Midwest Gardeners Meet-Up at Kenosha

For the past several years, a group of Midwestern garden bloggers and communicators has met at various locations to tour gardens, arboretums, and plant displays. We skipped last year because of COVID, and this growing season was challenging for some weather and personal reasons. But several of us met last week in Kenosha, Wis.: myself, Danniel Ward-Packard, of Botanica Fine Gardens and Landscapes, and Jason Kay and Judy Hertz, of Garden in a City. It was a small group and a cloudy, windy, cool day, but we had a great time and some fabulous discussions about plants.

The first stop was a hikeable portion of the Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area, which is part of a 4,500-acre lake plain in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. It was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Significance in 2015.



It's a captivating place, with a diversity of wet prairie species, even though this has been a particularly hot and dry growing season. The natural swaths of asters, sunflowers, goldenrods, grasses, and other plants were fascinating to view.



Across the road on this windy day, the turbulent waves of Lake Michigan were dramatically lapping the shore.

So many autumn native plants to observe and so little time. I believe I have the names correct on these beauties, but let me know if not.

Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)

Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)

New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)

Sky Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense)

Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera)

Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis crinita)

For lunch, we met at Kenosha's waterfront Eichelman and Wolfenbuttel Parks, which have some colorful annual displays.

The trellises and pergolas frame the park's Lake Michigan view and the nearby boat marina.







They were lovely formal plantings surrounding the area.

Our final destination for the day was the Hawthorne Hollow Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum. I think this property surprised all of us with its 12 charming acres of prairies, gardens, and historic buildings.

A small prairie restoration was in process.

This beautiful unmarked rose reminded me of my great-grandfather's rose that he crossed for my great-grandmother.

A vibrant, blooming Swamp Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) shrub couldn't be ignored.

This border along the side of one of the historical buildings was autumn-impressive, and had me wondering about its plant display during other seasons.

On the way out, more asters and sunflowers took the spotlight.

It was a cloudy, windy day, but the companions and the gardens--both natural and intentionally planted--were top-tier.

I'm looking forward to next year's gardener gatherings!

More Adventures at the Research Station

I've posted about the UW-Madison West Agricultural Research Station before, but I figured it would be a good time to head over there again to see what's growing. The display gardens and the research crops change from year to year.

Students and faculty at the university's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences have access to the gardens for research, agronomic and horticultural plant breeding and variety trials, community outreach, student training, and providing feed and manure management for the UW-Madison campus livestock.

Focus areas include field crops (corn, soybeans, small grains, alfalfa, and cover crops), plant breeding trials, vegetables, small fruit crops, composting, irrigation, and the horticultural display gardens (annuals and perennials). The latter include All-America Selections (AAS) winners.



I spent most of my time during this recent visit in the display gardens. There's a pretty little plant collection right out front, with annuals and perennials, welcoming people to the gardens.



Screen-protected areas display line-ups of various plant varieties; shown here, Coral Bells (Heuchera spp).

The masses of open areas are fascinating, too, and beautiful!







One could spend hours viewing all these options!



One main reason I enjoy visiting these gardens is to see and track butterflies, like this silver-spotted skipper, for Wisconsinbutterflies.org. With all the flowering plants, the butterflies are plentiful, too.



On this particular day last week, I saw more than 20 monarchs, along with several other species.



Their favorite area seemed to be the Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) display. And the favorite varieties on this particular day were 'Chrysalis Blue' and 'Chrysalis Cranberry.'



Some monarchs were still laying eggs on the plentiful native milkweeds in the gardens.



I was particularly tickled to see the popularity of the native Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum) blooms and other Silphium species, which were covered in various pollinators.



While I've seen Moneywort (Lysimachia alfredii) in gardens before, this variety, 'Night Light,' was quite attractive. Apparently, it prefers partial to full shade, the foliage turns burgundy in the shade, and it's rabbit-repellent (duly noted for my garden!).



The bumblebees were happy on Heliotrope 'Augusta Lavender' (Heliotropium hybrid). But who wouldn't be?



Now this plant had me curious, with its large fluffy, double blooms: 'Double Sunking' Sunflower (Helianthus annuus).



Its height, from various sources, is listed at six feet, but these plants were much taller!



I didn't make note of the species on this Canna Lily (Canna spp.), but I'm thinking it might be 'South Pacific Orange,' the 2018 AAS Flower Winner, and the one that I grew in 2019.

I could have spent much more time in the display gardens--so much to see, and so many things to learn. I'm looking forward to a return during the next growing season!

Gardeners' Delight at Niagara Falls

Happy September! It seems like just yesterday I was in Buffalo, New York, and after that, at Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The Association for Garden Communicators (GWA) held its Annual Conference and Expo in Buffalo, Aug. 4-7, and the full-day, post-conference story tour on Aug. 8 took us to Niagara Falls.

I was a "new-bee" for this conference, and I must say it didn't disappoint. The organization's leadership and the other attendees were friendly and welcoming. I even reconnected with "old" friends--garden bloggers and writers I'd met at other events.

I think my favorite "event" was the Niagara trip. The gardens were amazing, the Canadians were welcoming, and of course the Falls (which I'd never seen before) were spectacular and more powerful than I'd imagined.

We started the day at Niagara Parks' Floral Showhouse, where bright plants and blooms wove through the grounds.



I realized later that most of my photos here were from the exterior grounds, but this indoor display was hard to miss. All the statues on the grounds were lovely. I searched and searched online for an explanation of this sculpture and couldn't find a thing. It appears to depict three children playing on top of a Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum).



Outdoors, a "Life in the Garden" display featured lush arrangements of annuals and perennials, alongside whimsical miniatures of homes, buildings, and modes of transportation.











I've always enjoyed miniatures, and their placement in the gardens was joyful and inspiring.



The greenhouse was handsomely bordered by vines and shrubs.



I spent as much time outdoors as I could on that beautiful day.



The borders and planting beds included many pollinator-friendly and strikingly beautiful blooming plants.



Another statue for which I can't find a name was this lovely piece rising out of a fountain--the woman depicted is lovingly holding a simple bouquet of flowers.



Fortunately, I did record the story behind these sculptures. The collection of bronze figures titled, "Freedom," depicts children playing with wildlife in a pond.

The next photos include artful arrangements in pots, along rock walls, and in borders at various Niagara Parks locations--the grounds of the Floral Showhouse, Oakes Garden Theatre, and Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens.

















I could have spent hours around the Botanical Garden's European-style hedged garden, where Hydrangeas mixed with Joe Pye Weed and flowering annuals in pots.







The School of Horticulture had some attractive and utilitarian displays, too.



We also visited the Butterfly Conservatory, where Monarchs on Butterfly Bushes (Buddleia spp.) greeted us near the entrance.











Butterflies of more than 2,000 species fly free in the enclosed, rainforest-style conservatory.



Of course, any trip to the Niagara area must include spectacular views of the falls.





They greeted us from various angles throughout the day.



The highlight was when we donned the yellow plastic slickers and toured the "Journey Behind the Falls."









The sheer power of all that water is truly impossible to depict in a drawing or a photograph. I'd have to say it exceeded my expectations.



Thank you, Canada, for your hospitality!

More highlights from the GWA event to come in future posts.