- Avid gardeners open up their yards to the public during private garden tours
- At least 12 Michigan communities have garden tours scheduled this summer
- Participants typically receive a list of locations and can pick and choose which gardens to visit
Every summer, private gardeners open up their yards to the public as part of tours hosted by neighborhood associations, garden clubs and other nonprofits.
“Gardens are works of art: creative, deeply personal expression of place, imagination, and care,” wrote H. Horatio Joyce, the director of public programs and education for the Garden Conservancy, in the nonprofit’s 2026 Open Days Directory. That directory lists gardens on display across the country, including in Michigan. “Open Days are a rare opportunity to experience these living artworks in person.”
The garden events — whether they’re called “open days”, “tours,” or “walks” — are often fundraisers for the groups that host them. Participants typically get a map or a list of addresses and can pick and choose which gardens to visit at their own pace on the event date.
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Read on for a selection of Michigan garden tours that have already announced their event dates for this summer.
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN
Ann Arbor Garden Walk
The nonprofit Ann Arbor Farm & Garden hosts this annual garden tour which will feature seven private gardens this year.
Date: Saturday, June 13
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
General location: Ann Arbor
Tickets: Prices not listed yet this year
More information: Ann Arbor Farm & Garden
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Clarkston Garden Walk & Artisan Market
This annual tour is hosted by the nonprofit Clarkston Farm & Garden Club. This year’s walk will feature six gardens, some of which are lakefront.
Date: Wednesday, July 16
Time: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
General location: Clarkston
Tickets: $15 advance, $20 day-of
More information: Clarkston Farm & Garden Club
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The Garden Conservancy Open Days
Garden Conservancy is a national nonprofit that selects noteworthy private gardens whose owners are willing to open them up to the public. Gardens on display in Michigan this year are all clustered in southeast Michigan. They include a Frank Lloyd Wright house, a native plant garden that blends modernism and historic architecture and a garden described as “an enchanted forest from a childhood fairytale book.”
Date: Saturday, June 27
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
General location: Southeast Michigan
Tickets: $10 for non-members
More information: The Garden Conservancy
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Grandmont Garden Tour
This tour covers a cluster of five northwest Detroit neighborhoods: Grandmont, Grandmont #1, Rosedale Park, Minock Park and North Rosedale Park. Proceeds from the tour help local students pursue higher education and career opportunities.
Date: Saturday, July 25
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
General location: Northwest Detroit
Tickets: $10 advance, $12 day of
More information: Grandmont Community Association
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Grosse Pointe Garden Center Annual Garden Tour
This year’s tour is entitled “We the People….Garden”, a patriotic theme in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. It’s hosted by the nonprofit Grosse Pointe Garden Center.
Date: Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
General location: Grosse Pointe
Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 on tour days
More information: Grosse Pointe Garden Center, Inc
SOUTHWEST + WEST MICHIGAN
Creston Garden Tour
The Creston Garden Tour will showcase about a dozen gardens — some the same as last year, some featured for the first time — sprinkled around Grand Rapid’s largest neighborhood.
Date: July 18
Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
General location: Creston neighborhood, Grand Rapids
Tickets: $10 in advance for Creston Neighborhood Association members, $12 for non-members, $15 for everyone day-of
More information: Creston Neighborhood Association
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Ottawa Hills Neighborhood Association Garden Tour
The Ottawa Hills neighborhood in Grand Rapids features homes on tree-lined streets built between the 1920s and 1950s. The tour bills itself as showcasing gardens large and small, sunny and shady, from manicured masterpieces to works in progress.
Date: Saturday, June 27
Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
General location: Ottawa Hills neighborhood, Grand Rapids
Tickets: Free, no ticket required
More information: Ottawa Hills Neighborhood Association
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Heritage Hill Garden Tour
Visit 12 gardens in Grand Rapid’s oldest neighborhood, Heritage Hill, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Date: Saturday, June 20
Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
General location: Heritage Hill neighborhood, Grand Rapids
Cost: $12 in advance, $15 day of
Tickets/more information: Eventbrite
MID-MICHIGAN
Reece Endeavor of Midland GardenWalk
Tour five private Midland gardens as a benefit for Reece Endeavor, a nonprofit that provides housing for people with special needs.
Date: Tuesday, July 14
Time: 2 to 7 p.m.
General location: Midland
Tickets: $15
More information: Reece Endeavor of Midland
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The Kirtland Garden Club Annual Garden Tour
The tour features about 10 gardens in the Higgins and Houghton lakes area. Proceeds go toward local scholarships, a garden at a community center and more.
Date: Saturday, July 25
Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
General location: Higgins and Houghton lakes
Tickets: $10
More information: The Kirtland Garden Club
NORTHERN MICHIGAN
Elk Rapids Garden Walk
Seven gardens will be featured this year by the tour put on by the Elk Rapids Garden Club. This year’s theme, “Blue to Green and All the
Colors in Between,” is meant to celebrate the beauty, creativity and diversity of the local gardens.
Date: Tuesday, July 14
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
General location: Elk Rapids
Cost: $15 in advance, $20 day of
Tickets/more information: Elk Rapids Garden Club
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The Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City Garden Walk
A handful of gardens will be on display in Traverse City as part of the tour hosted by the Friendly Garden Club. Last year’s event featured yard art, pollinator-friendly plants and waterside landscaping at five gardens.
Date: Thursday, July 16
Time: 1 to 7 p.m.
General location: Traverse City
Cost: $15 advance, $20 day of
Tickets/more information: The Friendly Garden Club
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