Skip to content

Top Navigation

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Home
  • Garden
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • Videos
  • Magazine

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Midwest Living

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Midwest Living's Best of the Midwest Winners 2021

      Midwest Living's Best of the Midwest Winners 2021

      Read More
    • Best Midwest Family Vacations

      Best Midwest Family Vacations

      Read More
    • 25 Top Easy-Care Plants for Midwest Gardens

      25 Top Easy-Care Plants for Midwest Gardens

      Plant these low-maintenance perennials and shrubs—including hostas, peonies, yarrow, daylilies, catmint and switchgrass—for a carefree Midwest garden. Read More
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel
    50 Midwest Resorts We Love

    50 Midwest Resorts We Love

    Our favorite Midwest resort destinations range from cozy lakeside lodges to indoor water park behemoths. Dive in to check out our top picks for a fabulous Midwest getaway.
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Missouri
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • South Dakota
    • Wisconsin
    • Around the Region
    • Free Travel Info
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food
    Midwest Living May/June 2021 Recipes

    Midwest Living May/June 2021 Recipes

    • Comfort Foods
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Chicken
    • Soups & Stews
    • Midwest Favorites
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Grilling
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    30 Ideas to Dress Up Your Deck

    30 Ideas to Dress Up Your Deck

    Furnish your deck or patio with accessories and designs that add comfort and style to outdoor living. Here are 30 suggestions to get you started.
    • Quick Decorating
    • Featured Homes
    • Organizing & Storage
    • Outdoor Living
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Room Decorating
  • Garden

    Garden

    See All Garden
    10 Trendy Plants for Midwest Gardens in 2021

    10 Trendy Plants for Midwest Gardens in 2021

    • Container Gardens
    • Flowers
    • Featured Gardens
    • Midwest Gardening Calendar
    • Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  • Holidays & Entertaining

    Holidays & Entertaining

    See All Holidays & Entertaining
    50 Easy Spring Decorating Ideas

    50 Easy Spring Decorating Ideas

    Add pretty spring flair to your home with our ideas for centerpieces, table settings, door decorations, Easter egg displays and more.
    • Easter
    • July 4th
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine's Day
    • Christmas
  • Videos

    Videos

    See All Videos
    How to Make a Lemon Posset

    How to Make a Lemon Posset

    See how to make lemon possets, a British dessert that uses just heat and kitchen magic to turn lemon and cream into luscious pudding.
    • How to Make a Dried Floral Arrangement
    • How to Make an All-Butter Pie Crust
  • Magazine

    Magazine

    See All Magazine
    Endless Water: A Journey Into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

    Endless Water: A Journey Into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

    Longtime Midwest Living photographer Kevin J. Miyazaki shares an intimate, first-person look at Minnesota’s wild Boundary Waters.
    • May/June 2021 Issue
    • Best Vacation Sweepstakes
    • Spring Getaways Sweepstakes

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

LIVE
  1. Midwest Living
  2. Garden
  3. Featured Gardens
  4. Garden Center Road Trip in Wisconsin

Garden Center Road Trip in Wisconsin

By Written by Deb Wiley. Photographs by Kevin Miyazaki and David Nevala
June 01, 2012
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Visit public gardens
Come along in search of the best nurseries to inspire spring planting.
Start Slideshow

1 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

I brake for plants

I brake for plants

I'm ankle-deep in coral bells, squinting at a plant tag, mentally weighing the price against how much I really want Heuchera 'Amethyst Myst'. Yes, it's one of my favorites, but here at The Flower Factory, 15 miles south of Madison, Wisconsin, I can choose from 66 other varieties.It's a happy problem. For that kind of selection, I take at least one road trip every spring. It feeds a gardener's primal urge: Must hunt for plants.Boring but necessary stuff -- like potting soil -- I can get from a blocky building with a parking lot the size of Nebraska. But for stuff that grows, give me a destination. I'm not alone: More gardeners are shopping at a local garden center than a mass merchant, according to a recent survey by the Garden Writers Association.Pictured at left: Nancy Nedveck, co-owner of The Flower Factory, holds one of nearly 100 hardy geranium varieties they sell.

1 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

A lazy drive and a country-cute setting

A lazy drive and a country-cute setting

Part of my fun is a lazy drive along a wooded country road where trees unfurl shimmering new leaves and I inhale the scent of freshly turned earth. My ideal garden center (sometimes called a nursery or farm) has a country-cute setting, display gardens and unusual plants. It's even better if there's a chicken scratching for grit, a friendly dog that comes over to sniff my feet and a style as charming as I'd like my own yard to have.Pictured at left: Monches Farm, 15 miles northeast of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.Monches Farm

2 of 13

3 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

The mother lode in Wisconsin

The mother lode in Wisconsin

To plan my trip, I dredge the Internet and mine suggestions from friends. This year, I unearth a mother lode in southern Wisconsin. I craft a driving loop between Madison and Milwaukee, with the idea of hitting as many places as I can in just two days.To haul everything, I rent a small SUV. It'd be more fun with a girlfriend, but none is available, so I settle for books on CD and set out from my Des Moines home.Among the places on my itinerary:  K&W Greenery, Janesville;  Enchanted Valley Gardens, Evansville; The Flower Factory, Stoughton; Schonheit Gardens, Sun Prairie; Country Gardens Perennials, Oconomowoc, (920) 474-7324; Monches Farm, Colgate; Mayfield Nursery, West Bend; The Flower Source, Germantown;  Minor's Garden Center, Milwaukee; Shady Acres Perennial Nursery, New Berlin; Yerke Frog Alley Greenhouses, Mukwonago; Wayne's Daughters, Caledonia; Mileaeger's, Racine and Sturtevant; Northwind Perennial Farm, Burlington.

3 of 13

Advertisement

4 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Garden treasures

Garden treasures

One of my first stops is The Flower Factory near Stoughton. My fellow plant nerds rave about this farm, which has more than 4,000 varieties of hardy perennials -- one of the largest selections in the Midwest.I park beside a 100-year-old red barn and gape at row after row of plastic-covered hoop houses packed with garden treasures. Luckily, there's a map. A scale-model train (left) rolls along a track near a weathered shed, and a sandbox awaits children.The Flower Factory

4 of 13

5 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Dragon's head and more

Dragon's head and more

In the sales areas, I don't hold back. New to me: dragon's head (Dracocephalum grandiflorum). It grows in partial shade with intense blue flowers. The Flower Factory sells 10 types of dragon's head. Really, I'm restrained getting only one. The price for my signature plant, 'Rozanne' geranium (the Perennial Plant Association's 2008 plant of the year) is excellent: only $7.50 for a 4-inch pot. I've seen them sell for twice the price. I'd better get two.I want more (that's me, pictured at left). I buy more -- oh, so much more -- but at some point, I stop. Must pace myself.

5 of 13

6 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Cute finds at Schonheit Gardens

Cute finds at Schonheit Gardens

At Schonheit Gardens (left), just east of Madison, there's a sweet-tempered dog named Shadow. Red outbuildings. Nice display gardens. And 'Dre's Dagger' for my fern collection. Then I find the troughs, lightweight plastic containers that resemble real rocks cut in half. They'll look way cute with miniature conifers and rock garden plants. I nab three.Schonheit Gardens

6 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

It all looks appealing

It all looks appealing

Alliums and irises bloom in display beds at Schonheit Gardens. Purple looks so striking against the nursery's red buildings.

7 of 13

8 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Monches Farm oozes charm

Monches Farm oozes charm

A short jaunt along winding, blacktop roads brings me to one of my all-time favorites: Monches Farm, 15 miles northeast of Oconomowoc.The grounds ooze charm, overflowing with classical sculptures, urns and terra-cotta pots. Brick-lined paths lead to fields of potted plants.Fancy chickens, including one that looks like it's wearing a large Russian fur hat, squawk near a stone coop. Elegant home decor fills a gift shop. Display beds and mature trees ring a farmhouse.Monches Farm

8 of 13

9 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Peacocks at the farm

Peacocks at the farm

An iridescent peacock struts around at Monches Farm, sometimes cutting loose with an eerie shriek.

9 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Irresistible flowers

Southern Wisconsin

It's drizzling, but I don't care. I pull a red Radio Flyer wagon to haul my 'Raspberry Ice' pulmonaria (deer don't like the fuzzy leaves) and a 'Scaredy Cat' plectranthus. A flat of hot-pink verbena (left) all but jumps into my arms.

10 of 13

11 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Road trip, day two

Road trip, day two

I hit more garden centers before I call it a night. The next morning, I check the soil of each pot, watering lightly if one seems too dry. Got to keep my babies happy.At this point, my loop gets a little jagged. North of Mukwonago, Yerke Frog Alley Greenhouses devotes an entire greenhouse to organic vegetables. I choose tomato plants and give the place mental points for its red barn. At the checkout, I smile when I overhear a customer tell her friend: "I don't smoke. I don't drink. So I buy plants."Yerke Frog Alley Greenhouses

11 of 13

12 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

A living postcard

A living postcard

I drive to garden centers in Caledonia and Racine, then move on toward Burlington. I thrill at the sight of puffy white clouds in clear blue skies and Holsteins grazing green grass. It's a living Wisconsin postcard.By the end of the day, the SUV is full. My wallet is flat. I'm happy. It's time to head home, plant my goodies and plot the next tripMore Midwest Garden Centers

12 of 13

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 13

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Visit public gardens

Visit public gardens

Steal great ideas from four public gardens located near my Wisconsin garden center loop: Rotary Botanical Gardens, Janesville (left, the early-blooming wildflower hepatica at Rotary gardens); University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, Madison; Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison; and Boerner Botanical Gardens, Hales Corners.(A version of this story appeared in Midwest Living® March/April 2008.)Rotary Botanical GardensUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison ArboretumOlbrich Botanical GardensBoerner Botanical Gardens

13 of 13

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Written by Deb Wiley. Photographs by Kevin Miyazaki and David Nevala

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 13 I brake for plants
    2 of 13 A lazy drive and a country-cute setting
    3 of 13 The mother lode in Wisconsin
    4 of 13 Garden treasures
    5 of 13 Dragon's head and more
    6 of 13 Cute finds at Schonheit Gardens
    7 of 13 It all looks appealing
    8 of 13 Monches Farm oozes charm
    9 of 13 Peacocks at the farm
    10 of 13 Irresistible flowers
    11 of 13 Road trip, day two
    12 of 13 A living postcard
    13 of 13 Visit public gardens

    Share options

    Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

    Login

    Midwest Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • Free Newsletters this link opens in a new tab
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Renew this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Affiliate Program
    • Free Travel Info this link opens in a new tab
    • Special Promotions this link opens in a new tab
    • Sweepstakes this link opens in a new tab
    • Video
    • Home Advisor this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Other Meredith Sites

    Other Meredith Sites

    • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
    • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
    • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
    • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
    • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
    • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
    • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
    • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
    • Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
    • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
    • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
    • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
    • More this link opens in a new tab
    • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
    • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
    • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
    • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
    • Parents this link opens in a new tab
    • People this link opens in a new tab
    • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
    • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
    • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
    • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
    • Shape this link opens in a new tab
    • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
    • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
    • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
    • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
    MeredithMidwest Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.midwestliving.com

    View image

    Garden Center Road Trip in Wisconsin
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.