Events

NOTE: The address you will use for this event depends on whether you want to take a three-mile hike or walk one-quarter mile to reach the meeting location—please see below for details.

ABOUT RIVER BEND GARDENS

River Bend Gardens was established in July 2017, and it was formally founded by my wife and me in January 2019 as a private botanical garden, aviary, and retreat for our family of five children.

We selected the property for its unique combination of natural features; it is located in Washtenaw County, 15 miles southwest of Ann Arbor, in the Village of Manchester. The gardens are situated on 65 acres with a half mile of frontage on the River Raisin, and they are adjacent to the south and west with the Leonard Preserve, a 259-acre property owned by Washtenaw County’s Natural Areas Preservation and The Nature Conservancy.

There are twelve gardens that make up River Bend, with nine natural plant communities, and several glacial features in the landscape from kames, an out-wash plain, to a floodplain that includes a Buttonbush depression. In addition to the River Raisin, the property includes a four-acre pond, two brooks, and over 30 natural springs.

Hiking River Bend Gardens offers our guests an opportunity to view a gardener's pragmatic effort at native plant preservation and restoration. Wayne is happy to share the mechanics of the preservation work and prairie restoration with considerations to methods, successes, and failures.  

NOTE: While the trails are established, they are not completely groomed. The garden is not ADA compliant, nor is there a restroom present on the property.

OPTIONS FOR ARRIVING AT THE MEETING LOCATION

A discussion and Q&A will begin at 10:30 a.m., and guests have two options for arriving at the prairie and meeting location. In either case there will be someone from the River Bend family there to guide you to the meeting location. After a discussion and Q&A, guests will be free to walk the trails and experience the gardens at their own pace.

Three-mile Hike from East Entrance Garden, 115 Mound Street Manchester, MI 48158

Arrive at 9 a.m. for this hike along the Garden Trail to the meeting location.

PARKING: There is a horseshoe drive where you can pull in for parking, or you can park on the shoulder of Mound Street on the north side of the street facing west.

Quarter-mile Walk from West Entrance Garden, 328 River Bend Street, Manchester, MI 48158

Arrive at 10:15 a.m. for this short walk to the meeting location.

PARKING: There is adequate parking off the street on garden property.

For more information on River Bend Gardens you may visit:

Website: https://riverbendgardens.org/ 

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100025765903558

Instagram: @river.bend.gardens