Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum at the Univeristy of Michigan

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Arb Parking Tip There are often FREE street parking spaces available on Oswego St. near the Arb's Geddes Street entrance. Click here for a map.

The Gateway Garden of New World Plants and the Alexandra Hicks Herb Knot Garden at Matthaei offer sensory delights with their profusion of colors and scents.
Check out the bloom calendar.

Looking for a central location to hold a group meeting? How about catching up on some of your reading at a riverside bench? We have some of the University's best study spots.

The island has a sense of sanctuary, even though it is near major public areas. The Pathways and Vistas plantings help define the special places within the island and encourage a sense of exploration. The small stage and the flowering shad (Amelanchier) dome all invite creative use.

The island's serenity is in part based on being screened by large evergreen spruces (Picea glauca). The rough turf flows towards the water's edge, where a wide variety of native plants are encouraged - though the dominant cat tails (Typha) add to the sense of a space apart. Winter snowfalls complete the cycle for year-round serenity.

Willow Pond Island is at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens site.

Pathways and Vistas was designed and installed by Mike Abbott of Abbott's nursery as part of 'Gardenscapes' with the generous financial support of the Ford Motor Company. The Stanley Smith Horticulture Trust donated labeling. Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum needs private support and provides donors with many giving opportunities and recognition. For more details, please contact the Development Office at 1-734-615-9475.

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