Where have the years gone? On April 20, we’ll celebrate our 15th anniversary. It’s a huge milestone for us!

In just a short time, we have seen more than five and a half million visitors, we’ve welcomed more than 17,500 members and we’ve thanked thousands of donors and volunteers for their support and dedication. As we journey into the next 15 years, and beyond, we graciously thank Fred and Lena Meijer.  Rather than collecting for private enjoyment, they choose to share their gifts with their community. Their support has inspired others to give and to give generously.

Among the organization’s members, employees and volunteers, we have so many great memories to share. But our anniversary celebration would not be complete without sharing memories with the people who visit us each and every day. So we want to hear from you!

What I love about Meijer Gardens

Photo Essay Contest

What do you love about Meijer Gardens? What keeps you coming back, bringing friends, and telling others about your trip here?

We’re hosting a photo essay contest in which one lucky winner will win a one-year membership to Meijer Gardens and two tickets to a concert of their choice in our outdoor amphitheater this summer.Three other lucky winners will win a gift package including admission tickets to Meijer Gardens.

How to enter

• Post your photo and a small description of what you love about Meijer Gardens on our Contest App
• Post by April 15 and you’ll automatically be entered to win
• The Grand Prize winner will be voted on by Meijer Gardens and three other winnners will be chosen at random

Questions? Email Amy Sawade

On our anniversary, April 20, we’ll post the winner on our blog, Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to follow us!

Can’t wait for the beautiful spring bulbs to sprout in your garden? Check out ours in the Seasonal Display Greenhouse on your way to see the butterflies. The fresh smells of hyacinth are the first thing you notice as you approach. Then your eyes are dazzled by the vibrant pinks and yellows, the smoky blues and purples, and the silky whites. When the sun shines through the glass walls and ceiling, it’s just like being outside.

The Seasonal Display Greenhouse currently is home to a variety of tulips, primrose, hydrangea, Japanese pieris and azalea. (Plantings change with each season.) There is also a tall, woody perennial called a Winterberry that features small, bright red berries set against green leaves. And you can’t miss the Rhododendrons with their dark green leaves and smoky purple flowers. Finally, there are the Juniper Trees; in the spring, they sport small berries that look a lot like blueberries.

The Arid Garden is home to what looks kind of like an over-grown asparagus—way over-grown. It’s a “Smooth Agave� (aka Agave weberi). You may be familiar with agave as a sweetener. Agave weberi is part of the succulent plant family and is typically found in Mexico and the southwest United States. Steve LaWarre, Director of Horticulture, says the emerging stalk (called a peduncle) means the plant will be blooming soon. It is over six feet tall now and growing a couple inches every day. Agave plants can grow up to 26 feet tall. When it does bloom, the Smooth Agave will have bright yellow flowers and may produce bulbils or seeds. We hope it does; most agave are monocarpic, meaning they only bloom/flower once in their life cycle.

Come by the Arid Garden and check out this “once-in-a-lifetime� treat then let us know what you think. Post your photos on our  Flickr group page or our  Facebook page.

When you walk through the Seasonal Display Garden, most of the year it smells lovely. But at certain times, something definitely smells “funny.� That would be the Devil’s Tongue.

Devil’s Tongue is a tropical plant from Southeast Asia. It is a member of the philodendron (arum) family and has a single flower stalk that can reach five feet tall. It also has large leaves and a dark colored spathe surrounding a large spadix. In nature, the Devil’s Tongue is pollinated by flies. To attract the flies, it mimics the smell of a dead water buffalo. Thus the “funny� smell.

Devil’s Tongue can be used as a food source as well. It produces an edible tuber that can weigh up to 22 pounds. The tubers are used in China and Japan to provide a chewy texture in soups and stews, much like tofu.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has several of these smelly plants.  They bloom rarely, but when they do, we want to share this unique plant with our guests – despite their smell.

There is a Devil’s Tongue that is ready to bloom right now.  The blooms will last for seven to ten days. Stop by and check it out on your way to the Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition.