run Campus Farm, if a recent experiment goes well. This approach to managing the Michigan Stadium waste stream would capture...

Beavers settle in Fleming Creek

For the first time since the gardens were founded in 1907, beavers have made a home at Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Their dam and lodge can be seen from a trail near the Fleming Creek Overlook.  “I first noticed the signs during a staff walking event on November 1st,”...

Rebirth After the Storm: Restoring Nichols Arboretum with Native Oaks

In late August, a fierce storm took its toll on Nichols Arboretum, and over a hundred mature trees were brought down from high winds and rain. Yet, within this chaos, we have found an opportunity for renewal, staying true to our commitment to promote environmental and...