Native wildflowers and grasses bloom in Wisconsin Native Plant Garden

Arboretum gardens, trails, and parking lots are open. The Visitor Center remains closed as we work through operational needs to provide safe and welcoming access for all staff, volunteers, and visitors. Check back for reopening information soon. Some outdoor in-person events have resumed – please see event listings for outdoor and virtual events, and COVID-19 updates for current information about Arboretum operations.

The Arboretum offers free informational tours in Longenecker Horticultural Gardens (LHG) and the Wisconsin Native Plant Garden (WNPG). Tours take place on selected dates from April through October, Wednesday evenings from 7 p.m. to dusk, or Saturday afternoons from 1 to 3 p.m. Tours are open to the public and begin at the Arboretum Visitor Center. They are intended for adults.

With more than 2,500 types of plants on display, Longenecker Horticultural Gardens feature an internationally recognized collection of trees, shrubs, and vines. It is a resource for the study of landscape plants by educators, the public, and the nursery trade. The gardens hold major displays of lilacs, flowering crabapples, viburnums, conifers, and many other plant groups.

The 4-acre Wisconsin Native Plant Garden surrounds the Visitor Center with several hundred species native to Wisconsin. The garden serves as an introduction to ecological restoration and the restored and managed plant communities in the Arboretum. It also demonstrates how to incorporate native plants into home landscapes.

Tours are led by Arboretum garden staff—including Susan Carpenter, the WNPG gardener, and David Stevens, the LHG curator—and other regional experts. Tours are cancelled for severe weather.