Tours and Visitor Information
Tours
Call to schedule a private tour for groups of 10 or more. Prices are $3.00 per adult, and $2.00 for a child age 12 or under.
Educational Tours
(517) 355-5191 ext. 1327
Visitor Information
Hours
The MSU Horticulture Gardens are open all year from sunrise to sundown; however access to the gardens may be limited due to scheduled private events and between the months of November and March.
Wilbir the Peacock
Sponsored by Pauline Glassbrook. Visitors to the Gardens are greeted by an impressive floral structure - a fourteen-foot peacock in full bloom! Thanks to a private donor, Wilbir became a permanent fixture in the gardens in 1993. Wilbir is short for "Will's Bird," named after Dr. William Carson, the gardens former Director and chief promoter of the peacock. More than 3,000 bedding plants are used to create Wilbir, mostly fibrous-rooted Begonias, which create patterns in pink, white, and red arranged differently each year. Doug Badergo, retired greenhouse and garden manager, along with student assistance, designed and constructed the peacock's metal frame in two parts - the body and the head. A soilless planting mix is held inside the frame by paper netting and lightweight Styrofoam packing material stuffs the center which holds the plants in place. The body and head are planted in early May. Wilbir is watered by hand with a hose and receives a dose of liquid fertilizer every week.
Restrooms & Drinking Fountains
A blue line taped on the floor of the head house (work area of the greenhouse located in the Plant and Soil Sciences building) will lead visitors to the inside bathroom during university business hours. An indoor drinking fountain is located at the south entrance to the Plant and Soil Sciences building during the garden season. During weekends and evenings indoor facilities are available at the east side of the Food Safety and Toxicology building. The only 24-hour access will be one portable toilet just west of the 4-H Children's Garden during the months of June-September.
Labeling
Plants in the gardens are labeled with tags. In mass plantings, hedges, or groupings, only one individual plant is tagged. The information on each tag generally includes the scientific name, common name, and accession number. For Garden highlights, detailed garden maps and program information please download our Visitor Guide (coming soon) available as a PDF file. For further information please email us at gardens@msu.edu
Dogs in the Gardens
Our official policy is that no dogs or other animals allowed in the gardens. This rule had to be made because dogs like to run and/or eliminate in the gardens...with unpleasant results for other visitors and the garden staff.