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Grand Hotel Gardens

© Howard Deutch

Mackinac Island, in upper Michigan, is noted for at least two things: no motorized vehicles are allowed and it is the site of the Grand Hotel with its grand gardens.

The former provides a unique view when taking public transportation; the latter yields a view of magnificence. . With seven gardeners, the hotel surpasses the more feeble attempts we mere mortals are capable of. Upon approaching the hotel one spies a green horse amid a bed containing dill, parsley and other herbs. There was widespread use of herbs in the flowerbeds. At dinner the garnish on the plate was eyed with suspicion. Some of the herb/flowerbeds were adjacent to the roadway used for the island's transportation. We had been told that a product of that transportation, after two years of mellowing, was one of the island's prime exports.

In addition to the red carpet treatment at the hotel's entrance, guests are greeted with their trademark red geraniums. Window boxes of geraniums line the long balcony. Geraniums are plentiful outside and abound within as motifs on everything from carpets to dishes. There is a Geranium Society Web page you may wish to visit and here is another page to obtain cultural information about the plants. A closer look at the beds in front of the hotel shows additional use of their red geraniums. Lest I lead you astray, their trademark flower represents but a small percentage of the total.

The steep slope in front of the hotel is planted with tall perennials and shrubs and overlooks additional beds of flowers on the lower lawn. You descend to it by means of a staircase with switchbacks contained within a canyon of growth. A landing halfway down (or up) has benches for the weak of breath. Below are the obligatory fountain and benches for quiet contemplation. These flowerbeds continue for hundreds of yards and front a wooded area with meandering paths. Additional benches are set amid a wealth of flowers and face that part of the lawn used for croquet or bocci ball. Even the pool, behind that walk, is surrounded with flowers.

The hotel administration, mindful of guest's sensibilities amid horse-drawn vehicles, thoughtfully provides a follow-up.

The gardens at the aptly named Grand Hotel inspired a newspaper articleavailable on the Web.

I had thought the almost 700 seedlings of annuals I germinated last winter were a decently significant quantity. They would have been lost among the profusion of annuals found at the Grand Hotel. Mass plantings of them can provide color for almost the entire summer. While I have my small share of flowering shrubs and perennials, I also use annuals for a color accent with a longer life, on a considerably smaller scale than seen here however. Now, if I only had seven helpers and more land!