Now that spring has arrived, take some time to enjoy the efforts a number of Tenney-Lapham gardeners have put in to provide public gardens for your enjoyment. The following eight gardens were all proposed and are maintained by neighborhood volunteers and will make a nice leisurely evening stroll.
1) The Butterfly Garden in Tenney Park was the first public garden in the neighborhood. It's at the corner of East Johnson and Marston Streets and was developed and is still maintained by Allan and Karen Crossley. Included in the plantings to attract butterflies are asters, purple coneflowers, butterfly weed, goldenrod, and coreopsis.
2) At the intersection of East Johnson and E. Gorham Streets is the Tenney-Lapham Welcome Garden with Mary Jo Schiovani being the caretaker. Shrubs in the back include a Japanese tree lilac along with an American highbush cranberry. Mary Jo has plans to renovate the garden this spring to provide more color in the front.
3) Heading west on E. Gorham Street, at the corner of N. Brearly and E. Gorham , you will find the Giddings Park Flower Garden. Brian McCormick and Rob Latousek planted this garden in 1995 to showcase native plants of the Midwest. There are continuous blooms during the growing season, from prairie smoke in the spring to native asters in the fall.
4) On the western side of Christ Presbyterian Church, up the hill on Castle Place, is a perennial garden sponsored by Angela Viticenda. The major theme for the garden is to incorporate hardy perennials native to Wisconsin or the American prairie. A variety of colors and textures in the form of flowers and grasses are used, with emphasis on providing plants of importance to birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects.
5) Heading west on E. Gorham and turning south on Paterson Street, you will come to the Reynolds Park Corner Garden at the intersection of N. Paterson and E. Dayton Streets. You can stop and rest your legs and sit on the benches at this popular spot. Over thirty different kinds of perennials and annuals are planted here. Included among the perennials are gas plant, Joe Pye Weed, globe thistle, sedum, and coral bells. Bob Shaw maintains this garden.
6) Also in Reynolds Park and maintained by Bob Shaw is the Reynold's Park Vine Garden along the chain link fence on the East Mifflin Street side. Over thirty different kinds of perennial and annual vines can be seen, with each 10 foot section sporting a different kind of annual and perennial vine. Perennial vines include Kentucky wisteria, akebia, several different kinds of honeysuckle and clematis, and a thornless climbing rose. Among the annual vines are variegated Japanese hops, Mt. Fuji morning glory, and moonvine. In June, labels will be placed in the upper right corner of each section.
7) Heading east on E. Dayton Street, at the corner of Brearly and E. Dayton, you will come across the newest garden, the Lapham School Community Garden. Planted last year with the help of Lapham teachers and neighborhood volunteers, it provides small garden plots to neighborhood residents along with a teaching component for the kids of the neighborhood.
8) Behind the Avenue Bar on East Washington is a small one-block long street called Curtis Court. Jeff Reincke and Karen Banaszak led a neighborhood effort a few years ago to plant trees, shrubs, and flowers along the south side of Curtis Court. Along the block are linden trees, spireas, potentillas, an amelanchier, and a small perennial and vegetable garden.
Some other gardening related developments in the neighborhood include the Reynold's Homestead Community Gardens which will be developed in the 600 block of E. Mifflin Street this summer. Although not technically in the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood, these gardens will be used by many TLNA residents.
The Urban Open Space Foundation is continuing to do native plant restoration in Tenney Park. Stroll along the Yahara River to see the many new plantings from last year and this year.
And I would personally like to acknowledge another unsung plant hero in the neighborhood - Jay Huemmer. For several years now Jay has provided money for trees in many Isthmus parks including the gingkos, aspens and horse chestnuts in Reynold's Park. I consider Jay to be TLNA's Johnny Appleseed.
Enjoy the walk.
-Bob Shaw
Many of the gardens on this garden walk were funded by a bequest from Marguerite Pohle who left money in her estate for flowers to be planted in Madison Parks. According to her obituary, Miss Pohle was born December 1, 1892, in Bloomington, Wisconsin and passed away on November 24, 1985 at the age of 92. She was a lifelong teacher, having received her B.A. and M.A. in Latin from the University of Wisconsin. She also attended the University of Chicago; Columbia University in New York; the American Academy in Rome; and Heidelberg University in Germany. In addition to the bequest received by the Madison Parks Division, a number of other area organizations were recipients of her generosity.