Madison Excursion

I had a great day in Madison, WI today although the weather went from very rainy to a bit muggy! I was on Larry Meiller’s Garden Talk program (Wisconsin Public Radio) which is always fun. Larry is a great guy and the show certainly allows me to shamelessly promote the gardens to a wide listening audience. After checking in with our Friday grounds staff (Larry, Cindy, Chuck, Brian and Sean) at work, I drove through a typhoon to get up to Madison where I visited the Botany Garden and Allen Centennial Garden on the UW-Madison campus before the radio program. The rain had abated after the program finished so I headed over to Olbrich Botanical Garden and enjoyed a tour around one of my favorite garden (photos below). It was a nice day to get my “horticultural fix” in a different city although we’re looking forward to more momentum next week as staff and volunteers continue to refine, plant and beautify our 20 acre garden in Janesville for our 30th Anniversary year!

Allen Centennial Garden (UW-Madison) – don’t miss this 2.5 acre gem! (above)
the rock and crevice gardens (above and below) at Allen Centennial Garden are excellent
fun containers (above and below) at Allen Centennial Garden
I’ve always admired this smoketree (Cotinus sp.) near Allen Centennial Garden…might be ‘Royal Purple’ or the hybrid ‘Grace’
the conservatory (above) at Olbrich Botanical Garden (OBG) in Madison, WI
Tennessee coneflower (Echinacea tennesseensis) – perennial (above)
‘Sun Power’ hosta (Hosta) – perennial (above)
Clematis ‘Arabella’ mixing with yellow fumitory (Corydalis lutea) – above
cute little guy
awesome demo area for edible container arrangements in the herb garden (super cool!)
Clematis ‘Prince Charles’ (above)
fun containers and engaging areas abound at OBG (above and below)