Yard MD's must-visit gardening destinations
All across Wisconsin, eager gardeners are getting ready to put on their gardening gloves and dig in. Much of the fun comes from exploring garden centers and destinations near and far to find the latest and greatest plants, as well as creative ways to grow and enjoy them.
I've rounded up a list of some of my favorite gardening hot spots across east-central and northeast Wisconsin to help inspire and ignite your spring passion. Some you may have visited before, others may be brand new. But remember, you can come back again and again throughout the year to fully enjoy the spectrum of the changing growing season.
Bookworm Gardens
One of my favorite gardening destinations in Wisconsin, Bookworm Gardens in Sheboygan features the most outrageous, over-the-top and colorful gardens together in the picture-perfect setting of a children's book wonderland. Gardens within gardens are each inspired by one of more than 60 children's classics, brought to life in amazing and vibrant fashion.
Green Bay area hotspots
The Green Bay area offers gardeners many outstanding destinations. Wery's Blossom Creek, near Suamico, offers an eye-popping spectacle of explosive color all season long. Stone Silo Prairie Gardens in Ledgeview specializes in the area's finest native plant assortment.
The Green Bay Botanical Garden is a must-visit destination, month after month in spring through fall as the seasons change and new plants begin to bloom daily.
Garden Supply Guys, located near the intersection of Velp and U.S. 41, is a great source for organic planting supplies, featuring all the nutrients, fertilizers and equipment needed to begin hydroponic gardening indoors or out.
In Hobart, Rose-Hill Gardens is a must-see destination, featuring an outstanding series of more than 35 display beds and greenhouses filled with rare and unusual plant treasures.
Nearby, Mayflower Greenhouse offers a breathtaking array of plants, containers and accessories. Ivy Trails and Green Bay Nursery are other favorite Green Bay gardening destinations.
Paine Art Center and Gardens
The elegance and formality of the sprawling gardens at the Paine Art Center and Gardens in Oshkosh beg to be explored season by season throughout the year. Spring bulbs and flowering shrubs give way to beautiful perennials in both sun and shade, as well as an ever-changing parade of color throughout the many gardens.
Waupaca area
If you haven't visited the many incredible garden centers and shops in the Waupaca area, make this the first of your road trips this season. Graziano Gardens in Pine River, just south of Waupaca, stuns with its unusual motif as part garden center, part art gallery. Local art, garden décor and cutting edge plants highlight the gardens.
Cottage Garden Farm, located on state State 54 just west of Waupaca, features amazing outdoor garden art, bird feeders, baths and much more. Nearby, Turner's Market features the best in seasonal produce and an assortment of plants all season long.
Silver Mist Garden Center features a huge selection of amazing perennials for all areas of the yard and garden, garden art and the most sought after and unusual trees and shrubs. The old Red Mill is a quaint and picturesque area filled with colorful plantings, covered bridge, historic chapel and more.
Stevens Point area
In the Stevens Point area, you'll find a wealth of gardening hotspots. Village Gardens in Plover features thousands of perennials and annuals, along with sprawling display gardens and the namesake miniature village with a number of smaller-than-life building replicas.
Hosta lovers will go crazy at the Hosta Stop, featuring more than 1,000 varieties of hostas for 2015. Located just west of Plover along State 54, Shulfer's Garden Center offers a huge variety of unusual plants, trees and shrubs. In Stevens Point, Jung Garden Center carries a huge assortment of their popular seed, along with trees, shrubs and perennials. Lynn's Garden Center is popular for their amazing annuals, while a visit to the Stevens Point Sculpture Park is a must.
Lake Michigan treasures
Along the Lake Michigan shore, be sure to visit the amazing indoor and outdoor showrooms at the Flying Pig in Algoma. West of the Lake Gardens in Manitowoc is a free public garden featuring acres of formal gardens peacefully set along the Lake Michigan shore. From Manitowoc to Two Rivers, explore the dozens of garden beds along the Mariners Trail Gardens.
Pondside Gardens
Hostas steal the show at Pondside Gardens in Kiel, where more than 7,000 hostas grow among the beautifully shaded ravines. More than 13 acres of gardens surrounding the beautiful namesake pond also are open for exploration.
Vintage Gardening
Vintage is still the hottest thing in gardening and there are many locations where you can find the best in vintage and re-purposed garden art. Echota Gardens, De Pere, is one of the finest, along with the Vintage Garden in downtown Appleton, Whimsical Charm in Appleton, Cedar Ridge Gifts and Crafts in Neenah and Gold n' Country Gifts in Weyauwega.
Daylily destinations
Daylily lovers must wait until July and August to finally see these beauties in all their glory. We are fortunate to have several excellent daylily breeders and growers right here in east-central Wisconsin, including Solaris Farms in Reedsville, Angelic Acres and Fox Woods Gardens, both in Abrams, and Pinewood Gardens, Suamico.
Wildflowers
For lovers of native wildflowers, many amazing destinations await. The Ridges Sanctuary in Bailey's Harbor is famous for its many orchid species, but also features just about every other native wildflower found in the state. The WILD Center, Neenah, features native wildflowers at their finest. Mosquito Hill Nature Center boasts a spectacular prairie in full bloom along the south face of the limestone bluff. In Dodge County, Ledge County Park is one of the area's most spectacular places to see spring wildflowers in all their glory.
—Rob Zimmer, Post-Crescent staff writer, writes Yard MD every Friday. He can be reached at 920-993-1000 ext. 7154 or yardmd@postcrescent. com; on Twitter @YardMD.