Tickets for All Events are Limited and Available Online Only
The Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee (GCGM) partners with The Garden Conservancy (TGC) to bring garden tours, such as Open Days, a popular national program of The Garden Conservancy, and Digging Deeper educational programming to the greater Milwaukee area each summer.
In 2023 even more unique, rarely open, private gardens in the greater Milwaukee area will welcome visitors.
Three gardens will be open for tours on Saturday, June 24th and Sunday, June 25th, and another three will be open on Saturday, August 19th and Sunday, August 20th
Additionally, Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee and Garden Conservancy also sponsor 2 premier Digging Deeper events.
Check the detailed information about every garden and event below. Save the dates and buy your tickets now by using the link to The Garden Conservancy's website on the right.
TO BUY TICKETS FOR ALL EVENTS CLICK ON THE ICON ABOVE
DIGGING DEEPER: Saturday, May 6th and Sunday May 7th
Cultivating Edible Mushrooms - A Mushroom Inoculation Workshop
Saturday, May 6th two sessions: 10 AM to 12 PM and 2 PM to 4 PM;
Sunday, May 7th: 2 PM to 4 PM.
Join Steve Shapson and MJ Jansen, mushroom foragers and growers, to learn about cultivating mushrooms. Then, join an assembly line as you inoculate specially-harvested logs from Northern Wisconsin with shiitake, oyster and chestnut mushroom spawn. Leave with one log of each kind of mushroom, detailed care instructions (some shade required) and an outline of sources for mushroom growing supplies and other mushroom-related topics. Additional inoculated logs are available for purchase at $10 per log.
Tickets are limited and only available online: $50 per person; $45 for Garden Conservancy Members.
Please note this Digging Deeper event is not appropriate for children under the age of 15.
GARDENS open Saturday, June 24th and Sunday, June 25th
Hill Top House – River Hills, Milwaukee County
Saturday, June 24th and Sunday, June 25th: 10 AM to 4 PM
Explore this magnificent 15-acre estate with interconnecting pathways, artfully landscaped man-made ponds and recirculating stream, and parterre fountain and sculpture gardens, among other highlights. Formally-clipped evergreen hedges define the foundation gardens and terraces, as well as the pea gravel pathways and circular drive.
Tickets are limited and only available online: $10 per person, $5 for Garden Conservancy members. Children under 12 free with a paid adult admission.
The Chimneys – River Hills, Milwaukee County
Saturday, June 24th and Sunday, June 25th: 10 AM to 4 PM
Set on 15 acres, this property features a formal rose garden, perennial and vegetable gardens,
water and woodland gardens and an extensive arboretum, along with a Gothic-inspired tree
house designed by the owner. The arboretum includes collections of rare native, European, and
Asian trees and shrubs (including a collection of more than 60 magnolias) to frame the vistas and
the water gardens.
Tickets are limited and only available online: $10 per person, $5 for Garden Conservancy members. Children under 12 free with a paid adult admission.
Afterglow Farm – Port Washington, Ozaukee County
Saturday, June 24th and Sunday, June 25th. 3 sessions each day: 10-12 AM, 12-2 PM and 2-4 PM
Set on 120 acres bordering the spectacular Lake Michigan shoreline, this country residence was
established by Joseph and Ilma Uihlein in 1929, and remains in the family almost 100 years later.
A Germanic-style timber and fieldstone cottage and outbuildings, as well as accents purchased in
Europe to enhance the landscaping, set the tone for informal country gardens, a Circle Garden
surrounding a fish pool and fountain, and a Terrace Garden with a stonework floor inspired by the Thyme Walk at Highgrove House in England, among many other highlights.
Tickets are limited and only available online: $10 per person, $5 for Garden Conservancy members. Children under 12 free with a paid adult admission.
GARDENS open Saturday, August 19th and Sunday, August 20th
Dorothy Danforth’s Garden – Brown Deer, Milwaukee County
Saturday, August 19th and Sunday, August 20th 10 AM to 4 PM.
Dorothy Danforth’s Garden is a symphony of color, shape, texture and painterly style, even
including a “Rhapsody in Blue” garden which showcases plants in tones of blue including
evergreens, hostas, sedums, shade perennials, and artwork. Started 43 years ago with one shrub
on a half-acre corner lot with no landscaping, the garden that greets you today incorporates
annuals and perennials, including some varieties you rarely (or may never) see, over 200
varieties of evergreens, and carefully curated artwork to complement this unique garden tapestry.
This garden was featured in a profile in 2022 in the Journal Sentinel:
Tickets are limited and only available online: $10 per person, $5 for Garden Conservancy members. Children under 12 free with a paid adult admission.
The Glasshouse Garden – Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County
Saturday, August 19th and Sunday, August 20th 10 AM to 4 PM.
The Glasshouse Garden is a 15-year-old garden set on a half acre surrounding an English Tudor-
style house that is almost 100 years old. With the house as inspiration, as well as travels in
Europe, the owner has created a formal garden, overflowing with an abundance of color,
sophisticated clipped hedges and classic garden accents, including the greenhouse which is the
namesake for this garden. A visit to this garden is like a visit to Europe, without the necessity of leaving Milwaukee.
Tickets are limited and only available online: $10 per person, $5 for Garden Conservancy members. Children under 12 free with a paid adult admission.
The Playhouse Garden – Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County
Saturday, August 19th and Sunday, August 20th 10 AM to 4 PM.
Perched high on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, the Playhouse Garden gets its name from a charming playhouse with leaded glass windows and a working fireplace that was built with leftover building materials from the main house at a cost of $150 in the 1930s. The playhouse and the Tudor stone home set the tone for gardens in the English style that slowly lead you to a sweeping vista with mature maple trees that frame Lake Michigan. Seed saving is something her mother and grandmother taught her to do, and several generations of plants grace this garden which had a cameo appearance in the 2018 movie, Small Town Wisconsin.
Tickets are limited and only available online: $10 per person, $5 for Garden Conservancy members. Children under 12 free with a paid adult admission.
Digging Deeper Event: Discover the Magic of Greenfire Woods – River Hills, Milwaukee County
Saturday, August 19th two sessions: 10 AM to 12 PM and 2 PM to 4 PM;
Greenfire Woods has both wild native areas, including a never-developed woodland along a
secluded stretch of the Milwaukee River with oak, maple and beech trees (some over 100 years
old), and charming cottage and vegetable gardens, which include tall and graceful self-seeding
annuals which add an element of whimsey. A highlight is artisan-made wooden accents,
including a chicken coop with a sod roof, an arbor, rustic furniture and fences, which give the
property a “secret garden” vibe. Join owner Hattie Purtell as she shares her deep knowledge of
plants, her exploration of biodynamic methods for growing the healthiest and tastiest food for her
family, and the wisdom of a lifetime in the garden.
Tickets are limited and only available online: $40 per person; $30 for Garden Conservancy Members.