Wisconsin: Changing the World One Garden at a Time

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Home & Garden notebook

By Linda Brazill
February 28, 2004Time's about up for registering for two of Olbrich Botanical Gardens' programs organized especially for gardeners who want help with design. Both will showcase the talents of Chicago area designer Julie Siegel. One look at Siegal's intelligent and creative Web site (www.jsiegeldesigns.com) will convince you to sign up. I was impressed because Siegal doesn't feature typical offerings in the "Journal" area of her site. Instead I found thoughtful and quirky choices ranging from books like Sam Abell's "Seeing Gardens" and Susan McClure's "The Midwestern Gardener's Book of Lists," to gardens like Innisfree in Millbrook, N.Y. As for links, the only one I even recognized was to The Nation magazine (her nod, she says, to liberal media). If she's half as good as her site suggests, we are in for a treat. Her events are: "Counting Creatively" (Friday, March 5, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.) will show you how plant arrangement can be more creative than the usual groupings of odd numbers. Siegal will examine "the various constellations formed by planting with the numbers one through seven" and there will be time to apply the class experience to your own garden design. The cost is $12 for Olbrich Botanical Society members/$15 for the public. In "Before and After" (Saturday, March 6, from 9 a.m. to noon) Siegal will walk you through the design process using examples from client projects. The class will cover everything from site assessment to plant selection and will address common design challenges. The cost is $18 members/$22 public.
There are openings in both classes, but you must sign up by noon Monday. Call 246-4550 to register. For more information, visit www.olbrich.org and look under the calendar of events for March.

"Changing the World One Garden at a Time" is the theme of the Community Food and Gardening Network Conference scheduled for Thursday, March 4, at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. The title comes from Debra Landwehr Engle's wonderful little book, "Grace From the Garden," which looks at the social, psychological, emotional and spiritual benefits of gardening. The book begins with Milwaukee's Will Allen and his Growing Power project. Engle will speak to the entire conference at 4:30 p.m. There will be presentations on "enabling gardens" by Gene Rothert of the Chicago Botanic Garden and nearly a dozen local community-oriented gardeners and educators. The conference is sponsored by the Community Food and Gardening Network, Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin Inc. (CAC) and the Health Promotion Project of the University of Wisconsin. It is geared toward creating new opportunities for non-gardeners to get involved. The conference is divided into two sessions: 1 to 4:15 p.m. and 4:30 to 8 p.m. Child care will be provided. To register, call UW-Extension at 262-2451. The cost is $34 early afternoon; $39 late afternoon and light supper; $59 entire day. For program information, call Ashleigh Ross at 246-4730, Ext. 238. Enjoy an Arboretum night walk from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 6, when you can listen for returning birds. The walk on Sunday, March 7, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. is called "Awakenings." It will answer the questions: Does skunk cabbage really smell bad? Are the redwing black birds back yet? Any animals up from their winter sleep? Arboretum events are open to the public, and tours take place regardless of weather unless the naturalist decides it would be unsafe. Call 263-7888 if in doubt. Tours begin at the Arboretum Visitor Center. See the Web site for more information: www.wisc.edu/arboretum/public/calndr.htm. E-mail: lbrazill@madison.com Published: 11:40 AM 2/27/04
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