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The season is changing, and you can feel it in the air and see it in the plants throughout the garden. This week, we're celebrating the beauty of seeds, nuts, and fruit that our plants are producing right now: berries, pinecones, and everything in between. In some cases, they're every bit as beautiful as the flowers that came before them, just with a lot less fanfare. Nature's Calendar This whole process falls under phenology, the study of the life cycles of living things. Th

If you've admired the dazzling dahlias throughout Rotary Botanical Gardens over the years, you have a group of dedicated volunteers to thank: members of the Badger State Dahlia Society (BSDS). Volunteers planting 100s of tubers in the gardens this year. Founded in 1946, BSDS is a Madison-based club and a local branch of the American Dahlia Society, part of the Midwest Dahlia Conference. Its mission is simple: bring together novice and experienced growers alike to promote the

Take a walk through the gardens this week and you'll find a lot to love. Here's what's in bloom right now. Surprise Lily The Surprise Lily (Lycoris squamigera) has arrived. The first blooms are just popping now, with more on the way in the coming days. Don't blink, because they won't stick around long, lasting less than three weeks. Surprise Lily is a perennial bulb in the amaryllis family. It produces a fragrant, pink, lily-like flower on a leafless stalk that reaches 3 to 4