HEAD TO THE COUNTRY FOR NEW VARIETIES OF PERENNIALS, ANNUALS, VEGETABLES, HERBS, SELECT TREES AND SHRUBS, EASY-CARE SHRUB ROSES, CLEMATIS, GRASSES, AND HEUCHERAS AT TODAY'S GRAND OPENING OF SCHONHEIT GARDENS FROM 10 A.M. TO 5:30 P.M.
The new nursery, whose name means 'beauty' in German, is located three miles east of Madison and three miles south of Sun Prairie at 3577 Bailey Road (intersection of County T and Bailey Road).
There will be refreshments served all day and drawings for door prizes. Call 441-9832. The nursery will also offer classes as well as garden installation and maintenance.
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Wednesday walks: This year's Wednesday evening walks in the Longenecker Gardens at the UW-Madison Arboretum will begin next Wednesday, May 4, with 'Magnolias and other Early Bloomers.'
This tour will also look at forsythias, serviceberries and the garden's spectacular collection of early-blooming Asian magnolias. Arboretum Naturalist Ken Wood says that though 'we will have missed the early, white magnolias, some of the new yellow cultivars should be at their prime.' Included in this first tour of the season will be an overview of the gardens and their layout.
Tours are free and open to gardeners and anyone interested in woody ornamentals. They are not intended for children. Tours start near the parking lot at the McKay Center, accessible from either side of the Arboretum, and run as long as daylight and interest allow. Meet at 7 p.m. rain or shine.
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St. Benedict Center: Saturday, May 7, marks the annual Spring Community Workday sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Benedict at Saint Benedict Center, 4200 County M in Middleton.
Volunteers of all ages and abilities are needed to help with a variety of projects ranging from removing non-native and invasive species to weeding and seeding. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. with work at 9 a.m.
This year there will also be an early morning bird-watching walk with Mike McDowell of Eagle Optics. This event, from 6:15 to 8:15 a.m., is limited to the first 15 people. For more details, contact Susan Shands at 836-1631, ext. 119, or e-mail sshands@sbcenter.org. You can also register online at www.sbcenter.org/environment.html.
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Mound Vue sale: The Mound Vue Garden Club in Mount Horeb has been holding an annual plant sale for nearly 30. This year's sale will be Saturday, May 14, a week later than usual.
It will be held at the Mount Horeb Fire Station from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will offer full sun perennials, shade lovers, rock garden plants, herbs, shrubs, grasses, wildflowers for shade and prairie as well as dahlias from a local collector's garden.
All plants are propagated in members' gardens and are Wisconsin-hardy. Proceeds will support local beautification and civic projects.
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Children's benefit sale: The 8th annual Children's Benefit Plant Sale will take place Friday, May 6, from 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 6310 Masthead Drive (off Mineral Point Road near Oakwood Village).
The sale will include perennials, hanging baskets, annuals, hostas and more. The entire proceeds will go to support the children of Dane County through donations to Dane County Partners in Foster Care, Access Community Health Center (formerly Madison Community Health Center), Safe Harbor of Dane County, the Rainbow Project and Porchlight Inc.
Organizers will also accept donations of plants to sell, but they must be delivered by May 4 to the sale location. For more information, contact Don Becker at 238-4005 or e-mail donbeckerb@aol.com.
