Milwaukee-area garden tours are greening up for visitors in 2022

Studies have shown that gardening makes people happy.

It must be true — how often do you run into grumpy gardeners?

Following that same thread, garden tours are likely to lift your spirits.

So get ready for a big serotonin boost, as there are lots of exceptional garden tours this year. And those who planned these tours included a variety of unique events.

Amy Johnson, executive director of Roots and Branches, the nonprofit organization sponsoring the 25th annual Gardens of West Bend Tour on July 16 and 17, said one of the highlights of her tour is Kingsheart Farm and Gardens, a thoroughbred horse farm converted to  an event venue.

“They started constructing gardens a few years ago, and they are absolutely lovely. The farm is a beautiful venue. You have rolling pastures, but they have created formal gardens, as well.

“It’s a historic Civil War era farmstead from the mid-1800s. It includes fieldstone and timber structures, and there are eight gardens in multiple garden styles,” she said.

Three large gardens on the tour that abut each other should also be seen.

“Each garden is unique, and the homeowners all garden together. These gardens have also changed over the years. One of the gardens lost some trees, and it went from a shade garden to a sun garden,” Johnson said.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the tour, her group added events at Kingsheart Farm and Garden. They will include seminars on floral design, monarch butterflies, and gardening for wildlife.