Flowers at the Zoo
How does the Zoo’s garden grow? The Milwaukee County Zoo’s horticulturalists tend thousands of plants and flowers every year to decorate the park grounds. In the spring and summer, the Zoo is a sea of colorful flowerbeds and creative, animal-shaped topiaries. In the fall and winter, you can see tropical plants in animal exhibits such as the gorilla enclosure and in the aviary. View the slide show below that will take you on a tour of the Zoo’s prettiest gardens. Plus, take a behind-the-scenes peek at the Zoo’s three greenhouses (usually off-limits to visitors) and meet the horticulture staff.
You can read more about the Zoo’s greenhouse in the fall 2009 issue of Alive, the Zoological Society’s member magazine. Members can access the magazine here. (please have your member number ready to log in). If you would like to become a member and get a free subscription, please see our Zoo Pass page.
Photos by Richard Brodzeller unless otherwise noted.
The greenhouse is home to the “corpse flower” (Amorphophallus titanum), famous for giving off a pungent, rotten odor when it blooms. The flower came from the Milwaukee Public Museum, where it bloomed in November 2008 and attracted many curious visitors. This flower may bloom at the Zoo in about two years, says greenhouse manager Tricia Summers.Photo by Kevin de Wane.
