Agrace’s Madison Gardens

At the building's main entrance, annual beds on both sides of the walk welcome you with bright colors and textures, providing all-season interest.

The adjacent Butterfly Veranda features plants that attract butterflies and other pollinators, such as hummingbirds and bees. Down the sidewalk to the west, you can find our hosta garden underneath a crabapple tree. This garden has a variety of hostas, punctuated with heucheras, hydrangeas and ornamental springtime globe allium.

The beds on the opposite side of the driveway feature lilies, Black Eyed Susans, amsonia, fragrant sumac and tickseed coreopsis.

Woodlands span the area between our main parking lot and East Cheryl Parkway. These woods have an abundance of birds and other wildlife. In spring, look for seasonal flowers like winter aconite, snowdrops, trilliums, trout lily and bleeding hearts on the woodland floor. To the east of the Memorial Walk is our Heritage Oak tree. This massive bur oak is on the Dane County map of Heritage Oak trees and is estimated to be more than 200 years old.

Our Memorial Walk hosts personalized bricks and garden trellises with engraved memorial butterflies that honor people who have left an imprint on the lives of Agrace supporters. This garden features a pond filled with water lilies, which is surrounded by arrowhead and irises.
Aeration, aquatic plantings, beneficial bacteria and enzymes are used to naturally control pond algae.

You are welcome to sit on the benches overlooking the pond to watch dragonflies dart above the lily pads and hear the frogs serenading each other. Fall and winter bring a sense of peace and serenity as snow blankets the pond, awaiting the spring.

The Agrace Forest Trail spans the length of the three-acre forest behind Agrace. In warm months, it's a cooling, shaded stroll. The trail meanders through oak, hickory, black walnut, sugar maple and hackberry trees. In the spring, mayapples, Jack-in-the-pulpits and wild geraniums fill the forest floor. Listen for birds, chipmunks, squirrels and occasional deer as you enjoy the tranquility of this mixed hardwoods gem.

There are three bird-feeding stations along the path that's visible from patient patios. Agrace's horticulture staff fill the feeders weekly. Plants such as hyssop, St. John’s wort, sedge and creeping dogwood provide birds with seeds and attract the small insects they need to feed their young.

Watch for cardinals, blue jays, chickadees and finches throughout the year. In the spring, you may be surprised to see our resident sandhill cranes and perhaps some young tom turkeys looking for a snack!

Agrace's kitchen gardens provide us with fresh, local, organic food to serve our patients, staff and visitors. Here we feature staples like potatoes, kale, beans, tomatoes, basil, chives, mint and thyme. An elegant arch supports beans and cucumbers. Our chef’s iconic goddess dressing features the garden produce and remains a staff favorite! A dedicated team of volunteers helps with planting, watering and harvesting these crops.

Along the Wellness Loop behind the building, you’ll notice a dry riverbed that winds along the path. This riverbed helps to channel water during heavy rains and prevents erosion. Water runs below the footbridge into the bioswale on the north side of the parking lot, then to the pond, where water is absorbed to prevent flooding the lot.

Along Fahey Glen Road there is a robust prairie planting that ends at a wildlife pond. This pond is home to our visiting sandhill cranes, who use it as a breeding ground and chick-rearing station through midsummer.

Enjoy the lovely blooms here, including bergamot, coneflowers, wild quinine, prairie dock, cup plant and asters among the prairie grasses. Springtime comes alive with chirping spring peepers.

Agrace is on a slope that is adjacent to the Lake Waubesa watershed and can collect a lot of rainfall. To divert some of this rain from overflowing into the stormwater system, we have multiple rain gardens that are planted with deep-rooted hydrophyllic plants. Zizzia, various sedges, baptisia and milkweed help absorb and filter this overflow. Two of our rain gardens feature spectacular river birch trees.