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Grand Rapids -- Milt & Barbara Rohwer Garden

Smithsonian Gardens

Object Details

General
The grounds of this quarter acre downtown property were too water-logged for conventional planting so working with garden designer Stephen Rosselet the owners created a pond and bog garden connected by a channel. A screened porch overlooked the garden and an elevated boardwalk laid out in a zig-zag provided access. After it was dug the pond was lined with a 500-pound sheet of rubber and edged with field rocks, while the bog was lined with perforated plastic for drainage. Shrubs, grasses and ferns that thrive in wet soil were planted in large swathes; moss at the edge of the bog was maintained by spraying buttermilk. The water garden provided habitat for birds, butterflies, and a pair of mallards that adopted this property.
Persons associated with the garden include Milt and Barbara Rohwer (former owners); Stephen Rosselet (garden designer).
Former owner
Rohwer, Milt
Rohwer, Barbara
Garden designer
Rosselet, Stephen
Collection Photographer
Druse, Kenneth
Place
Milt & Barbara Rohwer Garden (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
United States of America -- Michigan -- Kent -- Grand Rapids
Topic
Gardens -- Michigan -- Grand Rapids
Former owner
Rohwer, Milt
Rohwer, Barbara
Garden designer
Rosselet, Stephen
See more items in
Ken Druse garden photography collection
Ken Druse garden photography collection / Series 1: Garden Images by Site / United States of America / 1.17: Michigan
Sponsor
Cataloging of this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
Archival Repository
Archives of American Gardens
Identifier
AAG.DRU, File MI110
Type
Archival materials
Collection Citation
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Ken Druse garden photography collection
Collection Rights
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Bibliography
This property is featured in "Make Way for Ducklings" by Elizabeth H. Hunter, published in House Beautiful, May 2000.
Scope and Contents
The folder includes worksheets and a photocopy of an article.
Collection Restrictions
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Related Materials
Milt & Barbara Rohwer Garden related holdings consist of 1 folder (20 transparencies)
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1562717430039-1562717430083-4
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb66db567b1-4514-4df0-907e-02bdc9783382

Related Content

  • Ken Druse garden photography collection

Grand Rapids -- Milt & Barbara Rohwer Garden
View Slideshow
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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