For years now, my college friend has been extolling the virtues of Madison, WI. She went on and on about its beauty, creativity and eco-friendliness until I finally broke down and paid her a visit. The entire city lived up to her hype, and I found that the 16 acres of outdoor display gardens at Olbrich Botanical Gardens were a perfect representation of Madison’s best characteristics.
Olbrich’s Thai Garden proves you can go tropical with style and grace – even in Northern climates.
Photo Credit: Jessica Hibbard Elenstar
Hosta and Hakonechloa make a beautiful, bold foliage statement in this container.
Photo Credit: Jessica Hibbard Elenstar
Follow the pyramids: These geometric shapes lead the eye right to the Rose Garden.
Photo Credit: Jessica Hibbard Elenstar
Color and texture is Olbrich’s classic one-two punch.
Photo Credit: Jessica Hibbard Elenstar
Creative ideas are easy to find at Olbrich – these are just a few that I gleaned during my brief visit that you can try in your home garden:
Create a tropical look with hardy plants. Palms and banana trees might not be hardy in Northern climates, but that doesn’t mean a lush, tropical look is out of reach. The Thai Garden at Olbrich features exotic-looking foliage that survives even Madison’s frigid winters. Try hostas, cutleaf staghorn sumac ( Rhus typhina ‘Laciniata’), common smokebush (Cotinus coggygria) and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). Earn extra bonus points by using exotic sculpture and colorful annuals to add more tropical flair.
Line a pathway with bold, leafy containers. Olbrich adds interest to a shaded path by placing large containers on each side of it. Each pot is planted with hosta and golden Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’). Not only does this make a beautiful, dramatic statement, but there’s no need to worry about deadheading flowers. These simple containers provide plenty of drama with foliage alone.
Accentuate natural forms with geometric elements. Just outside the Rose Garden, swaths of perennials, grasses and evergreens are dotted with a collection of pyramid-shaped sculptures. In the distance, another pyramid shape rises above a hedge of arborvitae: It’s the copper roof of the Rose Garden’s two-story stone overlook tower. The repeated geometric elements contrast nicely with the organic shapes of the surrounding flora, and they lead the viewer’s eye through the garden.
Combine texture and color for a classic one-two punch. A contrast of both texture and color provides drama and interest in the landscape, and plants at Olbrich are skillfully arranged to use both aspects to their greatest advantage. The grassy foliage and tall, orange spikes of foxtail lily (Eremurus x isabellinus ‘Cleopatra’) wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if they weren’t planted next to the purple foliage of Diablo® ninebark ( Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Monlo’) and smokebush.
Don’t forget to play and have fun. One of my favorite features at Olbrich was the Garden Kaleidoscope – we looked through one of several different kaleidoscope viewers while spinning a bowl of colorful succulents, and the whirling shapes instantly transported me back to my childhood. It’s easy to get caught up in the chores of gardening, but it’s essential to make it fun. Seriously – take a break from your to-do list and bring a cheap, plastic kaleidoscope out into the garden. Even the weeds will look beautiful!
Just as it’s not enough for our own residential gardens to be merely a combination of plants and pathways, a great public garden must be much more than an impressive collection of well-maintained plants. Olbrich Botanical Gardens boasts a wonderful assortment of plants, but it’s the garden’s vibrant, creative personality that begs to be noticed – and repeated in our home gardens.
