The Great Lakes Gardens celebrate our region’s natural heritage and re-create many of the special habitats found here such as dune, limestone plain, and prairie. We’ve planted the Gardens with Great Lakes endemics (those found here and nowhere else in the world), native orchids, woodland wildflowers, and many others.

In the gardens a series of accessible pathways, boardwalks, and overlooks invites up-close views of plants you might never encounter in the wild, while interpretation illuminates the role conservation plays in protecting this unique diversity. It’s fitting that the Great Lakes Gardens are located at the University of Michigan, with its great tradition of botanists knowledgeable of our region’s flora and home to the Michigan Flora Project at the U-M Herbarium. Scroll down to see a photo gallery of the Great Lakes Gardens.

As the Great Lakes Gardens fill in you’ll find an ever-changing landscape. To learn more about the Gardens, click on the links to the left for information about the ecosystems and the plants that live there.

How can you help? If you want future generations to experience the unique living heritage of the Great Lakes region and would like to support continued maintenance and care of this one-of-a-kind garden, please contact Meredith Olson, Director of Development, Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum,1800 N. Dixboro Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48105; merolson@umich.edu; 734.647.7847.