Archives

• Gardening with Native Plants: Flowers for Spring and Early Summer March 1, 2023

  Spring arrives this month, with meteorological spring on March 1 and astronomical spring (the equinox) on March 20. The meteorological season marks the beginning of… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Halfway to Spring January 30, 2023

  February is usually snowy and cold but always the shortest wintry month. Thawing and increasing daylength hint at the end of winter and the beginning… Read more

• Fall Planting of Rare Trees in Longenecker Horticultural Gardens January 3, 2023

  While most people think of spring as ideal for planting trees and shrubs, fall is also a great time to plant woody plant species. In… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: A New Year January 3, 2023

  January brings cold and snowy days to the garden as well as indoor planning for the next growing season. It’s a good time to envision… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Winter Reading November 30, 2022

  December brings the shortest days of the year, the first days of winter, and weather to match. Gardening tasks may be limited by snow and… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Late Fall November 1, 2022

  In November, days become shorter and colder. Snow may fall by the end of the month and frosts are common. Now limited to warmer days… Read more

• Jumping Worm Research Enhanced by Student Researchers September 29, 2022

  Non-native invasive species can negatively affect the conservation of native species, restoration goals for natural areas, and general ecosystem health. At the Arboretum, we manage… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Seasonal Change September 29, 2022

  Some months hold more seasonal change than others. In October, the first frost may arrive, daylength and temperatures decline, fall color develops fully, and winter… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: The Latest Asters August 30, 2022

  September brings the end of the flowering season as fall arrives in native plant gardens. A few flowers may linger into October, but this month… Read more

• The Longenecker Horticultural Gardens Lilac Collection August 30, 2022

  The Longenecker Horticultural Gardens lilac collection dates to the Gardens’ inception in 1935 and remains one of the largest collections in North America. While numerous… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Summer Shift August 1, 2022

  August brings mostly warm days, and perhaps subtle cooler hints of fall. It can be a rainy month, or a time when dry conditions deepen. Read more

• Monarch Butterflies Have Been Declared Engangered. What Can We Do to Save Them? July 24, 2022

  Ayesha Rascoe speaks with conservation biologist Karen Oberhauser about why the migratory monarch butterfly was just declared endangered, and what can be done in response. Read more

• Sustainable Lawn Care July 18, 2022

  The Arboretum’s mission and land care work focuses on conserving and restoring natural areas. We also manage dozens of acres of lawn, mostly in our… Read more

• Arboretum Hosts Native Gardening Conference September 18 July 15, 2022

  Learn Sustainable Gardening Practices and How to Use Native Plants in Home Landscapes The UW–Madison Arboretum will host its 2022 Native Gardening Conference, “Native… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Midsummer Highlights June 30, 2022

  Our native gardens take on a summer look this month. July brings the warmest average temperatures of the year, with a peak average high of… Read more

• Director's Note, July 2022 June 30, 2022

  This year’s Native Plant Sale was a huge success, thanks to the Friends of the Arboretum board, Native Plant Sale coordinator Mary Chandler, the dozens… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: At the Root May 2, 2022

  Even during a cool spring like this one (at this writing), May brings a flush of growth – stems, leaves, flowers – especially in the woodland… Read more

• Longenecker Lawns: More than Grass May 2, 2022

  While the trees and shrubs draw people’s attention in the Longenecker Horticultural Gardens living collections, the green expanse of lawn sets them off. These lawns… Read more

• "Canopy Understories" Sculpture Installation Coming to Longenecker Horticultural Gardens April 18, 2022

  The Madison Public Art Project has commissioned Madison-based artists Laura Richards and William Grant Turnbull to create a new sculpture series, “Canopy Understories,” which… Read more

• Celebrating Persistence and Re-emergence: Appreciating the 2021 Volunteers March 31, 2022

  Spring, April: a time of rebirth and renewal in the north, a time to appreciate having endured another cold dark winter and embracing the return… Read more