NABF Newsletter #4

Feature #5

Bonsai Display at Michigan State University’s
Hidden Lake Gardens

By Jack Wikle

Hidden Lake Gardens, an endowed facility featuring both natural and developed landscapes, is owned and administered by Michigan State University. Its location is on Rte. 50 in the scenic “Irish Hills” of southeast Michigan.

Among the many indoor and outdoor plantings featured at the Gardens, bonsai have been a seasonal attraction late April through October since 1968.

Memorial gifts in 1987 in memory of Elsie G. Mac Cready, who was a bonsai enthusiast and friend of Hidden Lake Gardens, were an early milestone in the evolution of the ongoing bonsai presence there. Recently, donations from Bill and Lois Haselwood in honor of long-time Gardens’ employee Jack Wikle funded construction of the new Bonsai Display Courtyard opened to the public in October 2000.

Visitors to the bonsai display area today will find some fifteen to twenty bonsai attractively arranged on benches and pedestals. Major stones of varying sizes, a flowing water feature, Japanese maple trees and herbaceous plantings supplement the bonsai display, all presented in a beautifully fenced enclosure.

Hidden Lake Gardens is open to the public 365 days a year. A small entry fee is charged. For more information search for Hidden Lake Gardens on-line or call the Gardens’ office at 517-431-2060.