Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum

The University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum (MBGNA) is nearly 800 acres and includes a year-round conservatory, display gardens, natural areas with trails, and several research-quality habitats. Matthaei Botanical Gardens location is known for its Gaffield Children’s Garden, Great Lakes Garden of native plants, herb and wildflower gardens, Campus Farm, and a large outdoor seasonal bonsai and penjing garden. Nichols Arboretum provides unique opportunities to explore the ongoing interaction of the natural world and humans. As a designed landscape commission begun in 1907, the Arb contains specialty gardens, thematic areas, dispersed collections, culturally significant landscapes, natural areas, and active areas of ecosystem restoration research. MBGNA offers programs and events, youth and adult education classes, and research spaces and opportunities for students and faculty are also offered at both locations. MBGNA Mission: Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum is a transformative force for social and ecological resilience through the waters and lands we steward. We turn this commitment into action by: -Positioning humans as active participants within the natural world and compelling the university community and our publics to negotiate the full complexity that entails -Advancing partnerships, programs, user experience, and all that we steward to catalyze equity and justice in a radically changing world -Emerging as University of Michigan’s premier partner for research, teaching, and public impact in sustainability, climate-forward practices, and biocultural diversity -Promoting healthier communities, cultures, and ecosystems through active care and cultivation of the gardens, fields, natural habitats, and dynamic systems that sustain our world