Local Horticulture Events & Gardens
Annual SCVMGA Plant Sale
Always the first Saturday in June
An annual favorite held at the historical Octagon House, Hudson Wisconsin.
Customers come from far and wide to find bargains galore on annuals, perennials, shrubs, herbs, gently used gardening supplies, and more! All plants are grown and donated by St. Croix Valley Master Gardener Volunteers.
An annual favorite held at the historical Octagon House, Hudson Wisconsin.
Customers come from far and wide to find bargains galore on annuals, perennials, shrubs, herbs, gently used gardening supplies, and more! All plants are grown and donated by St. Croix Valley Master Gardener Volunteers.
Como Park & Conservatory Summer Flower Show
May through October
The Summer Flower Show is the longest of the five flower shows. Summer sunsets inspire this year’s summer flower show. Reservations are required for both individuals and groups. Click on the link below for more information. Como Park Zoo & Conservatory are open free the to public. Parking is free as well.
https://comozooconservatory.org/event/summer-flower-show-opening-day/
The Summer Flower Show is the longest of the five flower shows. Summer sunsets inspire this year’s summer flower show. Reservations are required for both individuals and groups. Click on the link below for more information. Como Park Zoo & Conservatory are open free the to public. Parking is free as well.
https://comozooconservatory.org/event/summer-flower-show-opening-day/
Wisconsin Farm Technology Days
Usually held the second week in July
Loyal, Wisconsin
This annual three-day outdoor event showcases the latest developments in production agriculture, including practical applications and recent research and technological developments.
Wisconsin Farm Technology Days website
Loyal, Wisconsin
This annual three-day outdoor event showcases the latest developments in production agriculture, including practical applications and recent research and technological developments.
Wisconsin Farm Technology Days website
St. Croix County Fair
Always held the third week in July
Glenwood City, Wisconsin
The Great Little Wisconsin Get-together! Fair go-ers like to stop by the St. Croix Valley Master Gardener Association booth to say hi, sit for a spell and learn a thing or two or three from local Master Gardeners. We were glad to help!
http://stcroixcofair.com/
Glenwood City, Wisconsin
The Great Little Wisconsin Get-together! Fair go-ers like to stop by the St. Croix Valley Master Gardener Association booth to say hi, sit for a spell and learn a thing or two or three from local Master Gardeners. We were glad to help!
http://stcroixcofair.com/
Minnesota Water Garden Society
Annual Tour
This event is held very year on the last weekend in July. It is sponsored by the Minnesota Water Garden Society (MWGS) and showcases a dozen or more sites in the Twin Cities metro where MWGS members open up their beautiful ponds and "regular" gardens for public viewing.
Click here for Tour Map
Ticket information and details.
Pierce County Fair
Held annually the second week in August
Ellsworth, Wisconsin -- not just the cheese curd capitol of the world, but also home to the Pierce County Fair! St. Croix Valley Master Gardeners are always on hand every day to impart their university research - based knowledge on growing plants.
Pierce County Fair website
Public Gardens of Wisconsin
Road Trip! 12 Wisconsin Botanical Gardens to Visit
, Olbrich Botanical Gardens - Madison, WI
Boerner Botanical Gardens - Milwaukee, WI
Green Bay Botanical Garden, Green Bay, WI
Rotary Botanical Gardens - Janesville, WI
Paine Art Center and Garden - Oshkosh, WI
Allen Centennial Gardens - University of Wisconsin - Madison, WI
The Garden Door - Door County, WI
Scheig Center Gardens in Appleton Memorial Park, Appleton, WI
Warren J. Taylor Sunken Flower Garden - Lincoln Park, Kenosha, WI
Villa Terrace Renaissance Garden - Milwaukee, WI
Riverside International Friendship Garden - La Crosse, WI
University of Wisconsin Arboretum, Madison, WI
- Open year-round.
- More than 650 species of tropical plants from Florida and Central and South America.
Boerner Botanical Gardens - Milwaukee, WI
- Open year-round.
- Varieties of “antique” daylilies, collections of tree peonies, shrub roses, bearded iris and seven varieties of peonies hybridized in the 1800s are found here.
Green Bay Botanical Garden, Green Bay, WI
- Open year-round.
- Contains collections of ornamental onions, magnolias, grape hyacinths and several varieties of Purple Passion tulips.
Rotary Botanical Gardens - Janesville, WI
- Open year-round.
- One of the few fern and moss gardens in the United States is here
- collections of narcissus, hostas, daylilies, and alliums are joined by 80 varieties of nicotiana (flowering tobacco), 115 of celosia and 40-plus types of morning glory plants
Paine Art Center and Garden - Oshkosh, WI
- Open May through October.
- The 20 outdoor gardens or “galleries of horticulture” augment the revolving art exhibitions inside the museum.
Allen Centennial Gardens - University of Wisconsin - Madison, WI
- Open year-round.
- Exotic shrubs, dwarf conifers, and native plants all have individual gardens here.
- The 22 gardens are an outdoor classroom and laboratory for University of Wisconsin horticulture and landscape architecture students, so the newest varieties are always on display.
The Garden Door - Door County, WI
- Hours of operation vary. Check website for up to date info.
- Trials of Echinacea (coneflowers) are being conducted to determine their hardiness in Wisconsin’s climate.
- It’s a demonstration garden for the Door County Master Gardeners.
Scheig Center Gardens in Appleton Memorial Park, Appleton, WI
- Open year-round.
- Various styles of gardens are on display including a fragrance garden, a dry stream bed, a four-season garden, a Wisconsin oak savanna, a family garden, a memorial garden, a children’s garden and an interesting water feature.
- The Learning Center was designed by Charles Montooth, a senior architect and protege of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Warren J. Taylor Sunken Flower Garden - Lincoln Park, Kenosha, WI
- Open only when Lincoln Park is open. Check website for up to date info.
- Fifty varieties of annuals, laid out in rows, contrast with manicured grass paths in this sunken garden.
- One of the state’s few formal gardens devoted solely to annuals.
Villa Terrace Renaissance Garden - Milwaukee, WI
- The Summer opening for the garden is June. Check the website for up to date info.
- Look for culinary and medicinal herbs, potted citrus trees, roses and, in the spring, some 30,000 narcissus.
- This formal Italian Renaissance garden containing Wisconsin-hardy 16th century Italian plantings is the only one of its kind in the state.
Riverside International Friendship Garden - La Crosse, WI
- The gardens are part of Riverside Park, and are open whenever the park is open.
- Plantings either native to, or inspired by, sister cities abroad.
- The gardens replicate ones found in La Crosse’s sister cities in China, France, Germany, Russia, Ireland and Norway.
University of Wisconsin Arboretum, Madison, WI
- The greenhouse opens the last weekend in April for its bare root sale and the first weekend in May for its annual open house. Check website for up to date info.
- Cold weather and sandy soil are no barrier to growing 1,000 perennial varieties.
- Several large display gardens, including full shade, partial shade, and full sun as well as a border with multiple gardens grow a variety of cold-tolerant plants.
- Technically located in Zone 3, the greenhouse has successfully grown plants recommended for Zone 5, a much warmer climate.
Road Trip! Sunflower Fields to visit in Wisconsin
The exact sunflower season in Wisconsin varies depending on when/where they are planted. The following farms are open to the public. Contact info is provided below for more information.
Southeastern Wisconsin:
Thompson Strawberry Farm - Bristol WI
Shimon Sunflower Farm - Slinger, WI
Lannon Sunflower Farm - Menomonee Falls, WI
Eugster’s Farm Market - Stoughton, WI
Schuster’s Farm - Deerfield, WI
Skelly’s Farm Market - Janesville, WI
Jerry Smith Farm - Kenosha, WI
Southeastern Wisconsin:
Thompson Strawberry Farm - Bristol WI
- 4 million flowers spread across 40 acres, plus zinnias and other wildflowers that usually bloom in August.
- More info: (262) 857-2353 thompsonstrawberryfarm.com
Shimon Sunflower Farm - Slinger, WI
- The farm plants 19 varieties of sunflowers.
- More info: (262) 308-9877 shimonsunflowerfarm.com
Lannon Sunflower Farm - Menomonee Falls, WI
- This farm’s fields are usually in bloom from late July through September.
- More info: (414) 803-1542 lannonsunflowerfarm.com
Eugster’s Farm Market - Stoughton, WI
- More than 500,000 sunflowers cover 15 acres at this farm south of Madison.
- More info: (608)873-3822 https://www.eugsters.com/
Schuster’s Farm - Deerfield, WI
- Sunflowers and zinnias.
- More info: (608) 764-8488 schustersfarm.com
Skelly’s Farm Market - Janesville, WI
- Sunflower fields with viewing platforms. Specialty flower area features 20 varieties of sunflowers, including multicolored ones.
- More info: (608) 757-1200 skellysfarmmarket.com
Jerry Smith Farm - Kenosha, WI
- Sunflowers are in bloom July and August.
- More info: (262) 221-9876, jerrysmithfarm.com
Did you know? In their early stages of growth, sunflowers turn toward the sun as it crosses the sky from east to west, and then return to face the east at night. They stop turning after they bloom and remain in an east-facing position.
The largest sunflowers can grow to over 16 feet in height. The flower heads can reach over a foot in diameter. It takes most varieties only 80 to 95 days to mature.
The largest sunflowers can grow to over 16 feet in height. The flower heads can reach over a foot in diameter. It takes most varieties only 80 to 95 days to mature.
Central Wisconsin:
REI Engineering Inc. - Wausau, WI
Pumpkin Hollow - Edgar, WI
Kuckuk Farms - Wild Rose, WI
Sopa Fairview Farm - Amherst, WI
Arnold's Strawberries – Rudolph, WI
- Employees have planted 2 acres of sunflowers and a wildflower mix for the community to enjoy.
- More info: 877-734-7745 https://www.facebook.com/REI.Engineering/
Pumpkin Hollow - Edgar, WI
- Many varieties of sunflowers and wildflowers on 3 acres of farmland. Expected peak season is mid-August, but the flowers will keep blooming into mid-September.
- More info: 715-470-7106 https://www.facebook.com/pumpkinhollows/
Kuckuk Farms - Wild Rose, WI
- 15 acres and around 65,000 flowers. Expected peak season begins during the week of Aug. 16 and will continue for 10-14 days.
- More info: 920-765-0361 https://www.facebook.com/kuckukfarm
Sopa Fairview Farm - Amherst, WI
- 13 acres will be open to the public when the sunflowers start blooming--around mid-August. The sunflower fields are for viewing only.
- More info: https://www.facebook.com/fairviewfarm
Arnold's Strawberries – Rudolph, WI
- Sunflowers grown on a 100 year-old family farm. Opens for sunflowers in mid-August.
- More info: http://www.arnoldsstrawberries.com/
Virtual Tour: Road Trippin': Wisconsin's Public Gardens
PBS Wisconsin
UNIVERSITY PLACE Road Trippin': Wisconsin's Public Gardens segment
Original airing date: February 8, 2020
Mark Konlock, the director of horticulture at the Green Bay Botanical Garden, highlights more than a dozen gardens around Wisconsin and encourages you to visit them to get ideas for your own gardens and landscaping.
https://pbswisconsin.org/watch/university-place/road-trippin-wisconsins-public-gardens-is3d7d/
UNIVERSITY PLACE Road Trippin': Wisconsin's Public Gardens segment
Original airing date: February 8, 2020
Mark Konlock, the director of horticulture at the Green Bay Botanical Garden, highlights more than a dozen gardens around Wisconsin and encourages you to visit them to get ideas for your own gardens and landscaping.
https://pbswisconsin.org/watch/university-place/road-trippin-wisconsins-public-gardens-is3d7d/
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum welcomes, informs and inspires people through outstanding displays, protected natural areas, horticultural research and education.There are 1,200 acres of gardens and tree collections, prairie and woods and miles of trails. Check their website below for admission fee, hours of operation, events and programs.
https://arb.umn.edu/
https://arb.umn.edu/
Public Gardens of Minnesota
Kathryn Ripke, Horticulture graduate student at the University of Minnesota created the Public Gardens of Minnesota website as an aid to people living in or visiting the state of Minnesota who are interested in horticulture and want to know more about the public gardens within the state. (click on URL link) Each public garden site was visited and all garden photos presented on this website were taken during these visits.
All information has been checked for accuracy, but public gardens are not static. Garden hours, fees and tour schedules can change at any time. Please confirm information when making plans.
Resources used to gather the information presented on the Minnesota public gardens website came from:
For ease of planning garden visits, the state has been divided into 4 regions. The majority of the Minnesota public gardens listed on this website are located in the greater Metro area (within the 10 counties that surround the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul). To find the public gardens located in any of the regions, click on the regional map or go to the "Find a MN Public" garden drop-down box in this pages' upper right-hand corner and select the region of interest.
https://mngardens.horticulture.umn.edu/view-by-region
All information has been checked for accuracy, but public gardens are not static. Garden hours, fees and tour schedules can change at any time. Please confirm information when making plans.
Resources used to gather the information presented on the Minnesota public gardens website came from:
- Personal observations
- Conversations with garden personnel
- Brochures, pamphlets, visitor guides & other written information available at garden sites
- Various municipal and tourist materials
- Other websites (provided as hyperlinks throughout this site)
For ease of planning garden visits, the state has been divided into 4 regions. The majority of the Minnesota public gardens listed on this website are located in the greater Metro area (within the 10 counties that surround the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul). To find the public gardens located in any of the regions, click on the regional map or go to the "Find a MN Public" garden drop-down box in this pages' upper right-hand corner and select the region of interest.
https://mngardens.horticulture.umn.edu/view-by-region