Miriam Easton Rutz

taught Landscape Architecture at Michigan State University from 1976 to 2000, designed the flower gardens on Michigan’s Capitol grounds, and helped prepare a master plan for the Edsel and Elea...

Public Gardens of Michigan

Miriam Easton Rutz

Click this link to see color illustrations or to read an excerpt from The Public Gardens of Michigan

ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Finalist

“I first considered writing a guide book, but as I learned more about these gardens a much more expansive story unfolded . . .” Miriam Easton Rutz

Michigan’s glorious public gardens display the rich tapestry of the garden design traditions of the Great Lakes State. The earliest public gardens date from 1701, when Cadillac founded Detroit. These French baroque style elements, their Dutch counterparts,and the English Landscape traditions brought by waves of settlersand intellectuals exist side by side with more recent innovations such as Arts and Crafts influences, Japanese gardens, and industrial motifs. Vast industrial fortunes allowed industrialists such as Henry Ford, Edsel and Eleanor Ford, and Charles Stuart Mott to build expansive estates with beautifully structured gardens that are now public spaces. A commitment to green space, as evidenced by Michigan State University’s land-grant mission and horticultural landscape architecture influences, also contributed to the unusual and enchanting beauty of Michigan’s public gardens. More than a tour guide, Public Gardens of Michigan reveals not only the beauty and majesty of the gardens, but the wealth of design inspiration that Michigan landscape architects both borrowed from and gave to the world. Miriam Easton Rutz uncovers the history, politics, and legacy of Michigan’s public gardens. From stately cemeteries to whimsical zoological parks and breathtaking vistas, readers will delight in discovering the awesome grandeur of this lush and historic garden state.

"Public Gardens of Michigan is a much needed and important contribution to the understanding of the American landscape. Michigan, a large state with marvelous gardens, has not been recognized nationally or internationally as a garden center. Miram Easton Rutz puts Michigan’s gardens in a bigger historical picture and ties them to their European roots. It would be wonderful if every state could have a book such as this.”
-Michael Laurie, Professor Emeritus and former Chair of Landscape Architecture at the University of California at Berkeley

ALSO OF INTEREST: Michigan’s Heritage Barns, Mary Keithan, 0-87013-520-1, $39.95

Reviews

"In all, Rutz lists 34 public gardens, information that will be useful and images inspirational to anyone planning a garden trip around the state."

- Marty Hair

Detroit Fee Press