Exhibition Title: Chrysanthemums & More!
Dates: Friday, September 15 through Monday, October 30, 2023
Admission: Free for members. Non-member Adults (14–64): $20, Seniors (65 and older): $15, Students (w/ student ID): $15, Children (3–13): $10, Children (2 and younger): Free.
Venue: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, 1000 East Beltline Ave. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Overview: An annual celebration of autumn, Chrysanthemums & More! is the largest of its kind in Michigan, featuring expansive chrysanthemum displays, fall foliage and family-friendly activities.
Highlights: Taking center stage is the Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse. Lose yourself in an immersive chrysanthemum experience, enveloping you in floor-to-ceiling flowering tapestries and whimsical suspended spheres.
Wander the BISSELL Corridor, blooming with monochromatic containers and the wildly colorful creations of local florists—each week showcasing a different hue. Celebrate the richness in design of horticulture as tapestry – from wall-hangings to garden beds… & more! Enjoy a floral display inspired by tapestry, artfully created by Meijer Gardens horticulturists and
florists. The dried natural materials within reflect the color palette that unifies the exhibition – emphasizing dark red, blush, warm white, and orange hues. The tapestry’s material was collected and dried, allowing the beauty of these plants to be enjoyed far beyond peak bloom. Experience how this corridor’s design, with organic shapes and woven natural materials, creates a sense of connection between the physical space and the natural world.
The Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse highlights autumn beauty though a fresh take on Chrysanthemums & More! With a design inspired by the geometric patterns and repetition of formal garden styles, each plant has been hand-placed to weave a living tapestry. Take a closer look at how the thoughtful incorporation of each florist mum, squash, apple, and more come together to create a variety of patterns and shapes. Going beyond the colors – dark red, blush, orange, and warm white – that unite the elements of this exhibition, a variety of textures introduced by ornamental cabbages and kale, Miscanthus grasses, sedges, celosia, and amaranth provide an interwoven element of design for the careful observer to discover.
Inspired by Flemish tapestries, the Gateway Garden’s design is anchored by a thread of orange woven through dark red, blush and warm white chrysanthemums. The narrow, linear shape of these garden beds are similar to that of a carpet runner, with the central band of orange providing continuity for the entire design. Ornamental cabbage and kale, squash and pansies artfully introduce visual interest with these plants’ unique textures and forms. Through the additional incorporation of summer tropical and annuals, this garden design exemplifies a seamless transition from summer to fall.
Other inviting points of interest are the Grand Entry Garden, Cook Entryway, and Earl & Donnalee Holton Victorian Garden Parlor, each abloom with spectacular specialty plantings.
On select Tuesday evenings (September 19, 26 and October 3), experience the glow of the Gwen Frostic Woodland Shade Garden, where majestic trees illuminated with stunning shades and hand-etched pumpkins by local artist Alynn Guerra of Red Hydrant Press light your path. Majestic trees are highlighted with a tapestry of color, including beech and sugar maple, some of the oldest trees on our grounds. On those same Tuesday evenings, bring the family for Tuesdays at the Farm in Michigan’s Farm Garden, where we celebrate the harvest with pumpkin-carving demonstrations, live music, adult beverages and even a Balk Café pop-up. Marvel at the magnitude of our heirloom vegetables, herbs, gourds and impossibly oversized pumpkins.
