Archives

• Growing the Longenecker Horticultural Gardens Collection September 1, 2020

  After a two-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, garden staff returned to work in mid-May amid a record number of visitors enjoying the garden’s… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Container Gardening September 1, 2020

  September brings the first official day of fall and noticeably shorter days for gardening. Our native plant garden tasks include trimming tall plants along paths,… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: New Tools and Inspiration July 30, 2020

  August marks a turning point in the growing season. Summer warmth and ample rains usually continue this month, along with a few days of refreshing… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Summer Sunflowers July 1, 2020

  July is our warmest month of the year, with still-long days and usually ample rain. Summer blooming plants reach full height and come into flower,… Read more

• Volunteer Reading Group: Community and Connection June 1, 2020

  What happens when eager, knowledgeable volunteers from different organizations are cooped up all winter and can’t work in the dirt? Book lovers coordinate a garden… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Early Summer Gardening June 1, 2020

  The June calendar includes the end of spring and beginning of summer. This month, the fully developed tree canopy creates deep shade in the maple… Read more

• Lilac Collection Celebrates 85 Years April 30, 2020

  On April 19, 1935, the first lilacs were planted in Longenecker Horticultural Gardens—known at the time simply as the Arboretum’s horticultural area. It was named… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: The View from Home April 30, 2020

  Spring has arrived in the Arboretum native plant garden, with spring ephemerals blooming, bluebirds and tree swallows exploring nest boxes, and tree and shrub buds… Read more

• Visiting the Arboretum During Coronavirus April 1, 2020

  The sun is shining, temperatures are warming, sprouts and buds are growing. Yet we also face uncertainty and disruption to our everyday lives as we… Read more

• Volunteers Turn Dreams into Reality February 27, 2020

  Emily Dickinson wrote “To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, / One clover, and a bee. / And revery. / The… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Plant Mixes for Your Garden January 30, 2020

  February can bring snow, ice, sleet, and wind, interspersed with sun, melting snowbanks, dripping, and a promise of spring to come. Garden tasks include pruning,… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Winter Gardens November 30, 2019

  December brings short days, cold wind, snow and mixed wintry precipitation, and the first day of winter. It is one of the quietest months in… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Falling Leaves, Seeds, and Temperatures September 30, 2019

  October’s shorter days usually bring some warm sun along with cool autumn rains and light frost. The latest flowering herbaceous plants—showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), New… Read more

• Horticultural Garden Notes: Fall 2019 September 30, 2019

  Winter damage: The severe cold during winter 2018–19 (-29° F on January 31), coupled with extreme temperature fluctuations, resulted in significant damage throughout the Gardens. Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Collecting Seed and Managing Thistles August 29, 2019

  September brings shorter and cooler days, fruit and seed set, senescing leaves, warmer colors in the grasses, migration or early overwintering for some species …… Read more

• Arboretum Hosts Native Gardening Conference September 15 August 5, 2019

  Learn Sustainable Gardening Practices and How to Use Native Plants in Home Landscapes The UW–Madison Arboretum will host its 2019 Native Gardening Conference, “Native… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: How Are the Bees Doing This Season? August 2, 2019

  August brings peak summer bloom and the first hints of fall. In the garden, we are weeding, edging, trimming plants along paths and trails, updating… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Summer Vines July 1, 2019

  During July, many native species come into bloom in prairies, savannas, and wetlands. This diversity provides opportunities to learn plant families, practice identification skills, and… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Summer Begins May 30, 2019

  As June 2019 begins, cool wet spring conditions continue. June is Madison’s rainiest month; the long-term average monthly precipitation is 4.5 inches. The State Climatology Office… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: May Favorites April 29, 2019

  May brings dramatic growth, light greens deepening to dark greens, early flowers, and gardening tasks to fill the longer days. We are planting, weeding, and… Read more