Welcome to the Watershed Test Garden

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The Watershed Test Garden is Maureen’s home test garden. It is where she determines what plantings and gardening practices work best for our unpredictable weather and heavy clay soil here in Milwaukee. Weather zones tell us how cold a geographic region gets on average so we can choose plants that can survive in a particular area.  Southeast Wisconsin is classified as Zone 5, where low temperatures average -20 to -10 degrees Fahrenheit.  But winter winds and surprise spring freezes can be the enemy.  This garden needs to handle a lot of abuse – heavy wind off Lake Michigan, morning shade, afternoon scorching sun, urban pollution, invasive weeds from public parkland, lots of foot traffic, and a not-so-delicate English Bulldog and her friends who stop by for playdates. 

Maureen strives to make The Watershed Test Garden a place that functions for her family, includes some of her favorite coastal Jersey plants from childhood, and incorporates native Wisconsin flora for the bees, bugs, birds, and bunnies (well maybe not the bunnies). It is always in flux. At any time Maureen may be ripping out a bed that did not meet the objective, or replacing plants to reflect a new color scheme, or rearranging the layout to meet her family's current use. The Watershed Test Garden has changed dramatically over the past  several years and will continue to evolve.