Middleton Garden Center Hours: OPEN MONDAY THRU SATURDAY 9AM TO 6PM AND SUNDAY 10AM TO 5PM Closed on Easter Sunday

Garden Center Blog

is spring here to stay?

Last weekend’s really warm days gave us a taste of the summer to come, but the unseasonably high temps should moderate for the next few days to something more seasonal. I’ve always maintained that gardeners are the most optimistic folks on earth and, no matter what...

beauty can be fleeting

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. It seems miraculous that fragile perennial plants and very...

be vwery quiet

My whiskers twich when you’re not watching- My ears flick like weather vanes. My eyes grow round and rounder, I hippety-hop along the rows. Sometimes I nibble cabbage. Sometimes I nap amid the squash. When the sun shines, my coat turns to rust. But when the moon...

tasty reasons to garden

There are great reasons to grow your vegetables from seed because you have are so many more choices when you’re buying seeds. Let’s start with taste and depth of selection. Ordinarily, the Garden Center has 50 or so varieties of tomato seedlings on order. If you look...

a taste of spring

Happy Vernal Equinox! We certainly had a beautiful day for it. And remember March 1st? Mild temps. Sun. Definitely lamb weather! And despite a few chilly, windy days and tonight’s forecasted snow, the month so far has held to that gentle, lamb-like vibe. Wisconsin’s...

why plant a butterfly garden?

Learn About Butterflies Day was last week It always reminds us that the battle between strength and fragility is not better illustrated more clearly than by a butterfly. About 130 of these brightly colored beauties can be spotted during the spring and summer in...

bring the spring inside

A beautiful vase of flowers is a perfect remedy for chasing away the late winter blues when all we really want is to see is the light of spring at the end of winter’s tunnel. So how can you add the color and fragrance of flowers to your home without breaking the bank?...

now you see spring-now you don’t

As winter recedes, each sign of spring seems more symbolic than the last. And this year’s teasing tone has made all of us more than a little crazy. Personally, I’m longing for thunderstorms instead of snow showers. The sandhill crane’s raspy call or the melodious song...

february is the cruelest month

Haven't the mild temperatures and sunny days been marvelous? We hope that you had a chance to get outside and enjoy those beautiful days. And even though, these steps into early spring will be followed by a few that are headed back into late winter, days are...

patience is nature’s secret

I've checked all 10 of my favorite weather apps and forecasts seem to agree that March will be coming in like a lamb. Finding consensus about past weather events is tricky because our memories can be so subjective. All in all, it’s been a quiet winter. The biggest...
a celebration of the season

a celebration of the season

written by Lisa Briggs
Many of the traditions and legends of the winter holidays have their roots in ancient celebrations from northern Europe, where the long winter brought the longest darkness, the deepest cold and the greatest fear.

read more
ode to the evergreens

ode to the evergreens

written by Lisa Briggs
The indoor Holiday Wonderland has been up and running for a week or so, but this week has seen so many trucks filled with evergreen wreaths, garland and trees from up north. Our once empty nursery yard is filled with the fragrance of fir and cedar.

read more
classic holiday plants

classic holiday plants

I love the bustle of the winter holidays. If I regret taking on extra projects, the sight of family faces around the table at Thanksgiving makes all of the work worthwhile. You can use all kinds of things to decorate for the holidays-live plants, foraged stems, fruits...

read more
we’ll light up your life

we’ll light up your life

written by Lisa Briggs
There’s no snow forecasted in our immediate future. So why not add some holiday decorating to this weekend’s chore list and hang your Christmas lights? These beautiful, late fall days are perfect for getting a jump on outdoor holiday decorating.

read more
fall into winter

fall into winter

written by Lisa Briggs
Wow. We’re more than halfway through October and no sign of a hard frost! The old saying goes “No frost until after the full moon in October.” The long range forecasts do predict some pretty chilly temps next weekend. So we’ll see if the adage is true.

read more
time to slow down

time to slow down

written by Lisa Briggs
At long last. It’s time to take a deep breath because the physical work, and often frenetic pace of the growing season is winding down. Not having a million things to accomplish in the garden may find some folks feeling a bit bereft, but most of us are pretty happy for the break.

read more
the art of forcing bulbs

the art of forcing bulbs

written by Lisa Briggs
Let me start by saying that the word forcing may sound like a lot of work. It really isn’t. What you’re doing is tricking a bulb into thinking that winter is over and it’s time to flower.

read more
the gentle slide into autumn

the gentle slide into autumn

written by Lisa Briggs
Now that we’ve getting ready to turn the calendar page from September to October, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. Cooler temps. Lower humidity. And so many other reasons to love fall!

read more
Skip to content