‘THE SAGE’-Klein’s Online Newsletter—AUGUST 2026
Klein’s Floral & Greenhouses
3758 E. Washington Ave.
Madison, WI 53704
608/244-5661 or [email protected]
THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHTS:
Check Out Our Current End-of-Season Specials
Our ‘Mad Gardener‘ and ‘Houseplant Help‘ Are Ready for Your Questions
The UW’s West Madison Agricultural Research Station Is Open to the Public
Outdoor Decorating Tips for Your Next Summer Party
You Asked about About a Norfolk Pine Losing Branches
Permaculture In a Midwest Garden and Yard
We Reuse Your Teal-colored 5″ Klein’s Pots
Free Houseplant Potting Service @ Klein’s
Product Spotlight: Japanese Beetle Killer RTU from Bonide®
Plant of the Month: Burning Bush ((Euonymus alatus)
Klein’s Favorite Recipes Using Flax Seed
Notes from My Garden Journal—From July 2026
—Garden Journaling How-To’s
—All About Woodchucks
—An Intro to Lunar Agriculture
August in the Garden: A Planner
Gardening Events Around Town
Review Klein’s @: Yelp, Google Reviews or Facebook Reviews
Join Us on Twitter
Follow Us on Facebook
CURRENTLY ON SALE @ KLEIN’S
25% Off All Perennials, Shrubs, Herbs, Ornamental Trees and Potted Fruits
We still have a fantastic and large selection in stock!! Late summer and fall are the perfect time to plant perennials and shrubs. Get a start now on your next season’s garden and landscape!! Please note that fall mums are not included in this sale.
Buy One, Get One Free on Remaining 5″ Annuals
Fill-A-Cart Sale…Grab one of our green shopping carts and load as many 5″ annuals as you can on it without stacking for $50! We have an excellent selection remaining. There is a lot of summer left to enjoy more plants!
FOR NEIGHBORHOOD EVENTS OR GARDEN TOURSthat you would like posted on our web site or in our monthly newsletters, please contact Rick at (608) 244-5661 or [email protected]. Please include all details, i.e. dates, locations, prices, brief description, etc. Events must be garden related and must take place in the Madison area.
WE STERILIZE AND REUSE YOUR TEAL-COLORED 5″ KLEIN’S POTS
Due to costs, we are unable to reuse most plastic pots and trays and never those from other retailers. But we are happy to take back and reuse the teal-colored 5″ Klein’s pots and their accompanying trays. Simply bring in your cleaned out pots and trays and drop them off with the associates at the checkout counters or in the bin along the building. We ask that you recycle or dispose of all other pots, containers and trays in compliance with your municipality’s guidelines. We do not reuse the plant identification tags.
THE MAD GARDENER
Madison’s Firsthand Source for Expert Gardening Advice
Ask any of your gardening questions by e-mailing them to us at [email protected]. Klein’s in-house Mad Gardener will e-mail you with an answer as promptly as we can. We’ve also posted a link on our home page and in our contacts for your convenience. Your question might then appear in the “You Asked” feature of our monthly newsletter. If your question is the one selected for our monthly newsletter, you’ll receive a small gift from us at Klein’s.
Sorry, we can only answer those questions pertaining to gardening in Southern Wisconsin and we reserve the right to leave correspondence unanswered at our discretion. Please allow 2-3 days for a response.
KLEIN’S ‘HOUSEPLANT HELP’
You can contact Klein’s in-house indoor plant experts by emailing to [email protected] for sound information and advice regarding indoor tropicals, succulents, blooming plants and so much more.
For many years, customers’ indoor plant questions have been directed to Klein’s Mad Gardener. Now you have the opportunity to contact our indoor plant experts directly. We’ve posted a link on our home page and in our contacts for your convenience. Your question might then appear in the “You Asked” feature of our monthly newsletter. If your question is the one selected for our monthly newsletter, you’ll receive a small gift from us at Klein’s.
We reserve the right to leave correspondence unanswered at our discretion. Please allow 2-3 days for a response.
AUGUST STORE HOURS:
Monday thru Friday : 9:00-6:00
Saturday: 9:00-5:00
Sunday: 10:00-4:00
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
Throughout August, visit Klein’s and check out our end of season specials. Specials and selection change weekly so give us a call for the most up-to-date information at (608) 244-5661 or on our home page @ www.kleinsfloral.com or our social media sites. We pride ourselves in having the best cared for plants in even the hottest weather.
And later in August, watch for the appearance our fall mums, ornamental kales and cabbages, mixed fall containers and cool weather vegetables, including; chard, kale, lettuces and cole crops. We have a nice selection of seeds for the fall vegetable garden, including; radishes, spinach, lettuce and SO much more!
August 27–Full Moon
September 7–Labor Day. Special Store Hours: 10:00-4:00
‘THE FLOWER SHOPPE’:
Five Outdoor Decorating Tips for Your Next Summer Party
by Kelli Ellis
Summer is in full swing, and it’s time for outdoor entertaining. Gather your friends and family to celebrate and enjoy the relaxing warm weather. Thanks to trendy and beautiful outdoor spaces with all the comfort of interior rooms, we have blurred the lines between indoor and outdoor entertaining. The secret to stunning summer entertaining is to bring your favorite indoor decor items outdoors and have fun decorating with them. A few simple steps and your summer celebrations can begin.
Seating Plan
Decide if guests will dine at tables, eat while standing or lounge in deck chairs. If you are having a family-style gathering, be sure everyone can sit together at one table or join tables for a traditional meal. If you’re having a large crowd, think “vignettes” creating small seating areas. Using colorful indoor rugs to create seating areas adds a touch of elegance.
Nightlights
If your soirée lasts past sundown, impress your guests with ambient light. Think about your theme and choose lights accordingly. For family-style entertaining, strings of lights overhead fit the bill. For casual fun, colored paper lanterns hanging from patios or trees set the mood. For an inexpensive option, weave strands of small, clear lights through trees, shrubs and fences. I prefer candles in torches and hurricanes on every surface to create a romantic setting. For extra large parties, create “rooms” with tiki torches, and don’t forget to line your walkways.
Flowing Curtains
To create the perfect outdoor room, hang white sheers or heavier, brightly colored, sun-safe canvas curtains from patio covers, overhangs or even heavy tree branches. Nothing says “space and elegance” more than flowing fabric.
Pretend
When you treat outdoor spaces just like you would indoor spaces, they come alive. Add plush decorative pillows, cushions, and throws to seating to make outdoor furniture look inviting and elegant. While shopping, pretend you are accessorizing an indoor space and you’ll get it just right.
Floral Focus
Create eye-catching focal points to gel your party’s theme. Grouping empty wine bottles full of colorful blooms perfects a food and wine pairing. Have your florist create arrangements featuring fruits and vegetables, like artichokes, limes and purple cabbages. Be sure to tell your floral artist what flowers are planted around the garden to be sure the colors flow throughout the indoor and outdoor spaces.
Follow these simple tips, and your guests will be talking about your beautiful summer parties until, well, until the next one!
Source: The Society of American Florists’ website @ Society of American Florists .
YOU ASKED. . .
I have a Norfolk Island Pine that’s about 4 feet tall and it continues to drop branches. It doesn’t seem to be drinking much water. I tried putting a humidifier by it but it doesn’t seem to help. It’s in an east facing window and gets plenty of light. It was doing fine for the longest time. This has been going on for several months. I’m wondering what I can try. Ann
If it’s the bottom branches, that would be completely normal as your Norfolk forms a trunk. They are 100 ft. trees in their native New Zealand. They will always lose their bottom branches as they age and grow.
You don’t say if you made any changes to the plant that may have caused it’s possible demise. For example, did you move to a new house? Did you move it to a different location in your house at any point? Did you ever have someone else water it while on vacation? Did it ever go through a severe drop in temperature? Any drafts? All of these can have a huge affect a Norfolk’s performance.
Norfolks need to be constantly moist…never soggy, and NEVER dry. Could the water be running around the root ball and not being absorbed by the root ball? This sometimes happens when the soil becomes hard or the soil begins separating from the pot. If you feel this might be the case, you’ll need to really deeply water your plant in a utility sink, a bathtub, or outside.
Norfolks are extremely slow growers and are, therefore, very slow to respond to changes in growing conditions. It can take a year or more to notice any difference once corrections have been made. If you made the humidity change, for example, just a few months ago, you wouldn’t notice any results possibly until next year. Same is true for changing watering habits, moving it to a new location, etc.
Thanks for your question,
[email protected], [email protected]
DID YOU KNOW. . .
. . . that the UW’s West Madison Agricultural Research Station’s large and beautiful gardens are open to the public?
The following is from the research station’s website @ westmadison.ars.wisc.edu/
Please join us in enjoying the beautiful flowers, abundant vegetable selections, and perennial fruit collection. Exciting and fun demonstration projects are found throughout the garden: We are an All America Selections location showcasing the best of both ornamentals and vegetables. Stop by to see other demos: Easy Care Perennial Gardening, Rain Garden, organic vegetable production, many fruit trees and vines, and many more.
The gardens are open to the public from dawn to dusk, 7 days a week. The gardens are maintained by summer interns sponsored by the Brittingham Trust and CALS-Demeter. A network of volunteers of Master Gardeners assist during the off-season. We are located at 8502 Mineral Point Road, Madison, WI.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT—Each month we spotlight some product that we already carry or one that we’ve taken note of and plan to carry in the near future. Likewise, if you would like to see Klein’s to carry a product that we don’t currently, please let us know. Our goal is to be responsive to the marketplace and to our loyal clientele. If a product fits into our profile, we will make every effort to get it into our store. In addition, we may be able to special order an item for you, whether plant or hard good, given enough time.
Japanese Beetle Killer RTU from Bonide®
This spray controls Japanese Beetles, aphids, flea beetles, leafhoppers, caterpillars, stink bugs, moths, Colorado potato beetles, webworms, & more. Our pest control is great for use on listed vegetables, flowers, ornamentals, trees & shrubs. Japanese Beetle Killer is intended for residential use indoors, outdoors, or in greenhouses. This product is conveniently ready to use when it arrives. The spray nozzle makes this product easy to deploy.
- Kills Japanese beetles and other listed insects
- May be used indoors, outdoors or in hobby greenhouses
- For use on vegetables, flowers, ornamentals, trees, & shrubs
- Kills by contact
- Kills aphids, leafhoppers, whiteflies, flea beetles and more
- Ready to use quart (32oz) Spray Bottle
About Japanese Beetles
Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) were first found in the United States in 1916, after being accidentally introduced into New Jersey. Until that time, this insect was restricted to Japan where it is not a major pest. This pest is considered to be an invasive species. It is now found throughout the eastern U.S., except for Florida, and continues to move westward.
Adult Description:
- Approximately 1/3 to 1/2 inch long.
- Metallic green head and thorax (the area behind the head) with copper-brown wing covers.
- Sides of abdomen have five white patches of hairs, and tip of abdomen has two patches of white hair.
Japanese beetles are a serious pest of flowers, trees and shrubs, fruits and vegetables, field crops and turf. Adults feed on more than 300 plant species, whereas the grubs feed mainly on the roots of grasses.
Adult Japanese beetles feed on the leaves, flowers and fruits of many different plants. Preferred plants include rose, grape, linden, apple, crabapple, cherry, plum and related trees, birch, elm, raspberry, currant, basil, Virginia creeper, hollyhock, marigold, corn silks and soybean.
They skeletonize leaves by feeding on tissue between the major veins giving them a lace-like appearance. Damaged leaves turn brown and may fall off.
Adult Japanese beetle damage usually affects only the appearance of plants.
- Healthy, mature trees and shrubs can tolerate a lot of feeding without significant, long-term injury.
- Young or unhealthy plants may be stunted, injured or even killed from severe, persistent feeding.
- Healthy flowering plants such as roses can survive Japanese beetle feeding. But the blossoms are often ruined by the insects.
- Fruits, vegetables and herbs can tolerate limited leaf feeding, but severe damage may affect plant growth and reduce yield.
- Regular harvesting during July and August can decrease feeding on edible parts of the plant.
Grubs chew grass roots and reduce the ability of grass to take up enough water and nutrients to remain healthy. When grub feeding is severe, dead patches of grass develop.
These dead patches can be rolled back like a carpet due to the lack of roots. If grubs are not found, examine still living turf at the edges of damaged areas for their presence.
Healthy turf grass can typically tolerate up to 10 grubs per square foot. Moles, skunks, crows and other insect-feeding animals may dig up grubs, further damaging the turf.
Source: The University of Minnesota website @ extension.umn.edu
NOTES FROM MY GARDEN JOURNAL
ENTRY: JULY 2, 2026 (Garden Journaling How-To’s)
I began garden journaling when I bought my home and started my gardens in 1986. Rather than a true garden journal, my current journal of choice is the spiral bound Sierra Club engagement calendar available at most bookstores and online. It offers plenty of space for daily entries and for adequate note-taking. It’s always lying open somewhere on the counter so I can make entries throughout the day.
Garden Journaling
by Pamela Hubbard, Penn State Master Gardener @ extension.psu.edu
As a passionate gardener I believe that one of the keys to success is keeping records of your gardening endeavors. To this end, a fun and useful winter activity is to start a garden journal.
A garden journal is your own personal diary of what happens in your garden, starting with the planning in January through putting your garden to bed in October. It provides a place to keep together all information, plans and notes about your garden. Your journal can be as simple as a composition book or as elaborate as a creative scrapbooking endeavor. I’ve tried several methods and developed a few tips for effective garden journaling.
Begin by choosing the type of journal that would best work for you. Consider if you want to record simple details or your gardening story.
- For simple details you can use notebook paper, a composition book or notecards. Just be sure to date each page or card. I used this method for years until I felt the need to be more organized (I couldn’t always find what I was searching for) therefore switched to calendars.
- I prefer a monthly calendar with a large square for each day and a desk calendar with a page for each week. I use the former to record seed-starting activities and the latter for more detailed notes.
- If you want more room to write, there are some beautiful dedicated garden journals available in bookstores. They often contain graphs for sketching and planning, calendars without dates so the journal can be used any year, space to record your thoughts, charts for recording information like flower purchases and blooming times, and information pages with gardening hints for each month.
- Using a computer is a fast way to record what is going on in your garden; it is faster than writing your journal by hand. If this method is for you it has the benefit of being able to add digital photographs right into the document, size them to meet your needs, and easily delete and replace them. Like many gardeners around the world, I write an online gardening blog that records my gardening journey in photographs, but that method is not for everyone. Just try to write something each month, remembering to include the date and year in each entry. Save your entries and print them when you have completed a year.
- Keep the printed pages in a three-ring binder for future reference. Place tabs in the binder to mark the years. I like to save plant tags but too often they disappear and I can’t remember names of plants. Adding photo sleeves for plant tags solves this problem. Also, your binder is a good place to keep gardening information from newspapers and magazines.
What to Record
- Vegetable garden information: As new seed catalogs arrive, begin by making an inventory of the leftover seeds from previous years and list the new ones you need to order. Plan your vegetable garden on graph paper at this time and add it to your journal. It’s important to note where you planted vegetables last year so that you can rotate vegetables in the same family. For example, do not follow tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant or peppers with each other or you will encourage soil-borne diseases and pest outbreaks.
- Landscape beds: Draw a rough sketch of each landscape bed indicating its plantings. Show the places where you plan to add flowers and shrubs in the coming season and mark their names. At the beginning of the season, record planting dates; add plant tags or seed packets. You may want to list flower colors, bloom times, plant heights and growing requirements.
- Seasonal landmarks: Record the dates of each year’s seasonal landmarks: weather patterns, when the first spring flower bloomed, arrival of butterflies and hummingbirds, the first and last frost. Also, note when pest problems appeared and what you did about them.
- Regular gardening activities: Document your gardening activities such as soil preparation, watering, mulching and fertilizing. Identify areas that receive too little or too much water. Record when you harvest vegetables. Note garden successes and needed improvements. Your journal will help identify where in your garden different types of plants thrive.
- Budget: A journal enables you to keep track of your garden expenses. It may be useful to record the nurseries and catalogs you used. If possible include the receipts and note the purchase dates.
How to Use the Information in Your Journal
The information in your journal becomes an invaluable reference to review at the end of the year or to look back on over the years. You can identify where different types of plants thrive, obtain a greater understanding of landscape characteristics such as microclimates and check that you have ‘the right plant in the right place.’ I record high and low temperatures and rainfall amounts; in midsummer if a plant isn’t doing well I look back to see if weather was a factor. As you review past journals you will see patterns in your garden. By looking at photographs over the years, I noted the decline of a beloved climbing rose, Rosa Blaze Improved, and decided this year I will remove it and replace it with a clematis. While I’m sad at losing the rose, I have the fun of choosing a new climbing plant. My journal helps me plan for the future; it is a tool to prevent repeated mistakes. My journal becomes especially valuable as my memory needs more help.
Now is the time to plan for the new garden season; it is the perfect time to begin a garden journal. Keeping a garden journal can give you a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Choose a method of journaling that suits you and have fun! Happy journaling!
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ENTRY: JULY 20, 2026 (All About Woodchucks)
Walking into our backyard today a huge woodchuck ran across the lawn right in front of me. I haven’t seen a woodchuck in our yard in nearly two decades. The woodchuck back then wreaked havoc in the garden, devouring many of my favorite annuals, perennials and vegetables. It had built a home under our screenhouse. It took weeks and a lot of time and money to make it move on. Since then, I’ve worked hard to make sure another woodchuck couldn’t hunker down under our screenhouse or our two decks. Given the fact we’re currently under drought conditions, woodchucks become desperate for consistent food and water sources and oftentimes roam until they can find better conditions.
About Woodchucks:
This native marmot is the largest Wisconsin mammal in the squirrel family. The woodchuck is grizzled brown in appearance with bits of yellow, black and red coloring in its fur. It has stubby, rounded ears and black feet while its bushy tail is about 25% the length of the animal. The woodchuck’s stout body and powerful stocky legs are adept to digging. It spends the majority of its time in an extensive underground burrow. It digs a tunnel with a mounded entrance hole and another less visible plunge hole which it uses to quickly escape danger into a subterranean system. The tidy woodchuck builds a neatly insulated nest cavity in which to rear young, a hibernation chamber and a separate toilet chamber. The woodchuck never ventures far from its burrow and will forage among well-defined paths leading to the entrance chamber. This large squirrel will emit a high-pitched whistle when frightened (earning him the nick-name “whistle-pig”), and quickly retreat back to its chamber as a line of defense.
A woodchuck grazes on herbs and grasses and has a sweet-tooth for dandelions. In the wild, other staples in his diet include clover, daisies and goldenrod. Farmers and gardeners often consider the whistle-pig a nuisance however, because of its tendency to munch on crops such as soybeans, carrots and corn. When food is scarce, the woodchuck will add bark, buds, sumac and black cherry to its diet. It can be found living in a variety of habitats from prairies and pastures to woodlands.
What?! No article about prancing reindeer or beautiful red cardinals?! We know, we know, but hear us out. We wanted to recognize an animal this month that we don’t necessarily see in the winter, yet is living right under our feet. You may not see the woodchuck around this time of year, but he is still there fighting the good fight, hiding inconspicuously beneath the ground’s surface. And hey, perhaps Santa wouldn’t have needed Rudolph to guide him through the dark if his sleigh had been tethered to 8 mighty woodchucks instead of 8 tiny reindeer. But, I digress. Happiest of holidays to you all. Now, just imagine the woodchuck with a tiny jingle bell collar and glittery snow sprinkled atop his pelt. It already seems more seasonally appropriate, doesn’t it?
One of our all-time favorite movies is Groundhog Day. Bill Murray’s deadpan delivery, the kidnapped groundhog gone wild scenes, the failed attempts by Phil to achieve a perfection that doesn’t exist – the movie makes us laugh out loud every viewing. Recently, a volunteer asked f we had seen a woodchuck lately. And while we would love to see the rotund furry critter in the middle of winter, we know that right now, our woodchucks are probably all tucked away in cozy dens somewhere dreaming of warmer days to come.
The woodchuck (Mamota monax), aka the groundhog, is a true hibernator. Woodchucks, ground squirrels and bats are the only true hibernators in the state of Wisconsin. They go into a state of dormancy where their body drops to 40 degrees Fahrenheit to match the surrounding ambient air temperature. Because the woodchuck has a preference for perishable herbs and greens, it does not have the option of waking up to eat a cache of nuts stored in its burrow. An animal in hibernation can not be aroused or awakened even if disturbed. It remains in the catatonic-like state by slowing down its internal organs, reducing its breaths and heartbeat and putting on an excessive amount of fat around specific parts of its body (usually the important internal organs). An animal will lose 40% of its body mass during hibernation. A hibernating animal will arouse and move around for very brief periods of time every few weeks and then re-enter its dormancy. Hibernation is a dangerous period of time for a woodchuck. Many animals that enter hibernation never wake up and it is a costly process in which to invest. The Wisconsin woodchuck will hibernate from October to late-March and will emerge again in April. This is contrary to the folk legend that groundhogs emerge in February to prognosticate the arrival of spring.
Male woodchucks will emerge in the spring first to fight with one another for breeding privileges with females. The female woodchuck comes out of hibernation a week or two after the male and will mate immediately upon emergence. She will rear a litter of between 2-5 per year, about a month after copulation. The young are weaned at 6 weeks of age and will disperse shortly thereafter. While the young are often preyed upon by foxes, bears, and hawks, humans are probably their biggest threat. Thousands are killed every year when they are run-over by cars or killed by hunters and farmers. The animal has adapted well to human intrusion though and its population is stabilizing. They are now considered fairly common and although their status is protected, their success has led to consideration of an open hunting season.
Fun Facts:
- Woodchucks can live up to 6 years of age in the wild, but have an average life-span of almost 3 years.
- How much wood could a woodchuck chuck? The answer is none! Woodchucks do not eat wood, but instead prefer herbs and grasses.
- Let a hibernating woodchuck lie! Rousing an animal during hibernation will not awaken it, but will often start a chemical process which leads to an early emergence from hibernation. An early emergence means food supplies will not be readily available and the animal could starve to death.
- The woodchuck is actually a rodent, but unlike most rodents, their incisors stay white instead of turning the more common yellow discoloration.
- Is that a bird in that tree? No wait, it’s a woodchuck! When food supplies are less than ideal, the woodchuck will climb trees in search of sustenance.
- The name woodchuck comes from the Cree Indian word “wuchak” referring to a variety of little brown mammals.
Source: www.urbanecologycenter.org/
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ENTRY: JULY 29, 2026 (An Intro to Lunar Agriculture)
We’ll be having a full moon this evening and with each full moon I can’t help but think about my grandmother and her fascination lunar cycles and how they affected growing crops in the fields, vegetables in the garden and even milk production by the cows in the barn.
Old-time gardeners have long known that there seems to be a connection between the phases of the moon and success in the garden. There may be no concrete evidence, but there seems to be a certain amount of logic to that observation. The effect of the moon on the earth and all of its creatures is undeniable and there are plenty of reasonable examples to support this claim. It’s been said there are more incidents of certain types of crime during certain phases of the moon and psychologists have noted connections between the lunar cycle and human behavior.
The moon’s effect on plants is equally fascinating. My grandmother strongly believed that planting any crop in the wrong phase of the moon produced weak plants or plants that bolted or went to seed too quickly. She said the effects are most noticeable with root vegetables like radishes, carrots and potatoes and members of the cabbage family.
Lunar agriculture (or Moon Gardening) works because of the gravitational pull of the moon. The sun exerts its own magnetic force on earth, but because the moon is closer, its pull has greater affect. We know that the moon’s gravity causes the tides we experience daily. These same forces are at work in the soil, pulling water to the surface which makes it more available to plant. In a ten year long study, Dr. Frank Brown of Northwestern University found that plants absorb more water at the full moon, the phase at which the moon exerts its strongest pull. Even though Dr. Brown’s plants were housed in a laboratory and not under direct moonlight, he found that they were still strongly influenced by the moon.
Gardening author John Jeaves goes further, dividing the influence of the moon according to its waxing and waning phases. He reports in his book How to Grow More Vegetables that when the moon is waxing its increasing light stimulates leaf growth. When the moon begins to wane, he recorded that leaf growth slowed while root growth was stimulated. For practical application, plant leafy vegetables, annuals and those plants whose greatest value is above ground between the new moon and full moon. For those plants whose value is underground, such as potatoes, herbal rhizomes, and bulbs during the waning half of the lunar cycle.
Modern research is validating what humans have known innately for thousands of years. For those who live close to nature, plant gardens every year or tend acres of farmland, the validation is unimportant. What is important is that when plants are sown in the correct moon phase, the plants grow quickly and more heartily and harvests are more abundant. Put simply, lunar agriculture works – try it and see!
Planting by the Moon’s Phases:
New Moon
Characteristics of the Phase: The gravitational pull of the moon is increased during the New Moon phase, causing water to be pulled upward through the soil. This allows the plant to draw water easily through the roots and causes newly planted seeds to swell with water and burst open. As the moon increases in light, it draws the plant upward, enhancing growth.
What to Plant:
* Above ground crops that produce their seeds and fruits on the outside.
* Leafy vegetables with shallow root systems, annual flowers and herbs.
Specific Plants: Annual flowers, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chard, cucumbers, grains, herbs, lettuce, spinach.
Garden Chores:
* Mow lawns and prune to promote growth
* Sow new gardens or beds
* Transplant those plants that need available water to help their root systems develop
First Quarter
Characteristics of the Phase: The gravitational pull of the moon decreases during this phase because the moon lies at a 90 degree angle to the sun. This phase promotes strong leaf growth and is a good time for planting, especially as the moon moves closer to the full phase.
What to Plant: Annuals that produce above ground, but set seed inside a pod or fruit
Specific Plants: Beans, melons, peas, peppers, squash, tomatoes
Garden Chores:
* Mow lawns and prune to promote growth
* Nurture newly sown seeds and tend new growth
Full Moon
Characteristics of the Phase: The pull of the moon is at is greatest during this phase, creating more moisture in the soil and drawing water upward to the fruit, seeds and leaves. As the moon begins to wane, attention is turned from the above ground growth to the roots.
What to Plant: Root crops and those plants that have highly developed and extending root systems, such as trees and shrubs
Specific Plants: Beets, biennials, bulbs, carrots, garlic, onion, peanuts, perennials, radishes
Garden Chores:
* Mow lawns and prune to retard growth
* Transplant those plants that have developed root systems, such as perennials
* Harvest herbs while their water content is highest.
Last Quarter
Characteristics of the Phase: At this phase the moon again sits at a 90 degree angle to the sun, which decreases the strength of its pull on the waters of earth. The moon is now moving into its final stages, so this is thought of as a resting period. While it is a not a time to plant new seeds or transplant existing plants, there are still garden tasks that fare better when conducted under this phase. According to folklore weeds pulled in this phase will not grow back.
What to Plant: Nothing
Specific Plants: None
Garden Chores:
* Harvest
* Mow lawns and prune to retard growth
* Begin compost heaps and vermiculture bins
* Pull weeds
* Remove pests and diseased plant material
* Till under cover crops
* Cultivate, fertilize and till fields
* General clean up
KLEIN’S RECIPES OF THE MONTH—These are a selection of relatively simple recipes chosen by our staff. New recipes appear monthly. Enjoy!!
Flax is a very versatile and useful plant. Physically, it is a tall, upright growing annual plant with long, pale grey-green leaves and slender stems. It will produce relatively small 5-petaled blue flowers. Its fruit is a dry, round capsule that contains a few seeds. The Flax seeds are similar to apple seeds.
Flax is grown for many reasons including: its ornamental use in gardens, its edible oils, use as a nutritional supplement and for its fibers. Flax seeds are used whole, roasted or ground in cooking. They’re an excellent source of dietary fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids. Flax is also one of the oldest known fiber crops. Flax was probably domesticated in the Fertile Crescent. It was an important crop for Ethiopia and ancient Egypt. It was during this period where flax was probably first used to make linens. Historians report that it was used by humans as far back as 30,000 BCE!
BLACK BEAN BURGERS—
3 cups black beans, canned or cooked
¼ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup grated carrots
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp water
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp red pepper
¼ cup stabilized ground flaxseed
Mash beans. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. If mixture seems too dry, add additional water to moisten. If mixture seems too wet, add additional stabilized ground flaxseed. Form mixture into patties. Spray skillet with nonstick spray and preheat on stovetop. Place patties on skillet. Cook for five minutes, then turn and cook five minutes on the other side.
FLAXEN HUMMUS—
2 tablespoons stabilized ground flaxseed
¼ cup warm water
2 cups cooked Garbanzo Beans or 1 each 15 ounce can, drained
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Tahini
2 cloves garlic, shopped
Pinch black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 to 2 tbsp Tamari
In a small bowl, combine stabilized ground flaxseed and water and let soak 10 minutes.
In a food processor, combine beans, lemon juice, Tahini, garlic, black pepper, cumin, cayenne, Tamari, and soaked flax. Process until smooth.
OVEN BAKED FRIED CHICKEN—
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Canola or olive oil
½ cup bread crumbs
½ cup stabilized ground flaxseed
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp black pepper
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp Parmesan cheese
¼ tsp Italian seasoning to taste
Wash and pat dry chicken. Dip chicken in Canola or olive oil. To make a flax breading, combine the bread crumbs, ½ cup stabilized ground flaxseed, garlic powder, black pepper, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning in a plastic bag, seal and shake to blend. Coat chicken in the flax breading. Place breaded chicken breasts on a baking sheet and bake, uncovered, in a 375ºF oven for about 25 minutes, or until chicken is done and a golden brown.
FLAX OATMEAL COOKIES WITH CAROB CHIPS—Yields about 72 cookies.
1 cup canola
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 cup oatmeal
½ cup stabilized ground flaxseed
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups carob chips
1 ½ cups almonds, chopped
Cream canola and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Mix together flour, oatmeal, stabilized ground flaxseed, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir into creamed mixture. Add carob chips and almonds. Mix until blended. Form into 1 inch balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes.
FLAX MEATLOAF—Oh so nummy!
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 cup skim milk
½ cup stabilized ground flaxseed (Mega Omega® or Simply Omega-3™)
½ cup dry bread crumbs
½ cup chopped onion
1 Egg, beaten
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry mustard
½ tsp celery salt
¼ tsp ground thyme
¼ cup ketchup
In a large bowl, combine beef, milk, stabilized ground flaxseed, crumbs, onion, egg, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, garlic, mustard, celery salt and thyme. Mix well. Pat mixture into a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Spread ketchup over top of loaf. Bake at 350ºF 1 to 1½ hours, until no pink remains. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Remove from pan, place on platter to serve. Serves 8.
ORZO, LENTIL & FLAX SOUP—
¼ cup Butter
1 onion finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
1 celery stalk finely chopped
½ green pepper, finely chopped
5 cups boiling water
⅓ cup low sodium chicken soup base
2 tsp granulated garlic
1 bay leaf
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
28 oz tomatoes with herbs and spices; break up tomatoes
⅓ cup orzo pasta or any small soup pasta
⅓ cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 tsp granulated sugar
⅓ cup stabilized ground flaxseed
In a large pot, over medium to medium-low heat, melt butter. Add onion, carrot, celery and green pepper. Gently sauté over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add boiling water, soup base, granulated garlic, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes with juice, orzo and lentils. Stir. Slowly simmer for 1 hour with lid ajar, stirring occasionally until lentils are soft. Add sugar and stabilized ground flaxseed. Stir and serve. Serves 10.
Recipe source: www.flax.com/index.html
NATURAL NEWS–
Permaculture In a Midwest Garden and Yard
By Melodie Metje
From Mother Earth News @ www.motherearthnews.com
How Permaculture Works
Permaculture is creating a synergistic garden; one that is symbiotic and supporting. It includes enriching the soil, planting for nutrients, planting for shade, planting for food, landscaping for water, planting to attract beneficial insects, planting to repel bad bugs, planting to optimize your harvests. It is all of this combined to create a self sustaining garden and yard.
You can go big and do it all or start small and work your way into a full permaculture yard.
If you are just getting started, the first step is planning. For planning, I would join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to find out what grows well in your area and what you like to eat that can be grown locally. You will get fresh nutritious food while supporting your local farmer. It was amazing how well we ate and how small our grocery bill was when we first joined a CSA! We also discovered many vegetables that we loved but had never eaten.
Assessing Your Yard for Permaculture
Before placing your garden bed, look at how your water drains. Create small swells/berms to move the water to where you want it to go-like your vegetables. Utilize rain barrels to capture water. There are some quite attractive rain barrels available on line and even at big box stores. Together these will significantly reduce your watering needs.
Next, determine how the sun traverses through your yard. You will want to put the sun lovers where they get southern exposure. Add shade to reduce your utility bills and give relief to your plants. In the spring, all of your vegetables love the sun. Come summer, many appreciate some shade and cooler temperatures, particularly greens. Even peppers get sunburned when temps get in the 90’s in full sun all day. Some relief from afternoon soon is appreciated.
When you are thinking of where to place those shade trees and bushes, consider adding fruit trees and bushes that you and the birds will enjoy. Planting trees and bushes provide shelter for birds that love to eat insects. Look for trees and bushes that also provide food for the birds, including winter berries. Birds help to keep the garden in balance. Don’t forget a water source so they can get a drink. Make sure the water stays clean or the birds can get sick just like we do from contaminated water.
Now you are ready to place your garden bed. For prepping the soil, a super easy method is to do sheet mulching. You are basically composting in place, building incredible rich soil, alive with microbial and worm activity, which provide all the nourishment plants need to thrive. The great thing about this technique is that no tilling is required! Prepare in the fall and by spring, the bed is ready for planting.
When the garden bed is ready for planting, do a soil test, add the nutrients indicated. I also add minerals to the soil as most soil today is depleted of their minerals. After getting your soil in balance, you will be able to grow the right crops in the right rotational order and compost to keep the soil fertile and in balance without outside inputs.
Beneficial, pollinating insects love the herbal flowers and the ornamental flowers. The pollinators insure the vegetable flowers are pollinated to produce their fruits. If the flowers are not pollinated, they will just fall off. We garden organically and only use organic insecticides in dire times. Insecticides don’t know the difference between a good bug and a bad bug; it kills them all. If you can wait, the bad bugs will attract the good bugs that eat them. Then, you will have balance. The first year, I bought insects that feed on the bad insects (lady bugs, parasitic wasps, and preying mantis). It takes them a year or two to get established.
Attracting Beneficial Insects and Warding Off Pests
You can add beekeeping to your yard. Or if that is not feasible, just placing mason bee homes on trees will attract these natives to your yard for pollinating.
You can plant flowers that naturally repel the bad bugs like nasturtium and wild marigold (tagetes minuta). Even deer do not like the fragrance of marigolds. Sometimes just surrounding your garden with marigolds and fragrant Mediterranean herbs is enough to keep the deer out of your garden. I put nasturtium in pots and circle the garden bed with marigolds.
Interplanting vegetables and herbs that support others is a win-win. An example is placing “nitrogen fixers” next to plants that love nitrogen. You can also place nitrogen lovers in the spot the nitrogen fixers were. Be conscious of how you interplant and succession plant your vegetables to keep the soil in balance and give each vegetable the nutrients it needs. Well known nitrogen fixers are peas and beans. Clover also does the job and it is edible.
By having a variety of plants mixed in your garden, the bugs that prey on one type of plant will not be able to just hop next door for their next meal. This keeps uncontrollable infestations from occurring.
A couple of common plants that bring an assortment of nutrients up from deep in the soil is mustard and dandelions. If you want a larger leaf dandelion, the French dandelion is the ticket. You get great salad greens even in the heat of summer and an auto nutrient fertilizer.
There are even plants that are good for breaking up your soil. These are ones that go deep, like daikon, chicory, dandelion, and mustard.
This is just some of the highlights of permaculture to give you an idea of what it is about.
AUGUST’S PLANT OF THE MONTH:
Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus)
Burning bush (Euonymus alatus) is a deciduous shrub that is popular in North American landscaping. The dense, multi-stemmed, rounded shrub gets its common name from the transformation of its medium-green elliptical leaves into brilliant red fall foliage.
Best planted in the fall or spring from a container-grown nursery plant, burning bush grows at a moderate pace, adding about a foot of growth per year, and requires full sunlight. If properly maintained, it will survive for decades.
**Burning bushes and all shrubs are currently 25% off at Klein’s while supplies last!**
Note that burning bush plants can be toxic to people and pets.
Burning Bush Care
Here are the main care requirements for growing burning bush:
- Plant in moist, well-drained soil in a full-sun or partial shade location.
- Conduct frequent pruning to keep it at a manageable size.
- Plant in the spring from a potted nursery specimen.
- Remove suckers regularly.
Light
Plant burning bush in an area that gets full sunlight, gifting the plant with rays for at least six to eight hours a day. In warmer climates, the bush can stand a partially shady spot, especially during the hotter afternoon hours.
Be aware that shadier conditions reduce the splendor of the fall foliage display.
Soil
While it can adapt to most soil types (except for soggy soil with poor drainage), burning bush prefers average soil with a moderate moisture level. It also favors a slightly acidic soil pH but will grow in alkaline or neutral soil, as well.
Most important to the plant is its soil’s drainage—too much moisture can lead to root rot.
Water
Burning bush is a drought-tolerant plant once established and generally has low-to-moderate watering needs. Water as appropriate for your climate, which will be dependent on both the rainfall and humidity levels in your area.
When you do water a burning bush, aim your water source at ground level instead of overhead—this method will prevent the leaves of the bush from getting drenched and keep fungal problems from occurring.
Pruning
If you wish to keep the spread of a burning bush in check, prune off suckers coming up from the ground whenever you find them. To also halt spreading via the seeds, handpick the berries as soon as they form in fall and seal them in a yard waste bag to stop their spread.
Major pruning is not necessary for this plant, but it can help keep the shrub neat and full if you give it a good trim every other year or so. This is best done in the early spring before new growth begins.
Start by removing any dead or broken branches, then cut as much as one-third of all the longer stems, right down to ground level. The goal is to open up the interior of the shrub to light and air.
A neglected shrub that hasn’t been pruned for many years can benefit from a hard rejuvenation pruning that cuts the entire shrub down to just a few inches above ground level.
Klein’s carries two varieties of burning bush:
EUONYMUS alatus ‘Compactus’ (Dwarf Burning Bush)
A dense, mounded, spreading, flat-topped, multi-stemmed shrub that is particularly
noted for its fiery red fall foliage color. It is native to forests, woodlands and scrub areas
in eastern Russia, Japan, China and Korea. ‘Compactus’ is a popular burning bush
cultivar. It is a deciduous shrub which is not all that “compact” since it typically grows in
a mound to 10′ tall with a slightly larger spread, though it can easily be kept shorter by
pruning. The corky ridges are absent or very reduced in size on the stems of
‘Compactus’. Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to
part shade. Tolerates close to full shade, but usually at the expense of diminished fall
color quality. Summer foliage is medium green. A noninvasive, sterile cultivar. Zone 4.
EUONYMUS alatus ‘Fire Ball Seedless’ (Dwarf Burning Bush)
New in 2026. Enjoy all the glory of a burning bush without any worry about
invasiveness. Fire Ball Seedless™ Burning Bush is crimson in fall and seedless all year
long. It is the only sterile, non-invasive burning bush on the market! Its mature size is
very manageable, and like its contemporary fellows, it responds well to a trim. It is best
used as a specimen or hedge. 5-7′ tall and wide. Zone 4.
Source: www.thespruce.com/
AROUND TOWN:
For neighborhood events or garden tours that you would like posted in our monthly newsletter, please contact Rick at (608) 244-5661 or [email protected]. Please include all details, i.e. dates, locations, prices, brief description, etc. Events must be garden related and must take place in the Madison vicinity and we must receive your information by the first of the month in which the event takes place for it to appear in that month’s newsletter.
Olbrich Garden’s Blooming Butterflies Exhibit
Through August 9
Daily from 10:00-4:00
In the Bolz Conservatory
THE BUTTERFLIES ARE BACK!
Blooming Butterflies features up to 19 different species of free flying butterflies in the tropical Bolz Conservatory. Visitors make connections with these fluttering friends while learning about the butterfly life cycle. Two chrysalis cases provide opportunities to possibly witness a butterfly emerge from a chrysalis!
During Blooming Butterflies, the outdoor gardens spotlight relationships between plants and pollinators with an ‘I SPY’ Pollinators scavenger hunt. A pollinator themed children’s book is displayed as a StoryWalk along Starkweather Creek. And every child that attends Blooming Butterflies receives a coupon for a free junior scoop from our friends at Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream!
You can prepare for your visit by watching the Blooming Butterfies Welcome Video.
The life span of different butterflies varies from a few weeks to a few months. All flying butterflies live out their natural lives in the Conservatory, with food sources remaining for them after the exhibit dates.
Bike Valet Parking & Tune Ups
Saturdays, August 1 and 8, 10:00-4:00
Bike to Blooming Butterflies and enjoy FREE bike valet parking and tune-ups courtesy of our friends at Dream Bikes. Plus, anyone who bikes to Blooming Butterflies throughout the exhibit will receive a stylish ‘Bike for Butterflies’ sticker.
The cost is $10 for adults, $6 for children ages 6-12, and free for children 5 and under. Olbrich Botanical Society members are admitted free. Parking is free. Bus tours are welcome; groups of 10 or more must register by calling 608/245-3648.
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
3330 Atwood Ave., Madison
608/246-4550 or www.olbrich.org for details.
Family Nature Walk @ the Arboretum
Sunday, August 2, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
This walk is a fun, fascinating way for families with children elementary age and younger to explore the natural world. Adults must attend. Wear sturdy closed-toe shoes and come prepared for weather and insects. Walks canceled for unsafe weather or trail conditions. Free, no registration required. Meet at the Visitor Center.
University of WI Arboretum
1207 Seminole Hwy.
Madison, WI 53711
608/263-7888 or arboretum.wisc.edu
Native Grasses @ the Arboretum
Wednesday, August 2, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Garden Tour
Susan Carpenter, garden curator, will focus on color, size, and features of native Wisconsin grasses, from purple love grass to big bluestem, growing in the Wisconsin Native Plant Garden. Tour may be canceled for unsafe weather. Free, no registration required. Meet at the Visitor Center.
University of WI Arboretum
1207 Seminole Hwy.
Madison, WI 53711
608/263-7888 or arboretum.wisc.edu
Olbrich After Hours
Turn up your Tuesdays at Olbrich After Hours, where the gardens stay up late and the good times roll in! Each week offers a fresh blend of live music, surprise pop-ups, crave-worthy food carts, and the perfect pour (think cocktails, mocktails, and brewskis). Stroll the gardens during the golden hour, soak in the sounds, and connect with inspiring eco-friendly groups making a difference for the planet. It’s summer – turned all the way up!
Concerts are FREE to the public; a $5 suggested donation is appreciated.
No tickets required. Please carry out all trash.
Olbrich Concerts in the Gardens 2026 Schedule:
(All concerts are on Tuesdays at 7 p.m.)
August 4
Do The Needful—Chicago based music ensemble Do The Needful features Hindi vocalists, Indian flute, guitar/fuzz organ, electric bass, drums and percussion. The band interprets classic Bollywood anthems from the 60s and 70s through the prism of its myriad influences that includes not only Indian pop and Bollywood music , but also garage pop, surf, rockabilly, ghostly jazz, South Asian classical music and raw blues.
August 11
Brandon Santini—A 25-year veteran of the blues whose sound stretches from the Piedmont roots of his North Carolina childhood to the storied stages of Memphis’ Beale Street, where he forged his explosive harmonica work, commanding voice, and dynamic songwriting. With seven Blues Music Award nominations and shared stages with Buddy Guy, Gary Clark Jr., Beth Hart, and Charlie Musselwhite, he has earned his reputation as one of today’s leading modern blues performers.
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
3330 Atwood Ave., Madison
608/246-4550 or www.olbrich.org for details.
Nature Hike in the Grady Tract @ the Arboretum
Sunday, August 9, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Walk
Learn about the land, plants, animals, fungi, phenology, and ecology. Geared for adults, these longer walks may cover sloping terrain. Wear sturdy closed-toe shoes and come prepared for weather and insects. Walks canceled for unsafe weather or trail conditions. Free, no registration required. Meet at Grady Tract parking lot, southeast corner of Seminole Hwy. and W. Beltline Frontage Rd. (No restroom facilities at Grady Tract.)
University of WI Arboretum
1207 Seminole Hwy.
Madison, WI 53711
608/263-7888 or arboretum.wisc.edu
Summer Sundays: Jazz in the Garden at Allen Centennial Garden
Add a little bit of musical enjoyment to your Sunday afternoons this summer with Summer Sundays: Concerts in the Garden. The concerts will be held Sunday afternoons starting June 7 and ending August 23 from 5-6:15 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public. Brought to you by the Friends of Allen Centennial Garden.
August 9: Madison Choro Ensemble
Josh Pultorak, drums | Peter Baggenstoss, piano | Julio Flores, guitar | Chris Ptasnik, cavaquinho | Tom Ross, cavaquinho | Nick Bartell, saxophone | Grant Ziolkowski, bandolim. Celebrating Brazilian choro in dance music of melodic intricacy and lively rhythmic sophistication—rooted in tradition, unmistakably modern.
August 23: Bill Roberts Combo
Bill Roberts, guitar | Joe Wallner, keys | Ben Schult, bass | Tommy Mattioli, percussion
Master guitarist Bill Roberts leads this groove-centered jazz-blues band of seasoned club veterans blending soulful swing, blues authority, and straight-ahead jazz fire.
Allen Centennial Gardens
620 Babcock Dr. on the University of WI campus, Madison
608/576-2501 or allencentennialgarden.wisc.edu/ for details.
Wisconsin Daylily Society Sale @ The Biergarten at Olbrich Park
August 13-16
3527 Atwood Ave. Madison WI 53714
Over 700 cultivars of daylilies for sale. The largest daylily sale in the US.
Club members bring in hundreds of blossoms for viewing by the general public. Flowers are arranged by category: solid colors, doubles, edges and eyes, small and miniature, and spider-shaped and other unusual forms. A new category features the work of local hybridizers. A special table has flowers from plants in the August plant sale. All attendees may vote for their favorites in each category, and best of show. The most popular win awards. Free dayilies are raffled off every half hour. There is also a Science Nook where more complicated questions can be answered. After the show members exchange pollen for future hybridizing.
Visit wisconsindaylilysociety.org/ for times and details.
Family Nature Program: Pollinator Party @ the Arboretum
Sunday, August 16, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
This program is a fun, fascinating way for families with children elementary age and younger to explore the natural world. Nature walk: 1:30–2:30 p.m., activities: 2:30–3:30 p.m. Adults must attend. Wear sturdy closed-toe shoes and come prepared for weather. Walks canceled for unsafe weather or trail conditions. Free, no registration required. Meet at the Visitor Center.
University of WI Arboretum
1207 Seminole Hwy.
Madison, WI 53711
608/263-7888 or arboretum.wisc.edu
Rotary Garden’s What’s in Bloom? Tour
Wednesday, August 19, 10:00-2:00
Rotary Botanical Gardens, 1455 Palmer Dr., Janesville, WI
Step into the heart of nature with our What’s in Bloom Garden Tours! This exclusive series invites you to explore the beauty and wonder of the garden through the changing seasons.
Every month from May to September, you’ll discover what’s currently in bloom, learn insider gardening tips, and get a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the gardens’ vibrant landscapes.
Whether you’re a seasoned plant enthusiast or a curious newcomer, these tours offer an unforgettable experience to connect with nature and expand your horticultural knowledge.
What’s in Bloom Tours are on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, May-September. Free for RBG members (remember to bring your membership card!) or $10 for non-members.
Reserve your spot for each month @ https://www.rotarybotanicalgardens.org/event-details/whats-in-bloom-garden-tours-2026-08-19-10-00 Spaces are limited.
Rotary Botanical Gardens
1455 Palmer Dr., Janesville, WI
608/752-3885 or www.rotarybotanicalgardens.org/
Dragonfly Walk @ the Arboretum
Wednesday, August 19, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Join the Arboretum and the Wisconsin Dragonfly Society for guided walks to learn more about dragonflies and damselflies. Participants can practice identifying species and collecting data for the Arboretum’s dragonfly and damselfly (Odonata) monitoring project. No experience required. Please bring binoculars if you have them. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Walks take place monthly, June through September, but may be canceled for rainy or cool weather. Meet at the Visitor Center.
University of WI Arboretum
1207 Seminole Hwy.
Madison, WI 53711
608/263-7888 or arboretum.wisc.edu
Dahlia Show @ the Goodman Center
Saturday, August 22, 11:00-4:00
Sunday, August 23, 10:00-2:00
Goodman Community Center
149 Waubesa St., Madison, WI 53704
Dahlias are late summer bloomers known for their diverse forms and bright colors. Sponsored by the Badger State Dahlia Society.
On Sunday at 2 p.m., we give away all the blooms, so bring a vase or bucket to carry away some beautiful and FREE cut blooms for your table.
Please visit badgerdahlia.org/meetings-and-events/ for details.
Scenic Stroll @ the Arboretum
Sunday, August 23, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
This gently paced stroll through the gardens is well-suited for a multi-generational outing. Learn about plants, animals, and fungi; phenology; and ecology. Wear sturdy closed-toe shoes and come prepared for weather and insects. Walks take place rain or shine, except in unsafe weather. Routes are wheelchair accessible when weather allows. Free, no registration required. Meet at the Visitor Center.
University of WI Arboretum
1207 Seminole Hwy.
Madison, WI 53711
608/263-7888 or arboretum.wisc.edu
Nature Hike @ the Arboretum
Sunday, August 30, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Learn about the land, plants, animals, fungi, phenology, and ecology. Geared for adults, these longer walks may cover some sloping terrain. Wear sturdy closed-toe shoes. Walks canceled for unsafe weather or trail conditions. Free, no registration required. Meet at the Visitor Center.
University of WI Arboretum
1207 Seminole Hwy.
Madison, WI 53711
608/263-7888 or arboretum.wisc.edu
Dragonfly Walk @ the Arboretum
Wednesday, September 2, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Join the Arboretum and the Wisconsin Dragonfly Society for guided walks to learn more about dragonflies and damselflies. Participants can practice identifying species and collecting data for the Arboretum’s dragonfly and damselfly (Odonata) monitoring project. No experience required. Please bring binoculars if you have them. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Walks take place monthly, June through September, but may be canceled for rainy or cool weather. Meet at the Visitor Center.
University of WI Arboretum
1207 Seminole Hwy.
Madison, WI 53711
608/263-7888 or arboretum.wisc.edu
GLEAM, Art in a New Light @ Olbrich Gardens
(Opening Viewing is Saturday, August 29, 8:00-11:00)
September 2 thru October 24
Wednesdays thru Saturdays in September from 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. in October, rain or shine
In the gardens @ Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Creatures, creatures all around…imagination runs wild when you hear a sound.
From the tall and looming to the small and unassuming, creatures of every shape and size coexist, each playing a role in a global ecosystem. Typically unseen, those that prowl beneath the moonlight, colonies that tunnel deep under foot, or sea dwellers that pulse and glow in the depths of the blue emerge in the twilight. But beyond the familiar lies a realm of imagination—fantastical creatures born of legend and lore: mythical beasts, and monsters – tiny insects that present superhero feats. In this world, plants grow larger than life and communicate in symphony.
As night falls, the Gardens come alive—illuminated in vibrant color patterns, curious movements, and the calls of the wild and the weird—casting light on the rich presence of creatures all around us, whether real or make-believe. Light artists from around the world inspire this world of illuminated enchantment, expanding your imagination beyond what is known.
Ticket sales begin August 4! Advanced timed-tickets are required.
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
3330 Atwood Ave., Madison
608/246-4550 or www.olbrich.org for details.
Dane County Farmer’s Market
Saturdays, April 11 thru November 14, 6:15-1:45
On the Capitol Square
Wednesdays, April 22 thru November 4, 8:30-1:15
In the 200 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
For details visit www.dcfm.org
Northside Farmers Market
Sundays, May 3 through October 25, 8:30-12:30
In the Northside TownCenter at the intersection of N. Sherman Ave. and Northport Dr. across from Warner Park.
The Northside Farmers Market is a nonprofit community enterprise. It is one of the newest and fastest growing farmers’ markets in Dane County. In keeping with the innovative spirit of Madison’s Northside, we are surpassing what defines the traditional farmers’ market. Our fundamental principles include:
–Providing an abundant selection of high quality, locally grown foods.
The market accepts Quest, WIC and Senior FMNP vouchers.
–Supporting our local agricultural entrepreneurs who are increasingly important today in ensuring that we have the best and safest food possible.
–Educating the community about traditional foods and the history of local agriculture in an attempt to preserve (and expand upon) our rich heritage.
Parking is always FREE!
For details visit www.northsidefarmersmarket.org
AUGUST IN THE GARDEN-–A checklist of things to do this month.
___Give the garden at least 1″ of moisture per week.
___Mow as little as possible and with mower raised to at least 2″.
___Mulch beds to conserve moisture and keep down weeds.
___Deadheading spent blooms as needed.
___Collect seeds for next year’s garden.
___Make notes in your garden journal for changes, improvements, etc.
___Take pictures of your garden for record keeping.
___Stake and support tall plants as needed.
___Divide daylilies as they finish blooming.
___Transplant and divide iris and peonies.
___Plant late crops of lettuce, spinach, radishes, etc.
___Order spring bulbs for fall planting: daffodils, tulips, hyacinth, etc.
___Plant fall blooming crocus bulbs.
___Fertilize potted plants at least every 2 weeks. Follow directions.
___Stop fertilizing all trees and shrubs.
___Keep and eye on the weather. Water as needed.
___Watch for pests and control as needed or desired.
___Shop for early mum selection and fall pansies.
Some of our very favorite seed and plant sources include:
For seeds:
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds @ www.rareseeds.com or 417/924-8887
Burpee @ www.burpee.com or 800/888-1447
Harris Seeds @ www.harrisseeds.com or 800/514-4441
Johnny’s Select Seeds @ www.johnnyseeds.com or 207/861-3901
Jung’s Seeds @ www.jungseed.com or 800/247-5864
Park’s Seeds @ www.parkseed.com or 800/845-3369
Pinetree @ www.superseeds.com or 207/926-3400
Seeds of Change @ www.seedsofchange.com or 888/762-7333
Seed Savers @ www.seedsavers.org or 563/382-5990
Select Seeds @ www.selectseeds.com or 800/684-0395
Territorial Seeds @ www.territorialseed.com or 888/657-3131
For bulbs:
Brent & Becky’s Bulbs @ www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com or 877/661-2852
Colorblends @ www.colorblends.com or 888/847-8637
John Scheeper’s @ www.johnscheepers.comor 860/567-0838
For plants:
High Country Gardens @ www.highcountrygardens.com or 800/925-9387
Logee’s Greenhouses @ www.logees.com or 888/330-8038
Plant Delights Nursery @ www.plantdelights.com or 912/772-4794
Roots and Rhizomes @ www.rootsrhizomes.com or 800/374-5035
Wayside Gardens @ www.waysidegardens.com or 800/213-0379
White Flower Farm @ www.whiteflowerfarm.com or 800/503-9624
BEHIND THE SCENES AT KLEIN’S—This is a sneak peek of what is going on each month behind the scenes in our greenhouses. Many people are unaware that our facility operates year round or that we have new state of the art growing greenhouses behind our beautiful open-to-the-public retail space. At any given moment we already have a jump on the upcoming season–be it poinsettias in July, geraniums in December or fall mums in May.
IN AUGUST:
—The poinsettias continue grow and thrive. They’re already so large, that we’ve had to give them adequate spacing.
–The first of the mums, pansies and fall cole crops go out onto the sales floor.
—Summer maintenance projects are under way.
—We continue to space and pamper the fall mums that are now just beginning to bloom by month’s end.
—Many of our perennial, shrub and many annual orders have already been placed for the 2027 season!
PERMANENT FEATURES–
KLEIN’S MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Have our monthly newsletter e-mailed to you automatically by signing up on the top of our home page @ kleinsfloral.com . We’ll offer monthly tips, greenhouse news and tidbits, specials and recipes. . .everything you need to know from your favorite Madison greenhouse. And tell your friends. It’s easy to do.
THE MAD GARDENER–“Madison’s Firsthand Source for Expert Gardening Advice”
Ask us your gardening questions by e-mailing us at [email protected]. Klein’s in-house Mad Gardener will e-mail you with an answer as promptly as we can. The link is posted on our home page and in all newsletters.
We can only answer those questions pertaining to gardening in Southern Wisconsin and we reserve the right to leave correspondence unanswered at our discretion. Please allow 2-3 days for a response.
KLEIN’S ‘HOUSEPLANT HELP’
You can contact Klein’s in-house indoor plant experts by emailing to [email protected] for sound information and advice regarding indoor tropicals, succulents, blooming plants and so much more.
For many years, customers’ indoor plant questions have been directed to Klein’s Mad Gardener. Now you have the opportunity to contact our indoor plant experts directly. We’ve posted a link on our home page and in our contacts for your convenience. Your question might then appear in the “You Asked” feature of our monthly newsletter. If your question is the one selected for our monthly newsletter, you’ll receive a small gift from us at Klein’s.
We reserve the right to leave correspondence unanswered at our discretion. Please allow 2-3 days for a response.
TO WRITE A REVIEW OF KLEIN’S, PLEASE LINK TO
Yelp, Google Reviews or Facebook Reviews
Follow Klein’s on Facebook where we post updates and photos on a regular basis.
SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNT
We offer a 5% Off Senior Citizen Discount every Tuesday to those 62 and above. This discount is not in addition to other discounts or sales. Please mention that you are a senior before we ring up your purchases. Does not apply to wire out orders or services, i.e. delivery, potting, etc.
DELIVERY INFO
Klein’s Floral and Greenhouses delivers daily, except Sundays, throughout all of Madison and much of Dane County including: Cottage Grove, Deerfield, DeForest, Fitchburg, Maple Bluff, Marshall, McFarland, Middleton, Monona, Oregon, Shorewood Hills, Sun Prairie, Verona, Waunakee and Windsor. We do not deliver to Cambridge, Columbus or Stoughton.
Current delivery rate on 1-4 items is $11.95 for Madison, Maple Bluff, Monona and Shorewood Hills; $12.95 for Cottage Grove, DeForest, Fitchburg, McFarland, Sun Prairie, Waunakee and Windsor; $14.95 for Middleton, Oregon and Verona. and $17.95 for Marshall; $19.95 for Stoughton and Cross Plains. An additional $8.00 will be added for deliveries of 4-10 items and $10.00 added for deliveries of more than 10 items. For deliveries requiring more than one trip, a separate delivery charge will be added for each trip.
A minimum order of $50.00 is required for delivery.
We not only deliver our fabulous fresh flowers, but also houseplants, bedding plants and hardgoods. There may be an extra charge for very large or bulky items.
Delivery to the Madison hospitals is $11.95. Deliveries to the four Madison hospitals are made during the early afternoon. Items are delivered to the hospital’s volunteer rooms and not directly to the patients’ rooms per hospital rules.
There is no delivery charge for funerals in the city of Madison or Monona, although normal rates apply for morning funeral deliveries to Madison’s west side (west of Park St.). Our normal rates also apply for funeral deliveries in the surrounding communities at all times. Although we don’t deliver on Sundays, we will deliver funeral items on Sundays at the regular delivery rate.
Morning delivery is guaranteed to the following Madison zip codes, but only if requested: 53703, 53704, 53714, 53716, 53718 and Cottage Grove, Deerfield, DeForest, Maple Bluff, Marshall, McFarland, Monona, Sun Prairie, Waunakee and Windsor.
We begin our delivery day at 8:00 a.m. and end at approximately 3:00 p.m. We do not usually deliver after 4:00 unless specific exceptions are made with our drivers.
Except for holidays, the following west-side zip codes and communities are delivered only during the afternoon: 53705, 53706, 53711, 53713, 53717, 53719, 53726, Fitchburg, Middleton, Oregon, Shorewood Hills and Verona.
During holidays (Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc.) we are able to make morning deliveries to all of the above areas. We are not able to take closely timed deliveries on any holiday due to the sheer volume of such requests.
It’s best to give us a range of time and we’ll try our absolute hardest. Orders for same day delivery must be placed by 12:30 p.m. or by 2:30 p.m. for Madison zip codes 53704 and 53714.
DEPARTMENT HEADS: Please refer all questions, concerns or feedback in the following departments to their appropriate supervisor. Phone: 608/244-5661.
Horticulturalist & General Manager–Jamie VandenWymelenberg [email protected]
Floral Department—Sarah Somson [email protected]
Houseplant Buyer, Newsletter Coordinator—Rick Halbach [email protected]
Purchasing—Megan Buchholz [email protected]
Owner, Floral Designer & Purchasing—Sue Klein [email protected]
RELATED RESOURCES AND WEB SITES
University of Wisconsin Extension
1 Fen Oak Ct. #138
Madison, WI 53718
608/224-3700
Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic
Dept. of Plant Pathology
1630 Linden Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
http://www.plantpath.wisc.edu/index.php
Insect Diagnostic Lab
240 Russell Labs
1630 Linden Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/
U.W. Soil and Plant Analysis Lab
8452 Mineral Point Rd.
Verona, WI 53593
608/262-4364
American Horticultural Society
Garden Catalogs (an extensive list with links)
also http://www.mailordergardening.com/
Invasive Species
http://www.invasiveplants.net/
Community Groundworks
3601 Memorial Dr., Ste. 4
Madison, WI 53704
608/240-0409
http://www.communitygroundworks.org
Madison Area Master Gardeners (MAMGA)
Wisconsin Master Gardeners Program
Department of Horticulture
1575 Linden Drive
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Madison, WI 53706
608/265-4504
The Wisconsin Gardener
Allen Centennial Gardens
620 Babcock Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
608/262-8406
http://www.allencentennialgardens.org/
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
3330 Atwood Ave.
Madison, WI 53704
608/246-4550
Rotary Gardens
1455 Palmer Dr.
Janesville, WI 53545
608/752-3885
University of WI Arboretum
1207 Seminole Hwy.
Madison, WI 53711
608/263-7888
University of Wisconsin-West Madison
Agricultural Research Center
8502 Mineral Point Rd.
Verona, WI 53593
608/262-2257
http://www.cals.wisc.edu/westmad/
PLANTS POISONOUS TO CHILDREN:
Children may find the bright colors and different textures of plants irresistible, but some plants can be poisonous if touched or eaten. If you’re in doubt about whether or not a plant is poisonous, don’t keep it in your home. The risk is not worth it. The following list is not comprehensive, so be sure to seek out safety information on the plants in your home to be safe.
•Bird of paradise
•Bull nettle
•Castor bean
•Chinaberry tree
•Crocus
•Daffodil
•Deadly nightshade
•Dieffenbachia (dumb cane)
•Foxglove
•Glory lily
•Hemlock
•Holly berry
•Indian tobacco
•Iris
•Jimsonweed
•Lantana
•Larkspur
•Lily of the valley
•Marijuana
•Mescal bean
•Mexicantes
•Mistletoe
•Morning glory
•Mountain laurel
•Night-blooming jasmine
•Nutmeg
•Oleander
•Philodendron
•Poison ivy
•Poison sumac
•Pokeweed
•Poppy
•Potato
•Privet
•Rhododendron
•Rhubarb
•Water hemlock
•Wisteria
PLANTS POISONOUS TO PETS:
Below is a list of some of the common plants which may produce a toxic reaction in animals. This list is intended only as a guide to plants which are generally identified as having the capability for producing a toxic reaction. Source: The National Humane Society website @ http://www.humanesociety.org/
•Aconite
•Apple
•Arrowgrasses
•Autumn Crocus
•Azaleas
•Baneberry
•Bird-of-Paradise
•Black locust
•Bloodroot
•Box
•Buckeye
•Buttercup
•Caladium
•Carolina jessamine
•Castor bean
•Chinaberry tree
•Chockcherries
•Christmas berry
•Christmas Rose
•Common privet
•Corn cockle
•Cowbane
•Cow cockle
•Cowsliprb
•Daffodil
•Daphne
•Day lily
•Delphinium (Larkspur)
•Dumbcane
•Dutchman’s breeches
•Easter lily
•Elderberry
•Elephant’s ear
•English Ivy
•European Bittersweet
•Field peppergrass
•Foxglove
•Holly
•Horsechestnut
•Horse nettle
•Hyacinth
•Iris
•Jack-in-the-pulpit
•Jerusalem Cherry
•Jimsonweed
•Lantana
•Larkspur
•Laurels
•Lily of the valley
•Lupines
•Mayapple
•Milk vetch
•Mistletoe
•Monkshood
•Morning glory
•Mustards
•Narcissus
•Nicotiana
•Nightshade
•Oaks
•Oleander
•Philodendrons
•Pokeweed
•Poinsettia
•Poison hemlock
•Potato
•Rhododendron
•Rhubarb
•Rosary pea
•Sago palm
•Skunk cabbage
•Smartweeds
•Snow-on-the-mountain
•Sorghum
•Star of Bethlehem
•Wild black cherry
•Wild radish
•Wisteria
•Yellow jessamine
•Yew