Not in my back yard (unfortunately)

The Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum are two of the treasures of Ann Arbor and of the U of M. Although I prefer native Michigan plants in my own yard, I can appreciate a resource that cultivates and displays a world-wide variety of plants for educational and cultural enrichment.

Like zoos, such institutions help preserve species that might other wise become extinct. Recently, the Matthaei acquired a Wollemi pine that will be cultivated for a few years and then moved to the MBG conservatory for protection and public display. It's exciting that a species that has existed for more than 200 million years is being nurtured nearby. I'd love to have one as an indoor plant for my office, but I'm not sure what I'd do in a few years when it became taller than I was. So I'll enjoy the one in the conservatory, and continue to focus my efforts on nurturing outdoor native plants.