Planting the gardens at Energy Park

We are prepping Energy Park for your arrival Aug. 4-14 at the Wisconsin State Fair. Energy Park is located on the west side of the fair grounds on Wetley Way at Center Street. It’s an area that provides energy education for young and old.

This week, we gathered to clean up and prepare the gardens for fairgoers. Melinda Myers, our garden expert for the fair, along with volunteers from various landscape and greenhouse companies in Wisconsin, tilled, planted and planned a beautiful garden to share with you.

“Fairgoers can see energy-saving landscape ideas, and ways to grow vegetables, whether you have a small or large garden,” said Myers, who is featured at Energy Park gardening shows two times daily, all 11 days of the fair.

This year, Myers is featuring pollinator plants. Animals such as birds, bees and butterflies transfer pollen between flowers to fertilize them for successful full-bodied plants. Myers will show fairgoers how to create this habitat for you and the pollinators to enjoy.

Some of Myers favorite pollinator plants are salvia plants, such as Wendy’s Wish. It’s a big, beautiful, bold salvia plant that will be sure to bring in hummingbirds. She also says she will be using State Fair zinnia, which seems very fitting for the fair. She says it’s a plant butterflies love.

Another new item this year will be a plantable bar. Myers will show Energy Park visitors how to grow this garden and turn it into a place to pluck those herbs for your cocktails at home.

Myers and We Energies thank the following for the beautification of Energy Park: Ebert’s Greenhouse Village, Milorganite, Bonnie Plants, Crawford Tree & Landscaping Services Inc., ALCS Landscape Maintenance and Terra-Firma Landscape Inc.