Fairchild Tropical Garden
The Garden Club of Michigan, Zone X
1940 Founders Fund Winner
In 1940, The Fairchild Tropical Garden was the recipient of a Founders Fund award to install plantings around the Amphitheater which was designated, The Garden Club of America Amphitheater. This 83-acre treasure which opened in 1938, is the brainchild of one of the greatest plant explorers of all time, David Fairchild (1869-1954), and is one of the premier conservation and education-based gardens in the world.
The Amphitheater was designed by landscape architect William Phillips and situated in the lowlands adjacent to the lake. It features a semicircle terrace with a heavy retaining wall. The dais and platform are built of wire cut limestone ashlar and includes a stone screening wall with a heavy cypress door. Below these structures is a pool with water lilies.
This award allowed for the planting of two magnificent stands of palms, Phoenix reclinata, and other tropical specimens.
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida and destroyed the plantings of the garden. While the structure of the Amphitheater remained intact, a complete restoration of the garden was required. The Garden Club of America gave $1,000 at that time to replant the uprooted palms. The plantings continue to offer shade and a peaceful enclosed feeling for this special amphitheater.
