Happy Spring! Sometimes the first day of spring includes freezing temperatures, sleet or even snow.  Not so today with sunny skies and a high temperature around 60 degrees F.  I was able to scout out the entire garden this morning and while we still have some clean-up to accomplish, the gardens are starting so show more signs of life every day.  With more rain arriving later in the week and consistent mild temperatures, the spring transition (my favorite time of year) will be in full swing shortly!

We had a very productive day both out in the gardens and at the Horticulture Center.  Larry O., Ron R., Dennis and Lloyd were all out hauling back Holiday Light Show (HLS) displays for storage.  Most of the HLS has been taken down but there are still some remnants that we’ll collect in the coming week or so.  Janice was in to produce more labels for the big Spring Plant Sale coming up on Mother’s Day weekend! Kathy P. went on a stick and debris collecting expedition and came back with many full carts (see below)! Kay was back in action and tidied up her garden space near the end of the shade garden.  Jim H. had the RECAPPERS at the gardens today and the guys did a fabulous job tidying up multiple areas.  Steve J. and Jim continued assembling new obelisks (for sale in the Cottage Garden Gallery and at our Spring Plant Sale!) while Bobby K. put sealant on new obelisk pieces as yet to be assembled.  Dr. Gredler continued painting while Gary S. continued to work on servicing our laser engraver.  Stan and Kristin came in for some work in the Japanese garden and we also saw Maury, Rollie and many others as well!

the moss garden (above and below) is nice and vivid this time of year!

‘Carsten’s Wintergold’ mugo pine (Pinus mugo)

winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) is really starting to bloom well

Vernal witchhazel (Hamamelis vernalis, unknown variety) – large woody shrub

Dr. Gredler above with some nice purple

Bobby K. (above) preparing slats for our obelisks

Jim (back) and Steve J.

Kathy P. (above) with one of many loads

Dennis, Ron R. and Larry O. (left to right)

snowdrops (Galanthus sp.) both above and below (double seen below)

trillium (Trillium sp.) is emerging quickly with buds ready to open soon!

these daffodils (Narcissus) near the pond will likely bloom by the end of the week!

Siberian squill (Scilla siberica)

hellebores (Helleborus sp.) are budding up nicely (above)

Our Spring Symposium (“Edible Landscaping”) this past Saturday went very well.  Photographed below (photo by Marsha Mood) with yours truly is Rosalind Creasy (left) and Lisa Hilgenberg (Chicago Botanic Garden).  We had over 100 attendees enjoy presentations by the three of us and Rosalind’s books (some seen above) sold like hotcakes!  We had a silent auction with some wonderful donations from Song Sparrow Nursery and the weather was nice enough that attendees could walk the gardens.  Kudos to our education coordinator, Pam and all of the volunteers that helped organize and facilitate this event.  Polly, Cindy B., Marcia L., Marcia Mood and many others helped make the day run smoothly!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!  As a Dwyer (originally an O’Dwyer over 100 years ago), I’ll be enjoying the holiday in many ways – potatoes and green beer included.  Whether you call them clover, wood sorrel or shamrocks, the plants in this blog are a tribute to the shamrock that many of us associate with Ireland (although I’m not sure it has the same value to the residents of Ireland!).  Most of these are annuals but all pack some nice punch with foliage and small, accenting flowers.  Above is Trifolium Limerick™ Isabella which I saw a couple years ago.  Hard to believe it’s almost spring (on the calendar) and while there is still a bit of snow on the ground, our Spring Symposium on Edible Landscaping should be a great event tomorrow.  We look forward to having the famous Rosalind Creasy at the gardens and her reputation as the maven of the edible landscape movement has long been established.  She’ll be presenting and signing her books.  The talented Lisa Hilgenberg will be on hand as well.  Lisa manages the 3.8 acre Fruit & Vegetable Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden (Glencoe, IL). I’ll be doing a presentation as well.  It should be a great day!

Today wasn’t busy out in the gardens proper but with the “day of drizzle”, we had a lot of painting action at the Horticulture Center with Barb B. and her granddaughter (Al), Alan, Dr. Gredler, Janet and Sandi.  Maury ran errands for us and we also saw Maryam, Bill O., Kathy P., Donna B., Tryphaena and Karen B.  I continue to finish spring ordering which should be finished by the end of the month I hope!

Trifolium Limerick™ Jessica (above)

Trifolium Limerick™ Estelle (above)

Oxalis combo above (Charmed® Velvet above Molten Lava™)

Oxalis hybrida Charmed® Wine (above)

Oxalis hybrida Charmed® Wine (above and below)

Oxalis hybrida Charmed® Velvet (above) with Oxalis vulcanicola Molten Lava™ in background

Oxalis hybrida Charmed® Velvet (above and below)

Oxalis vulcanicola Molten Lava™ (above)

Oxalis vulcanicola Molten Lava™ (above)

Oxalis vulcanicola Molten Lava™ (above)

Oxalis vulcanicola Molten Lava™ (above rimming this copper cheese vat planter)

Oxalis articulata f. crassipes (above)

Oxalis articulata ‘Burgundy Gold’ (above)

Oxalis mix (above)

Oxalis vulcanicola Zinfandel™ (above and below)

This blog is dedicated to Karen, a wonderful person and long-time volunteer at Rotary Botanical Gardens who passed away this past Saturday.  Karen, as seen in these photos, tirelessly worked in the Japanese garden over many years.  I first met her in my early years here at the gardens when her second husband Tom brought her down and she quickly joined the ranks of our excellent volunteers maintaining the beautiful Japanese garden.  She was dedicated and hard working which would be no surprise to anyone that knew Karen.  More importantly, she was a human being of the highest quality and always had a kind word for everyone and a perpetual smile on her face.  Karen and I traveled together about six years ago to a conference at the Chicago Botanic Garden for the North American Japanese Garden Association (of which RBG is an institutional member).  We had such a great chat and I’ve always enjoyed every interaction I’ve had with Karen over the years.  She would appear and disappear at the gardens like a ninja as she would usually enter the gardens from the main building.  She also formed a strong bond with the other veteran volunteers in that garden (Jim, Stan, Dr. Neeno, Kristin, Little Jerry, Cheryl P. and many more).  Her attention to detail was second to none and neither was her generous spirit.  Karen will be missed but I can truly say that those that had the chance in life to even meet her were enriched and those that were able to get to know her, understand exactly what I’m saying when I describe Karen as “exceptionally awesome”!

Karen Goelzer-McKaig, age 77, of Janesville, died Saturday, March 11, 2017, at Mercy Hospital. She was born on March 1, 1940, in Spooner, WI, the daughter of Norman and Ellen (Norton) Chase. Karen married John W. Goelzer in 1964, he died on August 3, 1980. She later married Thomas E. McKaig on August 12, 1995, he died November 9, 2003. Karen started her teaching career in the Janesville School System, and taught public summer school for a number of years. She was the owner/director of Goelzer’s First Step Nursery School in Janesville for 27 years. She was also a Mary Kay Consultant. Karen was an active member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, where she had taught Sunday school, organized the church’s participation in the CROP Walk and designed and maintained the church’s memorial garden. Karen was very active in the community participating in Rotary Gardens, Rock County Historical Society, AARP, Wilson School Breakfast Club, Meals on Wheels, ECHO and received the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 1999.

She is survived by two children, Eric (Cathy) Goelzer of Middleton, WI and Curt (Felicia) Goelzer of Monroe, MI; grandchildren: John, Matthew, Alsacia and Kazia; stepchildren, Kimberly (Brook) Schmitt and Keri (William) Griffin; step-grandchildren: Chandler, Lauren, Emma, Madelynne and Adam; a sister, Linda (Jim) Ely of Neenah, WI; a sister-in-law, Ann Koppelmeyer; a brother-in-law, Donald Schieve; and her extended Scottish family. She was preceded in death by her husbands, a daughter-in-law, Marilyn Goelzer, and a sister-in-law, Mary Jane Schieve.

Lasting Memorials may be made to Rotary Gardens. For online condolences and registry: www.schneiderfuneraldirectors.com.

It’s usually this time of year that I “wax poetic” about the colorful contribution of stems and ornamental bark that exists in our landscapes and can certainly be augmented in many cases.  While the Midwest winter landscape is primarily tones of brown, tan and white, colorful stems and bark can offer significant impact.  Conifers add color and form as well and certainly should be considered for their winter interest as well as the role they play throughout the remainder of the year.  However, the attribute of colorful winter stems and/or bark is frequently overlooked and unfortunately not considered.  We are all starved for color after a long winter but that doesn’t mean we should neglect including and enjoying other winter attributes of plants, not only colorful bark and stems but interesting plant form, colorful fruits, etc.  The photo above and below is of a ‘Silver Ghost’ lacebark pine (Pinus bungeana) that I recently saw on the campus of Iowa State University (Ames, IA).  I could see this tree from a great distance due to the chalky white bark which upon closer inspection, reveals some interesting camouflage like patterns (typical for this species although ‘Silver Ghost’ has much more silvering to the bark).  Recent visits to other gardens have been inspiring with ample color provided by colorful stems and bark.  Enjoy this small sample of what winter can offer…

With some snow overnight, the roads were dicey this morning with about 2-3″ coming down.  More snow is on the way but Mother Nature is hopefully aware that spring is only six days away on the calendar!  Most of our activity today was inside the Horticulture Center.  Dr. Gredler, Alan and Bev D. were all involved with painting various structures as we continue to put on 2017 colors over our painted obelisks, etc.  Jim, Marv B. and Steve J. continued assembling new obelisks and we’ll have a healthy crop of 4′, 5′ and 6′ versions for the Spring Plant Sale (Mother’s Day weekend).  Kathy P. helped with a couple projects here and there and Maury ran errands for us.  Gary worked on some projects in the office too.  Dick H. plowed the parking lot and helped Larry O. with some tasks.  Larry O. and Bill O. took care of our snow removal efforts and we also saw Rollie, Maryam, Tryphaena, Bobby K. and many others today.

yellow-stem dogwood (Cornus sp.) – Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI)

‘Bergeson’s Compact’ redosier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) – Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI)

‘Winter Beauty’ bloodtwig dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) – Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI)

‘Winter Beauty’ bloodtwig dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) – Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI)

‘Swizzlestick’ willow (Salix sp.) – Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI)

Arctic Sun™ bloodtwig dogwood (Cornus sanguinea ‘Cato’) – Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI)

‘Prairie Fire’ Tatarian dogwood (Cornus alba) – Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI)

‘Britzensis’ scarlet willow (Salix alba subsp. vitellina) – Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI)

Renaissance Reflection® paper birch (Betula papyrifera ‘Renci’) – Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI)

redosier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) – Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI)

seven-son-flower (Heptacodium miconioides) – Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI)

yellow-stem dogwood (Cornus sp.) – Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI)

paperbark maple (Acer griseum) – Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI)

I took a sunny stroll today although the cold winds were still howling after a night of rain and heavy winds.  There wasn’t much damage thankfully and there continues to be signs of spring poking up here and there.  The winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) is coming up nicely in many areas although all of these photos of winter aconite were taken in previous years at the gardens.  Note those that are just emerging and those that are opening and maturing.  We’ve seen them bloom as early as late February and as late as early April depending on the type of spring we’re having….This fall planted bulb (actually a “tuber” I believe) is quite small but inexpensive.  We plant them in large drifts and they slowly colonize over time as we let them go to seed as they go dormant in June after blooming strongly in late winter.  I saw a lot of them just popping up today with hints of the yellow blooms.  They don’t like summer drought like many bulbs and benefit from decent soils that will stay moist even over the course of their summer dormancy.  There are patches of winter aconite developing in areas where they were never planted which has been interesting to observe.  It will be interesting to see how these develop with visitors to RBG enjoying massive drifts of this plant in 2107!.  I had heard that ants will sometimes spread the seed by thinking it’s food and hauling it back to their residence, thus perpetuating the spread and establishment of winter aconite.  Native to Southern Europe, this plant is bone hardy for us and blooms early enough in areas that might become shadier later in spring due to an overhead deciduous canopy.  It is also poisonous which is also evidenced in not being tampered with by local wildlife.

Cindy and Kathy P. worked on some inside projects today and then both shifted to gardening work.  Kay was in to process Spring Plant Sale veggie labels and Janice had a full day of working on sale preparations as well.  Dr. Gredler and Nancy N. were in for painting while Maury F. ran some errands for us.  Mary B. and Maryam stopped by too. We also saw Art, Karen, Tom and Darcie at our Horticulture Therapy Committee meeting where we continue to plan for our August 9th Horticulture Therapy Symposium (Gardening for Life).