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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

If you have ever walked through our Holiday Light Show and admired the soft, glowing luminaries lining the paths, the answer behind them might surprise you. It is not fancy glassware or custom-made lanterns. It is milk jugs. Thousands of them. A Tradition Since 1998 Since 1998, our grounds crew has turned plain plastic milk jugs into glowing luminaries by stringing light strands through them, lining the paths of the gardens with a soft, warm glow. Last year alone, the team us