November 2014 Meeting: Founders Appreciation Meeting

Our November meeting was a real treat - an Uplands Garden Club Founders Appreciation Program.





Mary Mayo and Jane Wisler served a light dinner of delicious soups.














Founding member Marcia Geer gave a brief club history and related some entertaining stories about the early days. The we enjoyed watching a video recording of one of our early meetings.






It was a wonderful reunion for many of the original group of Uplands Garden Club members.
Many thanks to Mary and Jane for putting this together.

October 2014 Meeting: Providing for Wildlife in Our Gardens

At our October meeting, Uplands Garden Club member Nancy Frost, who works for the DNR gave a wonderful talk on things we can do in our gardens and yards to provide food, water and shelter for birds, insects and amphibians. She described what they need to feed on during the winter and gave us tips on things we can provide throughout the year that will help them thrive, such as that butterflies need milkweed, muddy spots, wood piles while dragonflies need still water and cattails.

She recommended books on caterpillars, toads, books on bird nests and birds. And she reminded us that the new UW bug guy, PJ Liesch, can be reached by e-mailing pliesch@wisc.edu.

Thank you Nancy for an enjoyable and fascinating presentation!

September 2014 Meeting: Report on Soldiers Park Gardens

The September Garden Club meeting was held at Stonefield Apartments in Dodgeville.

Program Chair Ryan Fox discusses
possible upcoming programs and trips

Plans for upcoming programs and visits were discussed, and Jenny McNeil shared photos of the improvements that were made to the garden and stream area at Soldiers Park in Mineral Point with grant funds from the Garden Club.

Treasurer Jennifer Sharp reports on club finances

Many thanks to Jenny for her hard work at Soldiers Park. The garden bed is a delight and a new bench provides a place to sit and relax beside the stream. Do stop by and enjoy!

August 2014 Meeting: Tour of Folklore Village Gardens

Folklore Village Farwell Hall entrance

The August Garden Club meeting was held at Folklore Village which is located in a lovely country setting six miles east of Dodgeville.

Folklore Village program director Meghan Dudle explained the many programs offered at Folklore Village and gave us a tour of the gardens and grounds.

Afterwards, the club enjoyed a potluck picnic on the grounds outside Farwell Hall.




Folklore Village offers an ongoing program of cultural, educational and participatory folklife activities, including dances, concerts, family events, cultural events, and exhibits. In the late 1960's Jane Farwell created Folklore Village, "the culmination of her ideas about festivals, folklore, dance, recreation, community, and the land." Jane also created the original gardens and an apple orchard which still exists. More recent additions include an extensive restored prairie with trails through it.

Program Director Meghan Dudle explains the many
programs offered at Folklore Village.

One of several large garden beds at Folklore Village

Jude's pie didn't last long!

Plox in bloom with one of the Folklore buildings in back

July 2014 Meeting: Tour of Oak Savanna and School Garden

For the Uplands July meeting, the club toured the Don Hawkins Community Oak Savanna in Mineral Point where we got a chance to chat with Don. We then visited the Mineral Point Elementary School Garden next door where we were wowed by the vegetable gardens created by Ryan Fox and the staff and students (and where we also got to do a bit of harvesting and sampling).

The Don Hawkins Community Oak Savanna

This past fall, 3rd graders from the Mineral Point Elementary School harvested and threshed seeds from the Oak Savanna with Don Hawkins and Don Hay. In winter, they bundled up and planted the seeds on top of the snow. When the snow melted, the seeds went into the ground and sprouted in spring.

At the end of February, the 3rd graders went to the high school to work with Mr. Robinson's students to plant seeds which were then transplanted into the Oak Savanna in May. This has been a great community/all school project that has been a part of the curriculum for years. It is a work in progress and someday will be spectacular.

Our thanks to all who are connected to the project!

Visit the Friends of the Oak Savanna Facebook page. 

Mineral Point Elementary School Garden

Uplands Garden Club members Ryan Fox and John Sharp and the grade schoolers have to be commended for the beautifully terraced, elevated planters full of vegetables! The peas were blooming and ready to harvest and we’ve never seen radishes that big! For anyone who has never seen soybeans up close, they are a sight to see too, especially when they bloom---in August.

The garden is located behind the Mineral Point Elementary School, off of Cothern Street.

Visit the School Garden on Facebook.

June 2014 Meeting: Tour of Orchard Lawn Gardens and Gundry House

Orchard Lawn gardens

Our June meeting was held at Orchard Lawn, a historic site maintained by the Mineral Point Historical Society. It features the restored Gundry House mansion and 9 acres of carefully manicured gardens and grounds.



We toured the lovely horseshoe-shaped gardens that ring the lawn in front of the Gundry House. The baptisia were especially impressive as was the fringe tree that was in full bloom.

The gardens were tidy as could be thanks to the volunteer efforts of Garden Club member Jenny McNeil. Kudos to Jenny!

Roger beside the Fringe Tree

Berty explains the history of the Gundry House

Afterwards, garden club member Berty Miller, who is also a volunteer docent at Orchard Lawn, gave us a tour of the Gundry House. Berty pointed out many historical details in the house and talked about the extensive research that has gone into the ongoing restoration of this historic mansion.

Thank you to Berty for an enjoyable and informative tour!

May 2014 Meeting: Spring Cleanup at Centennial Park

A nice edge sure makes the beds look their best

Uplands Garden Club maintains the garden beds at Centennial Park in Dodgeville. 

This May we devoted our monthly meeting to a spring cleanup at Centennials Park, followed by a potluck picnic. The club furnished brats (the guys did the grilling) and everyone brought a dish to share. 

Regular work days at Centennial Park will be the third Wednesday of each month for the duration of the season.

First we worked...

Is it garlic mustard?

Weeding, weeding, weeding

Getting all those pesky maple tree seedlings

Then we ate...

Those strawberries look yummy

A very tasty pizza