Boerner Botanical Gardens are

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

s located on the grounds of

Whitnall Park Whitnall Park is the largest park in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. It is located in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. The park was named for Charles B. Whitnall. Major work in the park was completed during the Great Depression through the Public Works Ad ...

in the village of Hales Corners,

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, containing about 1 ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. The gardens are named for Alfred Boerner, who designed the original five formal gardens. The Annual, Perennial, Rock, Rose and Peony Gardens were constructed in the 1930s. Later additions included trial, herb, lily and shrub rose gardens, as well as the Bog Walk. Part of the Milwaukee County Park System, the gardens are maintained by professional

horticulturalists Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

. Many species of plant life are cultivated and displayed. The gardens include test and display gardens for All-America Selections, and is an American Hosta Society Display Garden. Boerner Botanical Gardens is open from late April to early November, and closes for the winter. Within the gardens and adjacent to them in Whitnall Park, and along the Root River Parkway is the arboretum, which showcases arranged groves of trees and shrubs. Nearby are the

Wehr Nature Center Wehr Nature Center is a nature preserve located in Hales Corners, Wisconsin: it is part of Whitnall Park. It was named for philanthropist Todd Wehr whose foundation donated US$200,000 to help build the center. History The center opened in 1974 ...

and the historic

Trimborn Farm Trimborn Farm is a Victorian era estate located in Greendale, Wisconsin, United States, and owned by Milwaukee County. Spanning and nine buildings, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The farm is also a State Historic Site ...

estate, which are also maintained by the county park system.

History

Boerner Botanical Gardens were founded by Charles B. Whitnall, founder of the Milwaukee County Park System; Alfred Boerner, who was responsible for the design and architecture of the gardens; and John Voight, director of the Boerner Botanical Gardens for 38 years. The land for the gardens was purchased between 1929 and 1930 for $376 an acre, leaving Milwaukee County with little money to start the development of the park. Federal employment programs implemented during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

helped provide a workforce for developing the gardens, including the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

(CCC) and the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

(WPA).

References

External links

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Milwaukee County Park System
{{Authority control Botanical gardens in Wisconsin Protected areas of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

History

See also

References

External links