Located on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus at
620 Babcock Drive
Gardens open daily from dawn to dusk. No entrance fee.
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The highly visible site of the Allen Centennial Gardens reveals facets of an ever-changing panorama of beauty to the thousands of people who pass by daily. The Gardens serve as an outdoor classroom, offering research and training opportunities in plant identification and nomenclature as well as ecological and site management techniques for one of the few horticultural departments in Wisconsin's higher education system. The natural beauty of the 2.5-acre outdoor classroom provides many opportunities for students while offering visitors a peaceful respite amid a multitude of horticultural delights. Garden staff are comprised of students and volunteers. Construction on Campus!
Here is a summary of how road construction will affect traffic on campus this summer. Volunteers Needed!Allen Centennial Gardens welcomes the public to volunteer in the Garden. Any amount of time is welcome and appreciated. Past volunteers have ranged from inexperienced novice gardeners to horticulturalists. You can volunteer for an hour, a day, or any length of time throughout the year. **NEW**
There is also a new posting of Allen Centennial Gardens related events. |
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Dr. Dennis Stimart Mr. Ed Lyon Ms. Kristin Jacobson University of Wisconsin Foundation: (608) 263-2027 |
Spring is here at the Allen Centennial Gardens
Spring has sprung in Wisconsin, albeit slow but that doesn’t hurt anything except our anxiousness for warmth! It seems more plants are damaged in recent years by blasts of overly warm temperatures than the cold temperatures of winter, plus bulbs and early spring flowers last much longer. Hopefully you have home gardens that are coming alive with new life but regardless, make sure you walk Allen Centennial Gardens on a regular basis this season. The snow drops and winter aconite are on their way out already but daffodils, tulips and pansies are starting their seasonal display and the Rock Garden features early flowering plants such as colorful yellow Draba species and the purples of Phlox subulata and Pulsatilla (pasque flower). A fairly large number of new trees and shrubs were added last fall and it looks like they all fared well and include a less-known yellow flowering magnolia that will bloom shortly, Magnolia ‘Sundance’. The not-to-miss tree right now is our pair of Dirca palustris (Leatherwood) covered in flower in the Woodland Garden. Put your nose up to the delicate yellow flowers of this native WI tree, they have a light fragrance. Don’t miss it, the heat expected later in the week will push the blooms fast and this tree is difficult to find in our woodlands and even rarer in trade! Spring cleaning is in full gear, seeds have germinated and are growing quickly for our Ornamental Edibles theme, and we are mulching fast and furious so our look changes daily. If you see them working in the gardens, say hi to our 2009 student interns, Sarah Boutwell, Charlie Holt, Kate Braun (all returning from 2008) and Blake Anderson as well as our hard working volunteers!