by Gail K.:
For those of you who are unfamiliar (like me) the college usually covers 3 days.
the second day this year included 2 options. First-a choice from 5 full day
tours or an afternoon workshop. So this week’s blog topic will focus on the full day
tour I attended: Explore the Shore. The tour’s primary focus was the gardens of Fair Lane;
home of Clara & Henry Ford, and the Edsel & Eleanor Ford estate. Please, take a seat-enjoy
the trip.
Our docent, having worked on site for 30 yrs. was a wealth of knowledge. Here are some pictures with a few highlights. The gardens are currently under an “Interpretive”restoration. The gardens were designed by Jens Jensen who used the “natural environments.”
The tour of the grounds started with the new grand entry, the powerhouse/garage-cutting garden with the adjacent potting shed,& greenhouses. The property abuts the Rouge River-Jensen used the river to create a dam needed to produce hydro electric by the powerhouse. Today, the restoration includes creation of a stepping process beside the dam for fish to move up stream to spawn.
The garage, powerhouse and cutting garden
Greenhouse site, in the process of restoration
the dam area viewed from back of house-the fish track is on the far right (calm water)
Hillside garden looking to the other end of the river
Below is a young snapping turtle who crossed our path as
we waled to the rose garden.
The estate has a large number of “rooms,” each with a different purpose & story..
I have a pamphlet with the 27 various aspects of the estate. We did not get to all of them.
Much of the lecture took place while we stood in the rose garden-at one time, Clara tended 10,000 roses
on 2.5 acres (now in ruins).
In the rose garden are life size bronze statues of Henry & Clara. Both were small in stature (under 6 ft)
note of interest-in the early 20’s, Mrs Ford along with Ellen Biddle
Shipman—transformed the early rose garden into an English garden.
Today’s features date to that time; tea house, pond, garden gate etc.
We continued our trek across the back of the house which faces the river. In an earlier photo, you saw the “blue garden” The house is also under renovation, this is a view of the rear and the side of the house.
From the side of the house you can view the “great meadow” The Ford’s were very progressive-
loved nature & natural features, organic gardening practices and ecological preservationists.
The great meadow. As you can see from this next picture-front view, even the architecture of the buildings is
intriguing.
To think that at one time all of this was destined to be torn down because
no one cared enough to save it……….luckily that did not happen. Today, this project is a National Historic Landmark.
As Master Gardeners, we can volunteer in a variety of ways on this project, go to http://www.henryfordfairlane.org for more information.
Monroe County Master Gardener Association 
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