With spring weather knocking at the door, gardening season will be here soon. Area gardeners and anyone with an interest in plants and science are invited to gather ideas at the UW Family Gardening Day on Saturday, May 4. The free, family-friendly event will be held on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. It will run from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Activities will be hosted at Allen Centennial Garden, D.C. Smith Instructional Greenhouse, Steenbock Memorial Library and the Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI).
Each location will host a variety of displays and demonstrations, including hands-on activities with seeds, plants and soil. Attendees can build a terrarium, learn about monarchs, try their hand at flower pounding, ask questions about their own plants, discover books for all ages and also more. There will also be plants and seeds available for people to take home for their own gardens (while supplies last).
Children 13 years and under can complete a “passport” by getting stamps at the UW Family Gardening Day locations. A completed passport will earn them a free vanilla ice cream at the Babcock Dairy Store at nearby Babcock Hall.
“Family Gardening Day is a great way to jumpstart your spring. It’s a great way to get some plants for your garden, do activities with your family, and also enjoy some ice cream after exploring campus,” says Isaac Zaman, horticulturist at Allen Centennial Garden. “Come enjoy new activities in the garden and learn from our fun student groups while you enjoy all the new spring growth!”
All gardening day locations are within about three blocks of each other on the west side of the UW–Madison campus. Allen Centennial Garden, Steenbock Memorial Library as well as the D.C. Smith Instructional Greenhouse are located at 620, 550 and 465 Babcock Drive, respectively. The Wisconsin Energy Institute is at 1552 University Avenue. It is just south across Campus Drive from the greenhouse and Babcock Hall, which is at 1605 Linden Drive.
Find parking lot locations on the campus map. Or try the Madison B-Cycle with a convenient station right on Babcock Drive.
For more information, visit https://science.wisc.edu/family-gardening-day/ or contact Johanna Oosterwyk at jmooster@wisc.edu or (608) 262-3844.
