Arb-Venture!

Finally, a day off from work! My urge to take a hiatus from the stresses of urban intersections leads me to embark on an Arb-Venture! As I wander into the woods, I hear less car motors and more bird chirps, leaves rustling, and steps of the occasional fellow wanderer. Upon reaching the Huron River bank, I perch on the cement steps to absorb water trickle sites and sounds.


The vast acres of land known today as the Nichols Arboretum spawned from a gift of property to the U of M and the City of Ann Arbor in 1907 from multiple private donors, including the Nichols family and the Detroit Edison Company.


While the Arb began as a single minute garden, its curators designed increasingly more sections with a progressively wider selection of plants. Visionaries intended for “both steep and gentle slopes facing every point of the compass; a variety of soils from rich clay to gravel…and a varied native flora that includes species of trees and shrubs…” according to Aubrey Tealdi, former head of the U of M Department of Landscape and Design. Arb framers birthed a natural refuge for the inspiration and relaxation of Ann Arbor town dwellers. Joe Mooney, the Arb’s marketing manager, proclaims that he chooses to work at the Arb  because “...it seemed like a natural fit….It really aligned perfectly with the things that I always loved –– getting out in nature and seeing how beautiful the landscape in Michigan is.” 



Located almost directly behind the new Mott Children’s Hospital, the Arb proves a hop, skip, and a jump for hospital employees as well as guests of the local Ronald Mcdonald House. They don’t have far to trek to escape the stresses of medical machines and patient care. Students and University faculty, along with other Ann Arbor residents, also know they can rely on the Arb to soothe their own societal stresses. Visitors may simply get lost in the numerous trees, fresh air, and greenery, enveloping themselves into an eco-friendly and mentally healthy fifth dimension.

Several different sections of the Arb give visitors varying natural ventures. The renowned Peony Garden, one of the Arb’s relaxing mini-desinations, has several novel traits. Hordes of older and less common peony breeds whose seeds aren’t easily found in modern gardening shops inundate the area.  “[They’re] like an antique,” proclaims Mooney. “It’s kind of special because in a lot of ways, you don’t see them out there anymore.” He also explains how many recent peony gardeners prefer flower types engineered with stiffer stems, for instance, than the somewhat floppier stems of original peony breeds. Albeit the recent floral evolution, certain people retain appreciation of the original, more floppy stemmed, floral style. Many of the original peonies planted over ninety years ago continue to thrive. It intrigues me how seeds planted so long ago could continue growing strong to present day.  “[The peonies] go on and on and on,” observes Mooney, “They’re almost sort of care free.”

In addition to the various areas of the Arb constructed by maintenance personnel such as the Peony Garden, staff also ‘guide’ certain Arb sections to return to their authentic ecological state from before human assumption of the land. The thirty to forty acre Arb prairie, for instance, undergoes occasional prescribed burnings, when humans set controlled fires that burn off invasive plant species and allow healthy native species to re-grow and multiply.

A unique fusion of nature and human culture occurs when the Arb hosts several performing arts events yearly. Notoriously, the Shakespeare in the Arb series performs several dates every summer. Since many of Shakespeare’s works take place fully or partially outdoors, the Arb deems itself a highly appropriate venue for their theatrical performances. Audience members follow the productions’ actors around to different points of the nature reserve for each respective scene. Attendees literally change their own spatial setting along with the different parts of the plays, allowing themselves to sort of ‘get lost’ within them. “[The Arb] sort of creates a magical kind of place for people who love Shakespeare…” says Mooney.

To date, the Arb maintains and exceeds the vision of its innovators and founders. “It should be kept so that it might become a haven of quiet one hundred years from now when our rich native flora will have become a thing of the past in most places,” writes former U of M President Ruthven’s Arb Task Force.

Source: “A Century of Growing,”  Published by University of Michigan, 2007

This year, the Arb hosts its first ever summer concert series at its amphitheater, entitled, Concerta in the Arb. All Performances begin at 6 PM on a Sunday and parking on weekends is free. I've listed the dates and band names below:

7/18/10: The Dorkestra

8/15/10: Joe Reilly

9/12/10: Ghostlady