Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is a leading cultural institution integrating horticulture, art, and education on a 158-acre campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Featuring a major international sculpture collection, innovative indoor and outdoor gardens, and a landmark tropical conservatory, Meijer Gardens serves millions of visitors with exhibitions, public programming, and research initiatives. Recognized globally and honored by USA TODAY as the nation’s Best Sculpture Park (2023–2025), the organization advances its mission to promote enjoyment, understanding, and appreciation of gardens, sculpture, and the natural environment.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

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Wendy Overbeck Dunham is the Director of Horticulture at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She leads the horticulture team that oversees the care and presentation of the organization’s living collections—ranging from tropical conservatories and outdoor gardens to seasonal displays—connecting guests to art, design, and the natural environment.

Wendy brings a wealth of horticulture experience from her 20+ years at Meijer Gardens, preceded by positions at John Ball Zoo and the Michigan Civilian Conservation Corps with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. She holds a bachelor of science degree in Zoology with a concentration in Zoo and Aquarium Science and a Specialization in Environmental Studies from Michigan State University.

Common Sense Landscaping

Butterfly Exhibits

Horticulture

Gardening

Exhibit Design

USDA / APHIS Permitting

Botanical Gardens

Public Gardens

Seasonal Plants/Displays

Native Plants

The largest tropical butterfly exhibition in the country returns to Grand Rapids for its 31st year

Thousands of butterflies emerge at Frederik Meijer Gardens

Thousands of butterflies coming to Meijer Gardens this weekend

Thousands take flight for 30th Butterflies Are Blooming

Big and small: A look at the Butterflies are Blooming exhibit

Immerse yourself in fluttering wonder: Meijer Gardens celebrates 30 years of tropical butterflies

Mum's The Word: Michigan's largest Chrysanthemum display at Frederik Meijer Gardens

Meijer Gardens: Short window to see rare corpse flower in bloom

meet-the-beast-the-rare-flower-that-smells-like-death-and-draws-crowds

Director of Horticulture

When a corpse flower, one of the world’s rarest and most extraordinary blooming plants, bursts into bloom, it’s more than a quirky spectacle. It’s a moment that invites deeper stories about plant biology, conservation, biodiversity, and the science that helps preserve rare species. 

Last season, Wendy Overbeck Dunham, Senior Horticulture Manager at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, was interviewed by reporters from ABC News  and ARC West Michigan (CBS News) covering this rare event.

  Wendy Overbeck Dunham is the Director of Horticulture at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She leads the horticulture team that oversees the care and presentation of the organization’s living collections - ranging from tropical conservatories and outdoor gardens to seasonal displays - connecting guests to art, design, and the natural environment.

View her profile Why This Bloom Is So Rare and Newsworthy  Corpse flowers (Amorphophallus titanum) are famous for their massive size, unpredictable bloom cycles, and powerful odor that mimics rotting flesh , an evolutionary strategy for attracting specific pollinators. These blooms can take many years to develop, and their spectacular emergence - open only for a short window -attracts crowds and widespread attention.

Last year, as one such plant prepared to bloom at Frederik Meijer Gardens, anticipation built across West Michigan and beyond, with extended visiting hours so the public could witness, and smell,  this rare phenomenon.

Wendy Overbeck Dunham offered a vivid description of what made this bloom such an unforgettable experience and also showed both the humor and educational value of the moment, a reminder that science can be fun, fascinating, and even a bit funky.

“No matter how you describe it, this plant, which we've nicknamed ‘The Beast,’ is definitely going to stink here in the next few days.”   Wendy Overbeck Dunham leads horticultural strategy and rare plant cultivation at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Her leadership focuses on nurturing exceptional plant specimens, interpreting botanical phenomena for the public, and providing an expert voice on topics ranging from plant biology to conservation and ecological storytelling.


Meet “The Beast”: The Rare Flower That Smells Like Death and Draws Crowds

Join Wendy Overbeck, Senior Horticulture Manager, as she highlights the various wing adaptations among the butterflies within Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming. 

For more information, please visit: https://www.meijergardens.org/butterflies-are-blooming/
#meijergardens

Wing Adaptations

It’s that time of year again: Winged visitors from around the globe are taking over West Michigan. For the 30th year, 'Butterflies Are Blooming' at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. (Feb. 27, 2025)

Big and small: A look at the Butterflies Blooming

Mums Return to Meijer Gardens

This will be the 30th annual Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition, promising visitors an immersive journey through the world of tropical butterflies from March 1 to April 30.

Read more: https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/butterflies-meijer-gardens/69-c8f56bc8-1aee-4343-9f35-5754970accab

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Frederik Meijer Gardens is about to get smelly. That’s because a corpse flower is expected to bloom within a matter of days!

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