Wind Garden

Photo of a fern covered with light snow, with blurred lights in the distance.

Ornamental Grasses

Survivors of Sodbuster Legend

Established: 2010
Location: south corner of Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building

A lone crab apple exemplifies the struggle to survive in the round garden in front of Chem Sci (compare it to the crab planted at the same time against the ME-EM). This garden is located in Michigan Tech's extreme wind tunnel created by towering buildings that funnel air from Lake Superior. The garden grows on the lid of a steam tunnel about eight feet underground—notice the metal vent stack in the middle. This site has vanquished many a planting. However, out on the great plains of the world grow the deeply rooted grasses of sodbuster legend. Tech’s Wind Garden thrives on this site. These multi-national grasses wave their seed pennants from heights of two to six feet high, visible even above our deepest snowdrifts.

And what about that wind harp that is the stuff of Michigan Tech legend? Listen—see if you can hear it play.