May 2022 Meeting: Seedling Sale Planning

We held our first in person meeting of the year at Centennial Park. The big topic of discussion was our upcoming seedling sale.

The seedling sale will be held at the Dodgeville Farmers Market on May 14, 21 and 28. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

September 2021 Meeting: Garden Visit

Our September 2021 meeting was a visit to club member Sharon Stauffer's home to see her new gardens and landscaping.

Sharon's garage had a major foundation issue which resulted in much digging and heavy equipment traffic on her gardens and lawn. Upon contemplating the damage, she decided to make major changes and have the landscape she wanted. 

The "bones" of the new landscaping are in place, including a terraced slope between two existing rock outcroppings, a dry stream bed, a large shade garden that wraps around the garage with a newly installed crushed granite path through it, and lots and lots of (now decorative) boulders that were unearthed during the construction. Plantings have begun but are in their infancy at this point. With lots more to do, this is definitely a work in progress!

August 2021 Meeting: Monarch Butterflies and the Monarch Waystation at Shake Rag Alley

On August 4th, Uplands Garden Club met at the newly created Monarch Waystation at Shake Rag Alley. The program was on the Monarch butterfly, whose population has been decimated by over 90%. So the meeting focused on what we can do, as gardeners, to sustain and grow this butterfly population facing extinction.

A team of gardeners presented on:

• how the idea of a Waystation at Shake Rag evolved
• how a Monarch Waystation fits into Shake Rag Alley’s mission
• how the gardens were planned and funded
• raising butterflies from larvae
• what milkweed and nectar plants are included in the Waystation
• weed identification

In 2018, Master Gardener Harriet Ridnour had an idea, and Master Gardener Jane Stenson had the energy to apply for a $400 grant from the Wisconsin Master Gardener organization to purchase plants to develop two of the 20 garden beds on the 2.5-acre Shake Rag Alley campus into monarch butterfly gardens. According to Monarch Watch, “Monarch Waystations are places that provide resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration.”

With support from the Driftless Area Land Conservancy and guidance from Micah Kloppenburg, outreach ecologist with the Blue Mounds Area Project, the volunteers cleared and prepped the beds, then planted different milkweed for monarch larvae — common milkweed, rose or swamp milkweed, oval-leaf milkweed, butterfly weed, whorled milkweed and poke milkweed — as well as nectar plants that serve as protein sources.

In November of 2020, Shake Rag Alley was officially added to the Monarch Waystation Registry maintained by Monarch Watch and is the fourth waystation in Mineral Point. Master Gardener and Uplands Garden Club member volunteer Dr. Everett Lindsey designed and constructed the Waystation sign.

Here’s what we now know: It’s no longer just about pretty or “right plant, right place.” Now we add in the idea of “what does this plant do for the environment and for pollinators.” The panel of gardeners presenting on August 4th clearly stated the need and desire for Shake Rag Alley’s Butterfly Garden.

We learned a lot:

• two to three percent of Monarchs typically reach adulthood;
• cut common milkweed back in June so the young plants will sprout;
• adult monarchs will lay their eggs on the younger milkweeds which are easier for larvae to chew;
• plant local nectar and milkweed to support Monarchs, other butterflies, and pollinators;
• newborn larvae are cannibals which is why Monarchs try to lay one egg per leaf;
• Monarchs are not pollinators, but they have captured the imagination of people old and young, inspiring them to get involved in nature.

The goal for gardeners is to create corridors of supportive plantings that sponsor and sustain Monarchs, other butterflies and pollinators. This can be on road sides, your garden, schools, churches, community gardens and public spaces. Tremendous thanks to Harriet Ridnour, Sharon Stauffer, Jane Stenson, Melissa David, Jean Halverson and Nina Carns for establishing and maintaining the beds and for the presentation.

For more information on Monarch nectar plants for our area, refer to the Xerces Society Great Lakes Region plant list.

Jean Halverson talks about the milkweed and nectar plants in the Waystation.

Melissa David shares her experiences raising butterflies from larvae.

 

July 2021 Meeting: American Wine Project

 

Thanks go out to Jean Halverson and Jane Stenson, our program chairpersons. The American Wine Project tour was relaxing and informative.

Erin Rasmussen and her parents Mary and David purchased the former Sandstone Nursery in August of 2019. Since the purchase they have made extensive renovations with still more to do, including plans to repair the waterfall feature in the garden. But for now, they are happy to let the frogs enjoy the pond!

When purchased the gardens had been neglected for a couple of years. With a goal of encouraging balance in the gardens, they have cleared unwanted plants, encouraged native perennials, left swaths of lawn unmowed, and let curly dock, rudbeckia, and queen anne’s lace grow to mitigate Japanese beetle pressure on high value plants such as spray rose, young trees, and milkweed. As a result, they have seen incredible insect diversity this year.

Erin intends to make a variety of wines from midwestern grapes which she acquires from several growers in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Her winemaking philosophy is to let the grapes speak for themselves. Thus, almost all of her wines are aged in neutral (old/used) barrels which do not impart any flavor and instead simply round the natural varietal flavors and build richness and texture.

 
After our tour we were treated to wine samples in the tasting room, paired with delicious treats such as Asian meatballs supplied by Jane Stenson. Yum!

 

 

June 2021 Meeting: Garden Visit - John Fetters and Coleman

What a treat it was to tour the gardens and grounds at John Fetter's and Coleman's home on June 2. The woods walk was cool and shady with no garlic mustard in sight and terminated with a wide view of the prairie bordered in the distance with another woods and creek. Maple Lodge was a relaxing retreat and the porch swing was oh, so comfortable!

The fenced-in vegetable garden provided raised beds around the perimeter for perennials including asparagus and rhubarb with annual vegetable beds in the middle. The chickens, Mr. Dorothy and the girls, were gorgeous and fun to watch.

Thank you again to John and Coleman for sharing their lovely and relaxing home with garden club members.

May 2021 Meeting: Garden Visit

For our May 2021 meeting, Uplands Garden Club member Jean Halverson hosted a visit to her home gardens. Everyone was so excited to hold our first in-person outdoor Garden Club meeting in over a year (even though most, if not all, of us are now vaccinated, guidelines for social distancing and mask wearing were followed). 

It was a special treat to see Jean's gardens. Not only does Jean cultivate some unusual plants that many of us have never seen, but her gardens cover the entire lot of her in-town home - not a speck of lawn in sight!

Says Jean: "The early warm weather was welcome but also means plants started growing and blooming early. Right now, daffodils are showy and early woodland natives are starting to bloom. Like many of us, the plants that interest me has changed over the years and especially has included peonies, daylilies and lilies plus any perennial that provides early spring color. Since retirement three years ago, making the landscape more low maintenance and easy to move through has been a big focus. Path locations have finally been decided and I’m working on reclaiming neglected areas. I have been a plant collector, not a landscaper, which means plants are subject to relocation as ideas change."

Clematis Fremontii

Tulip Brisbane

Uplands Garden Club Seedling Sale

Uplands Garden Club Seedling Sale

Dodgeville Farmers Market

Saturday May 15, 2021

8:30-noon

The Uplands Garden Club 2021 seedling sale will be a combination pre-order/ farmers market event. A list of seedlings for sale will be available from UGC members. There are many varieties of tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables. We also have some popular annual flowers and native perennial seedlings and plugs for sale. 

All plants have been started in sterile potting mix: either seedlings or rooted cuttings.

Pre-ordered pick-ups and overstock sales will take place at the Dodgeville Farmers Market located in the municipal parking lot next to the United Methodist Church between Union and N Iowa streets (Hwy 23), Dodgeville, Wisconsin on Saturday May 15 between 8:30 and noon.