Garden Center Blog

late summer recap

What a difference a wetter growing season makes! The Madison area’s rainfall is just a couple of inches over average April through end of August. It certainly has been a wet July and August, but we were running very low in the early spring months. The temps and...

second chance veggies

So many of you planted fruits and vegetables again this spring and we hope that you’ve been happy with the results. After all, there are few things more delicious then a tomato eaten right off the vine. And you may find that you’ve got some empty spots where spring...

borrow from the prairies

“To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And reverie. The reverie alone will do, if bees are few.” Emily Dickinson Mother Nature has been kindly helping us water our gardens, making this growing season a bit of an anomaly. The hot, dry...

thinking ahead

Seesawing temperatures are one clue that summer is on the wane. Long-range weather forecasters are predicting a warm August, giving us lots of time to plant some fall veg and late blooming annuals. If you didn’t plant a family veg garden this spring, you can try a few...

good golly it’s hot!

The brightest of the stars in the Big Dog constellation is Sirius, the Dog Star. In the mid-summer, it can be seen rising and setting with the sun. This conjunction caused the ancients to believe that Sirius’ heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of...

a few words on maples

Maples are some of the most popular shade and ornamental trees at the Garden Center. And why not?  They can provide plenty of shade, offer amazing fall color and can be super adaptable. There are even a few varieties of native species in the shade tree line! There are...

dig into grasses

Whether you plan to use them to screen unsightly views, or to provide focal points in your landscape, ornamental grasses are a great way to add structure and texture to your garden. Many types are tolerant of heat and dry conditions, and keep their good looks no...

summer swan song

No one wants to be the first to say it, but here we go. The Solstice was a couple weeks ago and even though we are under the spell of the dog days, astronomically summer is on the wane. Of course, there are plenty of things to do in the garden - weeding, watering new...

celebrate the dog days

The brightest of the stars in the Big Dog constellation is Sirius, the Dog Star. In the mid-summer, it can be seen rising and setting with the sun. This conjunction caused the ancients to believe that Sirius’ brightness added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch...

all about hydrangeas

Soon it will be July, and one of our favorite shrubs will be in glorious bloom. Can you guess? I recently came across a Garden Center pricebook from 1982 and there was one hydrangea variety available! Five years later we had three. Fast forward to 2025 and we started...
mid summer dreams

mid summer dreams

written by Lisa Briggs
Early summer is an especially nice time to start a garden journal. Your what-to-do-in-the-garden-today lists have shortened and everything is just so achingly beautiful. Jot

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jumpin’ jack flash

jumpin’ jack flash

written by Lisa Briggs
Are they fireflies, glowworms or lightning bugs? It doesn’t really matter what you call them because one of our favorite sights of summer are those yellow-green orbs flashing against the backdrop of the garden at dusk.

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gardeners start your engines!

gardeners start your engines!

written by Lisa Briggs
May is many a gardener’s favorite month, and this year even more so! The seesaw spring had spring flowers developing in fits and starts, but the warm temps late last week pushed many plants hard, all at once. My drive into work each morning is a little reminiscent of a journey into Oz. I

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patience is a virtue

patience is a virtue

written by Lisa Briggs
Gardeners are not the kind of folks who enjoy being cooped up in the house all winter. When the weather finally breaks, and plants begin to emerge from dormancy, it’s understandable that we are eager to greet every new shoot and admire every swelling bud.

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no april showers bring…

no april showers bring…

written by Lisa Briggs
April of 2025 wasn’t particularly shower-ful, but the flowers are bursting into bloom despite the dry weather. And Monday’s unsettled weather has us scrambling to get plants under cover and protected from the storm that never was.

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some beauty is fleeting

some beauty is fleeting

written by
Every spring, gardeners hold their collective breath as we wait for the first green shoots pushing through the warming soil. To be a perennial gardener in this climate requires great faith in your choices.

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we’ve got high hopes

we’ve got high hopes

written by Lisa Briggs
The days with warmer temperatures these last few weeks have given hope that spring would be early this year. And then they take a nosedive. Clearly Old Man Winter is unwilling to let go!

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