World Cup of Gardening coming to Belle Isle

[Vic01]

Detroit's Belle Isle will host a six-day international flower competition and exhibition next June — and possibly for years to come — to be called the World Cup of Gardening.
And yes, the aspirations for the event are every bit as grand as the name would suggest.
"We think, on this site, showcasing gardens from 10 of the world's top designers, that this can be the most beautiful flower show in the world," said organizer John Cullen, in an interview last week on Belle Isle, standing between the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory and the Nancy Brown Peace Carillon Tower...

...He hopes to draw up to 100,000 visitors to the show on about 25 acres of Belle Isle, scheduled to take place June 16-21. To pull it off, Cullen and his financial sidekick, Mike McClelland of Ann Arbor, have created a nonprofit firm and are in the process raising about $1 million from foundations and sponsors to launch it.

A marketplace on the site could include 100-200 vendors of horticulture products, plus food and beverage stalls. And he envisions leaving some of the new gardens in place after the show, or moving plant materials to other locations on the island. Michigan State University horticulture experts have offered to help restore Belle Isle's existing gardens.

http://www.freep.com/story/money/bus...ning/16408203/

[canuck]

This could be the launch of something big for Detroit, a great tourist draw. One of my wish list toppers of a couple of years ago was the establishment of a huge botanical garden circuit through the heart of neighborhoods taking advantage of brownfields etc...

This is great news!

[Honky Tonk]

Detroit's Belle Isle will host a six-day international flower competition and exhibition next June — and possibly for years to come — to be called the World Cup of Gardening.
And yes, the aspirations for the event are every bit as grand as the name would suggest.
"We think, on this site, showcasing gardens from 10 of the world's top designers, that this can be the most beautiful flower show in the world," said organizer John Cullen, in an interview last week on Belle Isle, standing between the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory and the Nancy Brown Peace Carillon Tower...

...He hopes to draw up to 100,000 visitors to the show on about 25 acres of Belle Isle, scheduled to take place June 16-21. To pull it off, Cullen and his financial sidekick, Mike McClelland of Ann Arbor, have created a nonprofit firm and are in the process raising about $1 million from foundations and sponsors to launch it.

A marketplace on the site could include 100-200 vendors of horticulture products, plus food and beverage stalls. And he envisions leaving some of the new gardens in place after the show, or moving plant materials to other locations on the island. Michigan State University horticulture experts have offered to help restore Belle Isle's existing gardens.

http://www.freep.com/story/money/bus...ning/16408203/

Hot damn! Great news. Sounds like a great event. I hope he pulls it off. It'll be a nice shot in the arm for the island and surrounding area.

[DezHolley]

Very cool news. I wonder if the proposed vineyard can get in on this.