Moross Greenway in the Grosse Pointe News!

By GPN Staff on July 16, 2020

The Moross Greenway looked particularly fine as spring tailed into summer. Leaving Mack Avenue, what seemed like an endless display of yellow day lilies drifted into the more formal planting that frames the entrance to Ascension St. John Hospital. Closer to I-94, waving fields of grasses caught the eye.

The Moross Greenway is a uniquely Grosse Pointe project. While not in Grosse Pointe, running from the freeway to Mack Avenue, the Moross Greenway is largely organized by Grosse Pointers and is maintained by Backer Landscaping, owned by Pointer Joe Backer. The Moross Greenway offers a beautiful gateway to the Grosse Pointes and is a pleasure to drive along into and out of the Pointes.

Drone Photo by Jack Ryan /
Skyview Aerial Productions

Summer has brought further changes, including road construction that has eaten away at the greenway’s grassy edges. But traffic backups also give drivers more time to appreciate the plantings as they come into maturity.

Even the grasses serve a purpose, being among plants enjoyed by bees, birds and butterflies, according to Sheila O’Hara, president of the Moross Greenway. After a particularly rainy spell, she noted, “one day we even had a duck!”
And then, tucked among the flowers, plants, bushes and trees, waiting to be spotted, are a range of interesting sculptures. They have been in place since late summer and early fall of 2019.

A few will be rotated out and replaced by early fall of this year; all but one are also available for purchase. Only “Full Swing,” a sculpture by John Piet of Detroit, is permanent — a donation from Tom and Diane Schoenith after highlighting the courtyard of their Grosse Pointe home for decades.

Already, it’s hard to remember when the space was just a deserted median. But it’s barely been five years since the planting started and three years since its completion. The plants are proven winners in Michigan — from the flame trees to the purple spikes of Liatris, beloved by butterflies — and can be a lesson book for nervous gardeners. Among the indignities, 15,000 vehicles a year spew exhaust along the greenway, Ms. O’Hara said.
Planning took time though and started roughly five years before planting. The initial idea came from Grosse Pointe Farms residents, who brought in folks from the adjoining Cornerstone neighborhood and Grace Church, among others.

Although the lush, well-tended scene may belie it, financial support remains an issue. Professional maintenance is necessary, with costs running about $40,000 a year. The challenge is bigger this year as the COVID-19 epidemic stymied fundraising plans. But stay-at-home rules also may have helped more people appreciate what they can see on a drive. The Moross Greenway certainly deserves admiration as it comes into its own, colorfully woven with seasonal viewing delights.

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