Archives

• 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

• What's in Bloom? April 11, 2022

  This is a selective list of popular blooming horticultural plants in Longenecker Horticultural Gardens (LHG) and native plants in the Wisconsin Native Plant Garden (WNPG)… Read more

• Mid-October’s high temperatures come with a consequence for lilacs and other plants October 28, 2021

  While Madison’s residents soaked up the above-average October temperatures, the heat has given some plants mixed signals. Instead of entering dormancy for the winter, some… Read more

• Horticultural Garden Notes: Fall 2021 September 26, 2021

  Pollinator Monitoring in Panicle Hydrangea Collection This year marks the third summer of data collection for the Panicle Hydrangea Pollinator Monitoring Project in Longenecker Horticultural… Read more

• Horticultural Garden Notes: Spring 2021 May 3, 2021

  Goodbye to a Special Tree On March 1 we said goodbye to a special tree, a native white ash (Fraxinus americana) cultivar named ‘Autumn Purple’… Read more

• Winter Interest in the Horticultural Collection January 6, 2021

  Fall Color in Evergreen Conifers Some needle-bearing trees are deciduous – such as larch and bald cypress, which display impressive fall color – but most… Read more

• Police stumped by theft of rare tree in Wisconsin capital November 12, 2020

  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Police are stumped by the theft of a rare pine tree from the University of Wisconsin Arboretum. The 25-foot Algonquin Pillar… Read more

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Horticultural Garden Notes: Spring 2019 Update April 29, 2019

  In this spring’s notes: a long-standing drainage problem in Longenecker Horticultural Gardens has been resolved, trees and shrubs were damaged by animals and extreme cold this… Read more

• Garden Tours: Grow Your Plant Knowledge March 20, 2019

  Spring blooming trees and shrubs, summer wildflowers, fall color and towering prairie grasses are only some of the delights to be found in the Arboretum’s… Read more

• Horticultural Garden Notes: Collection Inventory, Fall Color and Hardy Larches, and Volunteers Power Through January 2, 2019

  Collection Inventory Field Check Over the course of the fall, garden staff conducted an inventory field check for the approximately 4,000 accessioned plants in… Read more

• Horticultural Garden Notes: Growing Season 2018 August 30, 2018

  Event lawn beds redesigned This spring, two garden beds that border the events lawn were replanted based on a design by landscape architect Dennis Buettner. Read more

• Horticultural Garden Notes: Tree Labels, Spring Trail Pond, and Black Tupelo Relocation May 1, 2018

  Tree Display Labels With more than 2,500 kinds of trees in Longenecker Horticultural Gardens, it can be daunting for a non-expert to know what they… Read more

• Beer + Oddball Fruits April 16, 2018

  Collaboration between a beer producer and a university garden is not your typical pairing, but Levi Funk and David Stevens have been determined to make… Read more

• Arboretum Brews Up Partnership to Turn Unlikely Fruits into Local Beer April 16, 2018

  Rock-hard, lumpy, and larger than a softball, pale-green Osage oranges seem to be no good for anything but a twisted ankle. But to Levi Funk,… Read more

• Horticultural Garden Notes: 2017 Growing Season January 3, 2018

  Weather and Maintenance Weather extremes posed challenges for the Longenecker Horticultural Gardens collection this year. The growing season started out wet, cool, and cloudy… Read more

• A New Fence for Longenecker Horticultural Gardens September 29, 2017

  This past summer, the fence lining Longenecker Horticultural Gardens along Arboretum Drive started to get a makeover. Most of the old woven-wire fence was removed… Read more

• Horticultural Garden Notes: Spring Updates May 1, 2017

  Magnolias With their dazzling display of showy flowers, magnolias are a spring favorite in Longenecker Horticultural Gardens (LHG). Although this year’s magnolia bloom is nearly done,… Read more