Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve

Michigan, United States

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Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve in Michigan began as the country home of Kay and Walter Boydston, who bought the original 12.5 acres in 1941 and shared their love of nature and horticulture with friends.

It became a public garden in 1964 thanks to philanthropists Lawrence and Mary Plym. The site has expanded to 105 acres featuring cultivated gardens, a 40-acre arboretum with temperate trees and shrubs from around the world, a restored tallgrass prairie, and a 50-acre woodland nature preserve. Its diverse gardens include a Japanese dry garden, fern garden, herb garden, perennial border, rain garden, and lily pond.

Fernwood offers miles of walking trails, educational programs, an art gallery, a conservatory with tropical ferns, and a visitor center, making it a year-round destination to experience native plants, conservation, and horticulture in a beautiful natural setting.