Archives

• What's in Bloom? April 7, 2025

  This page offers a selective list of bloom times for popular plants in Longenecker Horticultural Gardens (LHG) and in the Wisconsin Native Plant Garden (WNPG)… Read more

• A Big Year for Volunteers and the Arboretum April 3, 2025

  What can a small group of committed individuals accomplish? A lot! What can a large group accomplish? Even more! When the group is 970 people… Read more

• Longenecker Horticultural Gardens Celebrates Ninety Years April 3, 2025

  The Longenecker Horticultural Gardens are the UW–Madison Arboretum’s arboretum, containing the largest and most diverse collection of woody plants in the state. On… Read more

• Taking the Next Step for Pollinators: Musings of a People and Nature Researcher April 3, 2025

  February 13, 2025. I traversed a snowy Arboretum with arcing trees layered in glittery white piping to attend the morning Winter Enrichment lecture… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Helping Pollinators April 3, 2025

  Wisconsin’s spring continues in April, the first month of the year when average minimum temperatures are above freezing. Total April precipitation (on average)… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Shrubs with Early Blooms February 27, 2025

  March often brings the end of winter, the beginning of spring, or simply the variability of this seasonal transition. Longer days, increasing sun… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Plants for a Garden Full of Life February 4, 2025

  During February, winter’s grip begins to loosen. Although Madison’s average daily temperature for the month is in the mid-20s, the average high temperature… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Planning for Pollinators January 7, 2025

  In our Wisconsin climate, January is an unlikely month for actual gardening, but seeding and planning for the new season is underway at the Arboretum. Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Autumn Care and Reflections November 4, 2024

  Late fall arrives in November, with colder days, possible frosts, shifting winds, shorter daylength, and neutral colors. Plants go into dormancy; some still hold seeds. Read more

• Art on View: Good Intentions October 22, 2024

  “Good Intentions,” an interactive outdoor sculpture by UW–Madison art student Mariah Skenandore, is on view in Longenecker Horticultural Gardens October 21 through November 18. The… Read more

• Longenecker Horticultural Garden Intern Digs into Garden Operations October 2, 2024

  As summer fades into fall, we are saying goodbye to Longenecker Horticultural Gardens’ (LHG) dynamic intern Jacinda Goldsby. Hailing from Marshall, Wisconsin, Jacinda contacted the… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Addition and Division October 2, 2024

  October is the heart of autumn as fall color develops and peaks in woodlands and prairies, on trees, shrubs and grasses. Our garden tasks include… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Considerations for Starting a Garden September 3, 2024

  During September, summer and autumn overlap. Temperatures and blooming phenology may vary this month, but the trend is cooler days with fewer flowers. Leaves and… Read more

• Arboretum Launches Longenecker Horticultural Gardens Online Collections July 31, 2024

  We frequently hear some variation of this question from visitors: “How do I find [describes a tree or bench] in the gardens?” Sometimes people are… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Late Summer July 31, 2024

  Will August bring mid-summer heat or a transition to fall? Dry weeks or more rainy days? Gardening tasks include harvesting seeds from plants that bloomed… Read more

• Summer Volunteer Groups: Myriad Motivations, Many Rewards July 30, 2024

  Summer is a busy time for volunteer groups at the Arboretum, with at least one service project each week from June through August. Corporate groups,… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Midsummer June 30, 2024

  Native plant gardens take on a summer look this month. Typically, July brings the warmest average temperatures of the year, peaking at an average high… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Garden Care June 3, 2024

  With the spring plant sale “season” behind us and new native plants taking root in gardens, we turn to long-term care of these areas. Although… Read more

• How to Create a Beautiful Pollinator Garden that Supports Butterflies and Bees May 30, 2024

  “Traditional yards with pristine lawns and few plants act as ecological deserts. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Installing a pollinator garden is… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: May Flowers May 1, 2024

  Wisconsin spring is in full swing in May and change is everywhere – budding, germination, decomposition, emergence, migration, fresh new growth, and warmth. We welcome… Read more