Jean Wright Hudson Peace Meadows and the Erb Family Foundation funded boardwalk
One hundred and twenty (120) volunteers and supporters gathered on Monday October 28, 2024 to officially open the Erb Family Foundation funded boardwalk to promote education in the Garden. We also named the Meadows after Jean Wright Hudson. Jean was one of the signers of the “Love Letter from Detroit” that was sent to Piet Oudolf in 2016 and she has been integral member of the Grounds Crew from its very inception. She has been an inspirational role model of volunteerism for all of us.
The Jean Wright Hudson Peace Meadows, now fully planted, is a curated native meadow designed by Piet Oudolf. The June planting was funded by our donors to our Sponsor-a-Plant program. The July planting was sponsored by the Keep Michigan Beautiful Foundation, and the September planting was sponsored by North Oakland Wild Ones.
You can still help this project by sponsoring the plants that were planted this year….. Learn More
Inspired by the energy of Detroit after receiving a “love letter from Detroit” from The Garden Club of Michigan (GCM), Piet Oudolf designed this naturalistic public garden on Belle Isle.
Both artistic and ecological by design, he chose perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees for their hardiness, durability, and ever-changing textures and colors for enjoyment in all four seasons. Oudolf Garden Detroit differs from other public Oudolf gardens in that it is run by its all-volunteer Oudolf Garden Detroit Grounds Crew.
The 3 acre garden sits in front of and around the Nancy Brown Peace Carillon on Belle Isle, a Michigan state park situated in the picturesque Detroit River. The Garden is divided into four district areas; the Main Garden, the Rain Garden, Piet’s Bird Border and the Meadows.
Follow us on Instagram @oudolfgardendetroit to learn more.
Weddings are not permitted in the Garden.
“For me, garden design isn’t just about plants, it is about emotion, atmosphere, a sense of contemplation. You try to move people with what you do. You look at this, and it goes deeper than what you see. It reminds you of something in the genes — nature, or the longing for nature.”
Piet Oudolf
