Boerner Botanical Gardens in Hales Corners, WI
Boerner Botanical Gardens, ‘Part of the Milwaukee County Parks System, are botanical gardens located on the grounds of Whitnall Park in the village of Hales Corners, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. The gardens are named for Alfred Boerner, who designed the original five formal gardens. Thousands of plants bring the seasons to life at the Botanical Gardens, with colorful and fragrant displays laid out in 12 formal gardens.
Q: What is your garden most known for?
A: Boerner and surrounding Whitnall Park was selected as the setting for the first national color television broadcast in 1954, but nowadays it is our extensive environmental-friendly rose garden and our architecture and sculptures from the 1930s.
Q: When was your garden established?
A: The gardens opened to the public in 1939 and the Trial Garden was established in 1950.
Q: How long have you been an AAS Display Garden?
A: Since 1967…wow! That is more than 50 years!!!!
Q: Do you showcase AAS Winning flowers and edibles? Or just flowers? Or just edibles?
A: We showcase both flowers and edibles but the focus is more on flowers.
Q: Which AAS Winner attracted the most attention in the garden?
A: Every year it is different, but this year standing tall and proud in the center of my bed is Tithonia Torch. AAS Winner from 1951! The other one people are stopping to talk about is the Icicle Eggplant. It TOWERS over the other eggplants in the garden. I regularly hear guests remark, Is that an Eggplant?
Q: What is the most common question garden visitors ask? What is your answer?
A: The number one question I usually get is “Why does the trial garden have an 8-foot fence around it?” The answer is deer. Another popular one is “What happens to the rose garden koi in the winter?” The answer is they go to the Milwaukee County Zoo and live in one of their “behind the scenes” tanks.
Q: What is a common garden challenge in your climate? How do you overcome that challenge?
A: Gardening in Zone 5 we go from a rainy May spring to 90-plus degrees usually overnight. We also have a very short season so long-season crops are always a challenge. I am often picking the watermelon days before the first frost. Not much you can do to overcome the weather, but you can smile and enjoy the warmth before the snow falls.
Q: What are some of the key garden areas visitors might see at Boerner?
A: There are many themed gardens here! Just a few are Fragrance Garden, Butterfly Garden, Silver Terrace Garden, Rose Garden, Annuals Garden, Perennial Garden, Heirloom Garden, Peony Garden, Herb Garden, Daylily Walk, Shrub Mall, Rain Garden, Bog Garden Walk, Rock Garden and our new Children’s Garden.
