The weather was wonderful, just another day in a slew of days that were picture-perfect, coolish, humidity and rain-free, so I decided my first trip to Fair Lane in 2026 was in order.
This was a long jaunt, which began at Ford Field, with me looking for photo ops at the duck pond, taking a trek through the neighborhood, strolling along the Rouge Gateway Trail, hiking through Jurgen’s Meadow and along Ford Lake. Whew, I wore myself out writing about all that, just as I did walking on that five-mile trek taken May 30th.
But all those images and tales to be recounted won’t be in this post, because today I’m just going to concentrate on “buggies” and “blooms” … and nope, the “buggies” aren’t the kind like you see in the featured image.
You’ve seen the Fair Lane welcome sign many times in the past …
… but initially, it was not much of a welcome as many areas of the grounds are still off limits. Efforts are ongoing to restore the 56-room mansion, as well as the Powerhouse and Garage to their 1915 grandeur in anticipation of the Estate’s 2027 grand reopening,
The Tribute Garden area was not looking stellar either, nor were the gardens to the left of the Potting Shed, but …
… at least the Potting Shed was intact. I stole a look inside while looking for that sweet Chipmunk that likes hiding in the plants. Well, understandably, he took a hike when the plants and his “cover” were removed.
By late May, I’ve usually visited Fair Lane a couple of times, first to see the Redbud trees and gardens brimming with Spring blooms like Tulips and Daffodils. Then I visit at peak time for the many Persian Lilac bushes that form a beautiful arch over the stone walkway. It looks like the Lilacs came and went as you see here.
Unfortunately, my car was in the shop for three weeks getting a paint job after someone gouged the side and I decided to get stone chips on the bumpers taken care of so my 17-year-old buggy looks like new again. I also had a series of debacles at the house like plumbing issues, gutter issues, new porch steps – grr, all events that thwarted any attempts to get here … it’s nine miles each way, so walking was not an option.
Since we’d had a spate of lovely weather, I figured all was not lost as Clara’s Rose Garden in this courtyard would be blooming profusely by now …
… or maybe not. What in the world happened here – where were all the beautiful roses? Yes, I was too late for the other blooming events but now evidently I was too early for the roses! Sigh!
Hmm – this sign cautions anyone who might be looking to save a few bucks on a boutonniere or wrist corsage for prom night. 🙂
I sure hope no one plucks petals from this rosebush, the only blooming rose in Clara’s garden. There are 300 rosebushes in this courtyard.
But at least Henry and Clara Ford were looking as stately and shiny as usual. I follow Fair Lane on social media and the statues are routinely cleaned and polished. Yes, they are a photogenic pair aren’t they?
Well, there was always the back of the mansion where there is a nice perennial garden (albeit a bit sparse) …
… but, at least there were “Siberian Irises” and “White Giant Allium” with the Rouge River in the background.
Of course, there is always the architecture to admire and …
… windows where you can sneak a peek inside if you’re so inclined (and. if you are tall, like me).
I couldn’t stay bummed about the blooms for long because there was a beautiful white bush at the side of the mansion that was highlighted by Maiyah in her “Rootin’ Around With Maiyah” series where she spotlights the Estate’s many flowers and flowering bushes.
Well, I planted myself in the same spot as Maiyah, in front of the Doublefile Viburnum …
… which encompassed a large area of the side of the mansion, but, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a lot of colorful flowers across the road, so I hurried over there.
I must admit that in all my visits to Fair Lane, I’ve never been around when the Peony Garden was in bloom.
I’ve seen the little farmhouse where the Ford Children used to hang out, but I’ve never gone over to see it up close. The current Peony Garden was reintroduced in the 1980s as a smaller version than the original garden. I was lucky to check it out when I did, blooming like crazy on the brink of National Garden Week.
My photos of the Peony Garden don’t do it justice because it is large, shaped like a butterfly and loaded with Peonies.
I was chattin’ it up with a family taking a video of their little boy who was dwarfed by the large Peony plants. After taking my photos, I was about to head back to the Estate to walk to the Environmental Interpretive Center when some more pretty-in-pink blooms caught my eye.
Must. Go. Closer. So, I headed off to investigate …
Well, now we’re talking … lots of colorful blooms which more than made up for the lack of blooms encountered earlier. I reached out to the Estate’s social media site to inquire the name of the plant – it’s a Catawba Rhododendron.
Well, this post’s title was “Buggies” and “Blooms” so I hope I’ve wowed you a little bit with the blooms, so now it’s time for the buggies.
Before the restoration efforts at ol’ Henry’s garage, I’d always look inside hoping to catch a glimpse of a Model T. I did this one time, even if the reflections made it difficult to see anything more than the vehicle’s whitewalls.
While that was kind of cool, it would have been even better if I saw something like this vehicle that Henry and Clara Ford were in while tootling down the road in this version of “the horseless carriage”.
On this particular weekend, while tripping around Fair Lane, the home of Henry and Clara Ford from 1915 until their deaths in 1947 and 1950 respectively, I couldn’t help but contrast the peace and quiet at that venue to the Grand Prix races taking place that same weekend in the streets of Downtown Detroit, a mere dozen miles away. The buzz and excitement of those race cars, which I remember from the first races in the streets when I worked Downtown, had those cars’ engines whining with a high-pitched sound like a million mosquitoes buzzing about. Even if you knew nothing about cars, it was exciting to watch.
I also remember visiting a Model A gathering to celebrate that vehicle’s 90th anniversary. The owners were proud of their babies and answered all my questions as I happily clicked away. That post is here if you’d care to see it.
This weekend was Downriver Cruisin’, an annual cruising event where you can see lots of muscle cars and hear the strains of music from the 50s and 60s as those convertibles go in a continuous loop through several Downriver cities. I walked along the route for a few minutes checking out the colorful cars. This post was from the last time I stopped by. The grandaddy of all cruises is the annual Woodward Dream Cruise along Woodward Avenue, the first paved road in America.
But, as I was walking back to my own car, at the tail end of this very long walk, just as I rounded the corner, I saw a car that made me stop in my tracks. There was no classic car event that I knew of. I stopped and took a few shots of the car as I took advantage of the fact that the gentlemen, whom I assumed was the vehicle’s owner, was deep in conversation with two women. I’d have preferred the car alone with no people in the photo, but when the opportunity presents itself, just go for it, right?
A sign says this is a 1977 Clenet, #13. After I took my photos and the gentleman finally turned around, I said “I hope you don’t mind that I took a few photos of this lovely car; I assume there is no fee.” He smiled and said “five dollars” and then added “just kidding.”
And you thought this was going to be a post about flowers with tiny bugs sitting on top of them, like this buggy Anemone.
Photo credits to “Fair Lane, Home of Clara and Henry Ford” Facebook site as indicated in the screenshots.
Terri’s Challenge this week is: FUTURE (celebrating parks and America’s 250th Birthday). I stepped back into the past in this post and I will be stepping back again with my post about the Bicentennial this Saturday, July 4th. I’ll be linking this post to The Flower Hour and One Step at a Time later this week.
Linda Schaub
This is one of your best posts, Linda! Such a great variety of images. The car is amazing. What a classic!. Loved the reflections that you captured on the windows. Then the gate to the rose garden is so ornate. Can you tell I enjoyed your post? 😁
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Thank you Pepper – I’m glad you enjoyed the post! This post has a little bit of everything … something for everyone, from the flower lover to the car buff. It was a gorgeous day, so there were lots of reflections in the many windows. There is a story to the wrought-iron gate in Clara’s Rose Garden. I wrote about it in a post and searched, but can’t find that post to share here, but the story is that Clara and Henry Ford were in Europe and went to a garden where Clara saw this gate and she liked it a lot and wanted one just like it for her garden. Henry told her he’d find out info on the gate and, on the pretense of making inquiries, instead he bought the gate and arranged to have it shipped to the Estate and erected before their return from the trip as a surprise for Clara. That is one way to access the Rose Garden; on the opposite side is a pale green wooden fence, but it is sometimes closed. I returned to Fair Lane a couple of weeks ago and most of the roses were in bloom and the rest of the blooming plants/shrubs were done blooming. The car was quite a nice find on this excursion – it looks like it is vintage car from many years ago, not just 1977.
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What a great story about the gate. I really need to get out there to see it. 😊
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I thought it was a nice story too Pepper. Too bad someone didn’t have a camera handy to capture Clara’s expression when she saw the gate in her own garden!
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That would have been an amazing moment in time to capture, for sure.
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Yes, I think so too. There were a lot of photos taken of the Clara and Henry, like the one I had in this post of them riding the first horseless carriage. Also, at the Ford estate, they were both bird lovers and there are pictures of them sitting side by side, watching birds. They had hundreds of bird houses and also feeders on the estate at that time (not now though).
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Henry Ford must have been an amazing man.
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Yes, I think so too and he truly doted on Clara from everything I have read.
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You have taken some really lovely photographs to illustrate this interesting post 🙂 🙂
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Thank you Anne! When compiling a post like this, I always struggle with “how many is too many photographs?” On this walk I kept discovering more and more delightful flowers after my lackluster start, so it seemed I should make this post only about flowers and save the other load of photos for multiple posts. Since we associate Henry Ford with the automobile, I had to include this snazzy car I saw at the tail end of the trip.
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That is such a beautiful park, so much to see. We saw some folks digging up flowers at a rest area awhile back and putting them in the trunk of their car. Signs don’t always work do they 🙂
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It is a very pretty park Sandra and I’ve been back there again, just two weeks ago. This time the roses were in bloom, most of them anyway. Yes, that is sad they have to put up a sign not to pick the flowers, but sadder still that you saw people digging up flowers and taking them with them.
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I had to go back to your Model A post, which I loved! I owned a Model A rumble seat coupe (a 1929) for a few years in the late 80s-early 90s. Those were incredibly robust cars and I could happily own another.
It is good to see the progress with the Ford estate, and so sorry to hear about your home and car problems!
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I’m glad you enjoyed that Model A post JP and what a surprise to find out you once owned a Model A with a rumble seat yourself! I liked the display of vehicles and enjoyed the show. The two gentlemen I spotlighted were happy to chat about their cars and give me an up-close look at them. I am looking forward to when the Ford estate reopens next year and tours will resume. I’ve never been inside when tours were done years ago. Since I follow this venue on social media, I saw them move that vintage automobile out of the garage until the restoration was complete. I hope one day to see it from the inside, instead of peering through the glass. April/early May had way too many disruptions here and I’m happy it’s over, but now it is way too hot to be out and about like in early Spring. I hoped to get to 15,000 miles on my 17-year-old car by 4th of July and now I will fall short of that goal. I know you are smiling reading that last sentence. 🙂
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Awesome trip. You captured some beautiful blooms (for May). The estate is gorgeous!
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Thank you Kate! I was back there a couple of weeks ago and most of the roses were in bloom and it’s a beautiful sight to see. I am looking forward to seeing the estate and gardens once they finish the restoration next year – it’s been ongoing for over a decade now, although the process slowed to a crawl, if not stopped, at the beginning of the pandemic.
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Looking forward to the roses.
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You’ll like them – Clara had a gorgeous garden and I got some bee photos as well.
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Here is a photo that Fair Lane Estate posted on Facebook a few days ago. I’m going to include it in my next post because this is better than my photos as to a view of the whole courtyard and I think this heat wave might not be good for those roses. I’ll go back again in August when they recover. Can you imagine 10,000 rosebushes?
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I love baby birds and classic cars! Fun to see them all together. I’ve never been to the Ford estate, guess I should go sometime!
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I love them too Dawn but I have not seen any baby birds this year and time’s a tickin’ for seeing any baby birds in 2026 I think. If you go to the Ford estate, wait until the restoration is completed next year to see it in its glory and they will be opening it up for tours inside again. I have never been inside – in fact I’d never seen the estate until I participated in the Mutt Strut, a 5K to raise money for Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit’s no-kill shelter back in 2019 and our route took us past the estate. All the trees in the orchard and Redbud trees were blossoming and I knew I had to return.
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Lovely blooms and buggies! 💫 I definitely prefer these ones to the insect kind. 🙂 I bet your old car looks beautiful now. Sounds like you’ve had a bad run of luck recently! Here’s hoping your summer will be trouble-free. We’re having a scorcher this week, probably the same as you. Stay cool! 🧊
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Glad you liked the blooms and buggies Debbie! I was back again two weeks ago and most of the rosebushes were blooming and the plants I highlighted in this post, were all gone until next year. The car does look great – I had stone chips and tiny marks on the front and rear bumpers, so I decided since I was getting the body work done, I’d get it all fixed/touched up professionally. Even before it did not look like a 2009 model and now looks brand new. I am almost to 15,000 miles (24,000 km) on the odometer, which was my goal by this holiday weekend, but we also have a scorcher this week, through next Sunday/Monday, so the car will stay tucked in the garage and its owner in the house. You stay cool too! 🧊
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Loved all the flowers and really loved the car! I would of thought the car was older then 77?
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Those flowers were gorgeous Wayne and I realized that in all my trips to the estate, I’d never been there when the Peony garden was in bloom. The pictures don’t do it justice – you’d need to be up high looking down to appreciate the butterfly shape. As I rounded the corner, I thought this was some vintage car from the 40s perhaps, so I was surprised by the sign that it was just a 77! It was a fun find at the end of a long walk.
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Miss Linda…………………..I thoroughly enjoyed walking along your blog story today………………..I’ll never get to the real Ford Fairlane home so Thank you for all of your information and close up pictures and the “Little Buggies”………………….
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Thank you Ann Marie – I’m glad you enjoyed this post and going alongside me. When you were going to Henry Ford Community College for your Spanish classes after you retired, did you ever notice the Ford estate? I was there three years and never saw it, but then that was when there were woods surrounding it, some woods which were removed and eventually became Fairlane Mall. The mall opened a few months before I graduated from HFCC in 1976, but I watched them taking down the woods, building the mall as I traveled Evergreen Road to/from school. You may get there one day – next year is their grand reopening.
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I enjoyed both! Loved the peonies and that rhododendron is gorgeous. I liked the car too….at first I thought you mean 1917, but I see it is a 70’s brand made to resemble a 1930’s roadster. Is it a pale yellow color or light green tone?
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Glad you liked them both Joni – buggies that don’t bite and flowers you don’t have to water and deadhead, just admire from afar … a winning combo. I realized I’d never been to the Estate when the rhododendron and peonies were blooming as I was always there earlier in Spring, but they were gorgeous and surely I’d have noticed them on prior visits. I returned a couple of weeks ago and those plants were done blooming and most of the roses in Clara’s Garden were blooming. Yes, the car was indeed a 1977 and it looks very vintage. As I approached it, I thought it was much older until I saw the nametag he had on it. I meant to mention when commenting on your recent post that you saw the pale-yellow T-bird around the same time I saw this pale-yellow Clenet. I wished I could have spoken with the owner and asked a few questions and got him to pose with the car, but I was just grateful for the unexpected photo op.
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Are any of the rooms in the mansion open for touring yet? It would be lovely to see inside.
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No, they are still renovating inside and it is a painstaking process as they are reproducing everything to the letter. I’ve been following them on Facebook for many years and they spent a lot of time on the sunroom alone, like reproducing the exact same rug as back then, window treatments, even doorknobs or knobs on cabinets. They show all this on Facebook. They used to have tours before the renovation, many years ago. I will go once the hubbub dies down on a weekday once they open. Currently they have a few concerts inside the mansion, using one room. This is a catered event, usually a quartet, which I assume is for big donors as they post pictures afterward.
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How many room in the mansion, and how many can you actually tour now? They could be decades….
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There are 56 rooms altogether in the mansion … I think they started renovations about 10-12 years ago, but stopped for a while at the onset of the pandemic, then weren’t doing much inside for a few years due to COVID. They’re really doing major renovation to the garage and power house the last year, as well as the nearby gardens. I really wonder if they’ll finish up for 2027 too.
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Have you or can you presently tour any of the inside? Or do they have anything online picture wise…..I should google. It’s just the kind of history thing I like.
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I never toured the estate before the renovation and I’ve never been inside any building, except peeking into the planting shed. I think they have some walk-throughs, but only if you are a member, i.e. donor. I never looked into being a donor, but I just looked now for you. Here are the perks if you are a member ($80.00/year for an individual):
Access to pre-sale tickets for estate programs and events.
Entry to exclusive members-only events (such as the Summer Solstice and holiday member events).
A members-only monthly email newsletter.
Discounts on Fair Lane Music Guild tickets, Restoration Showcase tickets, and photography permits.
I will send you the Facebook link in a separate comment as they post constantly on the restoration. If you look at earlier posts you will see how they are restoring rooms. Now they are posting more about the gardens and outside renovations. If you look at the Facebook site you’ll see a recent tea gathering they had outside the mansion.
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It sounds like fun and maybe worth the membership.
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Well, that’s true, maybe after they’re completely done with the restoration. Perhaps just for one year because it would be the same events every year. I looked into the price before and there were various tiers. I just looked and they have changed the names of the memberships.
https://henryfordfairlane.org/membership
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With 56 rooms it sounds like they will never be done with the restoration!
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I agree with you Joni – it’s been ongoing since 2013 (except for right after the pandemic began). They are being very precise to have the mansion look just like when the Fords lived there.
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That’s good….but is it necessary if they are trying to source the exact same materials/patterns, no wonder it is taking so long. They should just go for the general look of the era.
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I agree with you Joni. As you scroll through their posts the last few years, you’ll see what I mean … replacing window and floor treatments, furniture or door knob, exactly at whatever cost, does seem over the top. Yet, in recent posts, the outside area, garage and Power House, they have put a huge glassed-in area … that’s not duplicative of 1919.
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Here is the Facebook site I follow Joni. I’ve been following them for years. That’s how I find out info about when the lilacs are blooming and the groundskeeper Maiyah does videos about what’s happening on the grounds. Just click the link below and you’re there – even if you don’t want to scroll down, just look at the picture area but it’s more interesting to read as you’re interested in history.
https://www.facebook.com/fairlaneestate
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Thanks Linda! I love museums so I will check it out.
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I’ve enjoyed following their site and they are always quick to respond if you ask a question. In the past, when I was still working and only got there on weekends, if they didn’t post pics of the lilacs or mention when the lilacs were blooming, I’d send a direct message and they always got back to me quickly.
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That’s good – so many places when you send a message they don’t reply – or weeks later.
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That’s right. They are always prompt and very nice about responding. I’ve spoken to Maiyah several times while visiting Fair Lane to tell her I enjoy the videos and that I add info I learn from them as well as the general posts as tidbits in my blog posts.
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Fun post with all the florals and buggies, Linda. I admit I was expecting insects with those flowers, but who needs ’em, right? I love seeing the peonies, a flower i rarely see.
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Glad you liked it Terri! I thought it would be fun to include a few blooms with bugs as a “tease”. 🙂 Tomorrow I’ll link it to your Flower Hour Challenge. I did not do the peony garden justice as the butterfly-shaped garden was quite wide and a picture taken from above would have been better, but the peonies were gorgeous. I returned about two weeks ago and it was all about the roses, pink mostly, quite a few bees too and the peonies and rhododendron were gone.
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A bit hot and miss on your flower stroll, but you did get some nice photos anyway. Hope your buggy is happy in her spiffy new paint job. 🙂
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Yes Eilene, I was wondering what happened as I started the flower stroll, but we did have a cool Spring and were still having overnight frost/freeze warnings right up until Memorial Day. I went back a few weeks later and the roses were blooming and everything else was done blooming for the year. Spring sure is fleeting here! Yes, my buggy looks as bright and shiny as this classic Clenet.
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Getting to see those spectacular doublefile viburnums, peonies, and the rhododendron was certainly worth the trip! For some reason my eyes focused on two windows on the back of the mansion that looked like they were filled in with matching bricks. Now I’m dying of curiosity about why they blocked those two windows up! That 1977 Clenet, #13 came all the way from Florida. I wonder how many heads turned on the highways as it passed by. (I know Tim’s would have!)
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Barbara, once I saw those viburnums, peonies and rhododendrons, I knew I wouldn’t be saying the trip was lackluster, that’s for sure. When I returned here a few weeks later, the roses were blooming and the other plants were done for the year. I just went over to the post to see the windows as I hadn’t noticed and that is a good question. (Also while I was looking at Monday’s post, I noticed that WP had changed my background to all pink – was it pink when you viewed this post at 7:00 a.m. today – I think you told me you always view blogger’s posts at the actual site. I have no clue why this is as I was given an e-mail to change my background before June 15th several months ago and I changed it well before that date and you noticed it right away.)
I really liked that 1977 Clenet and it was in perfect shape and really quite a striking automobile. I’m sure it would have turned a lot of heads, including Tim’s along the way. I thought of Tim when putting together this post because I linked to my Model A car show post from 2018 and a few years later I must have referenced it to you and you forwarded the post to Tim, knowing he’d enjoy it. Tim commented on it, remembering the rumble seat and sent me some links to events you two usually attended pertaining to vintage cars.
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A lovely day, great photos.
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Thank you Monica – yes, it was a lovely day, the kind you and I dream about during our long Midwest Winters.
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😉🌺
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What lovely photos to go with such a lovely day.
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Thank you Kymber – it really was a beautiful day!
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That looks like a lovely place to walk around. I love peonies. I have some in my backyard, but they don’t bloom for very long and then they’re gone. I love that car !
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Yes, it was a picturesque walk that day Susan. I can’t believe I’ve never seen the peony garden there, but like you said, they bloom such a short time and they probably bloomed between me visiting the lilacs in May and the roses in late June. That car was a treat to see. I wish I could have spoken to the owner and gotten the scoop on it. It sure is vintage looking, not like something made in 1977!
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I remember Ford Field being close to the Airbnb my brothers and I rented in Corktown (on the edge of the downtown area) but I had to map Fair Lane to understand how and in which direction you walked. Have you been to the nearby Piquette Avenue Plant (museum)? You’ll find dozens of spins on the Model T there (including one on skis!) We spent a lot of time checking out the “buggies” even after the formal tour was complete. Very cool to realize that was Henry’s very first production location.
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This Ford Field Park is quite picturesque as well with its covered bridge and big Willow trees. Plus, they have a pond where all the ducks hang out. That’s where I saw the heron “in the limelight” recently. I have never been to the Piquette Avenue Plant and have heard about the tours. It is a big attraction along with the Rouge Factory tours. You were lucky you got to see more buggies after the tour was completed. So much in Detroit and especially in Dearborn are related to Henry Ford and his contribution to the automobile industry. I wonder what city or town in America would have had the moniker of “Motor City” had it not been for “our” Henry Ford? I hope once the restoration at Fair Lane is complete, they allow a tour of the power plant and that garage to see the vintage automobile. I saw a video of them driving it away into a trailer for safekeeping until the restoration is done.
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