What began in 2016 with a Love Letter from Detroit to Piet Oudolf in the Netherlands, Detroit now has a masterpiece of a garden. After record high water in the Great Lakes in 2019, the Main Garden master plan was redesigned by Piet, and construction began in January 2020. By Labor Day 2020, over 26,000 forbs and grasses were planted in the 15 main beds. By Halloween 2020, 48,000 bulbs were planted. This portion of the Garden officially opened in August 2021 with Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II cutting the ribbon. Due to COVID travel restrictions, Piet was unable to visit the Garden during construction or planting time. Piet visited his Detroit garden for the first time in August 2021.
The Detroit garden is the only example in the United States of Piet’s three perennial planting styles; Block, Matrix and Grouping plans. The Main Garden is ADA accessible.
Design Sketches
| The Main Garden | 1.5 Acres |
|---|---|
| Beds | 15 |
| Planting Styles | 3 |
| Varieties | 146 |
| Plants | 79,833 |
| Plant Types | Varieties | Plants |
|---|---|---|
| Forbs | 99 | 21,380 |
| Bulbs | 31 | 50,068 |
| Grasses and Sedges | 10 | 8,372 |
| Trees and Shrubs | 6 | 13 |
* As of March, 2023
| Planting Styles | Varieties | Plants |
|---|---|---|
| Block (A Beds) | 66 | 28,126 |
| — Bulbs | 11 | 19,084 |
| — Forbs | 49 | 8,091 |
| — Grasses | 6 | 951 |
| Matrix (B Beds) | 49 | 31,925 |
| — Bulbs | 10 | 20,639 |
| — Forbs | 38 | 6,796 |
| — Grasses | 1 | 4,490 |
| Grouping (C Beds) | 40 | 16,754 |
| — Bulbs | 10 | 10,345 |
| — Forbs | 25 | 5,435 |
| — Grasses | 5 | 974 |
| Triangles (Matrix) | 14 | 3,028 |
| — Forbs | 6 | 1,058 |
| — Grasses | 2 | 1,957 |
| — Trees and Shrubs | 6 | 13 |
| Total | 146 | 79,833 |