Trial Gardens

The Trial Gardens are located on the lakeside of the Grosse Pointe War Memorial, 32 Lake Shore Road, Grosse Pointe Farms. They are open to the public Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Trial Gardens celebrated their 70th Anniversary in 2022! Commissioned in 1952, the wheel-shaped design of the Trial Gardens was originally created by landscape architect Eleanor Roche as test gardens for annuals and bulbs. Nine perimeter and four inner plots emanate from an 18th-century granite millstone from the former Windmill Pointe gristmill, donated by George Lauhoff and family.

Today eight perimeter plots are planted and maintained by local garden clubs in an annual competition. The largest plot is managed by the Garden Center as a test garden. The four inner plots are dedicated as herb gardens representing culinary, fragrance, medicinal, and wedding themes. They are designed, planted, and maintained by the Herb Society of America, Grosse Pointe Unit.

Trial Gardens Competition: Each year the Garden Center invites eight local garden clubs to take part in their annual judged competition. Participating clubs must create and maintain their designs according to an annual theme selected by the previous year’s first-place winner. Our 2024 theme chosen by Grosse Pointe Farm & Garden is A Butterfly Garden.

Competition Judges: Our judges chosen to evaluate the gardens for 2024 are: Helen Bai, Grosse Pointe Shores Beautification Commission, Paul Graebert, former manager of Eastpointe English Gardens, and Sandra Richards, former head of MSU Macomb County Extension Master Gardener program.

Annual Awards Tea: Wednesday, September 18, 2024.  Members and non-members gathered together to enjoy this popular end-of-summer event. Attendees enjoyed a sumptuous tea followed by the announcement of the judges’ top three designs. To conclude the event speaker Alaine Bush gave a presentation on the history of Victory Gardens.

Awards Tea 2024

Trial Gardens 2024 Award Winners:

First Place, Grand Marais Garden Club (Anne Marten), Second Place, Grosse Pointe Farm & Garden (Anita Sandercott), and Third Place, Windmill Pointe Garden Club (Mary Ann Dodge)

 

Competition

Competition

2024 Competition Theme: “A Butterfly Garden” Selected by the 2023 First-place winner, Grosse Pointe Farm & Garden. 

Designs must incorporate these 6 criteria:

  1. Provide at least one water source for butterflies.
  2. Provide at least one variety of a milkweed plant.
  3. Provide at least one variety of herb.
  4. Include at least one variety of shrub (e.g. hydrangea, rose, etc.)
  5. Include nectar-rich plants for attracting multiple varieties of butterflies and moths.
  6. Use multiple colors and varieties of annuals.

Judging weeks: June 24 – 28, July 22 -26, August 26 – 30, 2024.

Garden Clubs Design Descriptions and Plant Lists:

Herb Gardens

The four herb gardens form the inner circle of the wheel-shaped design and represent Culinary, Medicinal, Fragrant, and Wedding herbs. These plots also change each year and are tended by members of the Herb Society of America – Grosse Pointe Unit.