Olbrich Botanical Gardens is a magnificent 16-acre garden in Madison, Wis. A sister garden blogger, Beth Stetenfeld, took my husband and I on a tour of the garden in the spring. Our first surprise was that there was no entry fee at all. The Olbrich is free and open every day.
Michael Olbrich (1881-1929) spent most of his adult life in Madison where he was an esteemed lawyer, but he was also a man who had a passion for social betterment and a love of nature. He believed parks were important to urban life. In 1921, he gave the city a plot of land he owned on the shores of Lake Monona, and in 1952, the city built the first buildings for the botanical garden on a portion of that land, which they named after Olbrich.
As in any botanical garden, there are sections for different types of plants. We strolled below a pergola covered with wisteria to enter the main part of the garden. It may not come as a surprise that I wanted to see the Rose Garden, even though there was not much in bloom at that time. However, the gardeners included spring bulbs and blooming perennials like amsonia, columbine and verbascum, so there is always something to enjoy. In addition, the Rose Garden has many containers filled with dianthus, verbena, helichrysum, salvia, artemesia, fuchsia and many other plants to keep it in full and varied bloom all season.
The garden has been designed to reflect the style and culture of that part of the world. A case in point is the stone prairie style tower that stands over the Rose Garden, giving visitors the chance to enjoy the garden from a whole new perspective. The space beneath the tower created a cool, shady walkway lined with potted plants.
I was also fascinated by the Rain Garden, which collects storm water and runoff so that it can slowly be absorbed, hence recharging the ground water.
The Olbrich Rose Garden, and all others, are designed and maintained in a sustainable manner. Plants are adapted to and sustained in the local climate, without extraordinary water, chemical and care demands.
The Rose Garden is just one of many special gardens. There is a garden devoted to wildflowers, to herbs and to perennials, as well as a rock garden and a garden designed for shade. Happily, there are many places along the way to catch your breath and take in the view. My friend and I enjoyed just such a respite in the Meadow Garden.
One of the surprises of the Olbrich was the Thai Pavilion. According to the Olbrich website, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has one of the largest Thai student populations of any U.S. college or university. The Thai government and the Thai chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association gave the pavilion to the garden. The site is near a stream because water is a Thai symbol for good health and prosperity.
The pavilion was built in Thailand, then disassembled and reassembled at the Olbrich. No nails or screws are used in its construction. The intricate decorations include gold leaf etchings and a lacquer finish. This pavilion is only one of four located outside of Thailand; others are in Germany, Norway and Hawaii.
A special Thai garden surrounds the pavilion. Wisconsin is not a place that can grow the tropical plants that abound in Thailand, but the idea is to surround the pavilion with plants that resemble Thai plants in size and form. These include grasses that reach 12 feet tall and hardy bamboo. This is truly a wonder that I never expected to find in a state as chilly as Wisconsin.
In their various ways, all botanical gardens are educational. The Olbrich spells this out for gardeners on their website. One section of the site is devoted to sustainability, with information about natural insect control and greener gardening alternatives, advice about using chemicals and more.
Another section includes a gardening calendar beginning with December that lists appropriate chores through the year. Obviously, this is a Wisconsin calendar, but it would provide plenty of reminders for us in Massachusetts.
On our flight home, my husband and I talked to a young woman who was settling in at a new house and was ready to think about her landscape. She asked me what she should do. What should she plant?
These were not questions I could answer for a Texan in the half-hour we had left. I only had questions for her. Where did she live? What was the climate? What plants did she like? How much time does she want to spend tending a garden? This is a question budding gardeners do not often ask themselves. They must also remember that a garden is not made by sitting in the shade.
In a botanical garden, a novice gardener might find appealing plants and get ideas about where to put them. An experienced gardener might find an ever-widening palette of plants. Anyone will find beauty and pleasure in a botanical garden, and maybe they will find inspiration, too.
Pat Leuchtman has been writing and gardening since 1980. Readers can leave comments at her website: www.commonweeder.com.