Arbor Day 2017 Celebration, Free Day at Boerner Botanical Gardens

MILWAUKEE , WI – To celebrate Arbor Day 2017, Boerner Botanical Gardens with free admission April 28, at 10 a.m. The Botanical Gardens are located at 9400 Boerner Drive, in Whitnall Park.

During the Arbor Day celebration, officials will join K-4 students from West Allis Jefferson Elementary School and Parks staff in planting two trees. Being planted at the north end of parking lot islands are a Shawnee Brave Bald cypress and a Kindred Spirit hybrid oak, an English oak hybridized with a swamp white oak.

Free saplings, courtesy of Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful in partnership with the Argosy Foundation, will be available to 100 visitors. Varieties include red oak (Quercus rubra), bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa), and swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor).

Hours of the Botanical Gardens and Garden House

8 a.m.-6 p.m., seven days a week From April 29-Oct. 29, admission is $5.50 for adults age 18 and up; $4.50 for students of any age with ID, Milwaukee County seniors age 60 and up with ID, and people with disabilities; and $3.50 for youths age 6-17.

First Tuesdays at The Gardens, the free-admission day for Milwaukee County residents, will be offered from May-September, except major holidays. In 2017, the free days are May 2, June 6, Aug. 1, and Sept. 5. To receive free admission, residents must show ID and proof of residency and must wear the official daily wristband.

After the ceremony, Dave Wanninger, a horticulturist with the Botanical Gardens, will lead a walk focused on the historical trees of the Botanical Gardens and the surrounding Arboretum. Some trees are on the list of Wisconsin Champion Trees.

The Boerner Botanical Gardens Arboretum occupies over 1000 acres in Whitnall Park and the adjoining Root River Parkway. The Arboretum has received Level II Accreditation from the Morton Register. The accreditation program recognizes arboreta for achieving professional standards to advance the planting and conservation of trees.

For more information, call Boerner Botanical Gardens at (414) 525-5601 or visit countyparks.com.