Shoveling Floral Shop Sidewalk

Shoveling Floral Shop Sidewalk
John Falter
February 28, 1948

“It was cold in New York,” Post editors say of this John Falter (1910-1982) cover, “and the cagey artist did most of his investigating behind glass, riding up and down on a Madison Avenue bus.” Painting the scene, Falter figured the frozen-faced workers would get an ironic chuckle from the fact that inside the flower shop window it is spring. Or perhaps not. Editors also had to note that Falter delivered his picture to the Post “just before the first of the winter’s oversize snowstorms hit New York. Then the artist hauled out for Arizona, where you may enjoy scenes like this in comfort.”

Springtime, 1935 Boy with Bunny

Springtime, 1935 Boy with Bunny
Norman Rockwell
April 27, 1935

“You can’t buy a straw hat and make it look old by rubbing dirt in it,” Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) wrote in My Adventures as an Illustrator. “A hat has to be worn in the sun and sweated in and sat on and rained on. Then it’ll be old. And look it.” In 1935 Rockwell was asked to illustrate Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and he took the costuming very seriously. Desperately needing the right hat for Huck, he found just the thing in, appropriately, Hannibal, Missouri, Twain’s hometown. He spotted “a man walking along the road wearing a straw hat in a beautiful state of decay” and managed to buy it from him. Before long he ended up with a carload of clothes, “all old and rotten, battered, tattered, and splotched.”

Folks around Hannibal no doubt talked for a long time about that crazy guy who paid good money for their old duds, but the book illustrations were done to everyone’s satisfaction. And, like the boy greeting spring (left) with his worn hat and raggedy pants, some Post covers reflected the “Huck Finn look.”

Reading Among the Blossoms

Reading Among the Blossoms
F. Sands Brunner
Country Gentleman
May 1, 1936

Despite the fact that F. Sands Brunner (1886-1954) was very much a rugged outdoorsman who enjoyed camping, canoeing, and mountain climbing, most of his paintings reflect domesticity with adorable children and lovely women. This 1936 work from Post sister publication Country Gentleman is a case in point. The rich color and skillful use of lighting are typical of Brunner’s work. The Boyertown, Pennsylvania, native painted three Country Gentleman and two Post covers.

Appalachian Rhododendrons

Appalachian Rhododendrons
John Clymer
May 27, 1961

Nature took over on a grand scale in most of John Clymer’s (1907-1989) 80 Post covers, and people were secondary. In fact, the viewer almost has to squint to see the family consisting of Dad with baby on his back, Mom in straw hat, and daughter leading them along the trail to Craggy Pinnacle near Asheville, North Carolina. Clymer told Post editors, “Sections of the trail wind through 10-foot-high rhododendrons, and the ground is carpeted with the rich pink petals of the flowers that have fallen.”

“These floriferous slopes look their best in mid-June,” editors noted in 1961, “as they did when the Catawba and the Cherokee held sway in the Carolinas. But if the scenery of the area has not changed much, the people have. What self-respecting Indian brave would have toted a papoose on his back?”

Hardware Store at Springtime

Hardware Store at Springtime
Stevan Dohanos
March 16, 1946

Artist Stevan Dohanos (1907-1994) loved hardware stores, and editors informed us that “the store he has painted affectionately for this week’s cover is a composite of many where Dohanos himself has obeyed the impulse, very strong in the spring, to buy a lot of new garden tools.” They warned, however, “this equipment buying is by all odds the most popular phase of gardening, for on a bland spring day there is nothing like the feel of a good rake or hoe in your hand—in the hardware store.”

Ready to Garden

Ready to Garden
J.C. Leyendecker
May 6, 1916

This gentleman has made his trip to the hardware store and is hauling those spring purchases, lawn mower and all, back by public transportation. Perhaps more surprising is that the illustration is by the great J.C. Leyendecker, the man responsible for those chiseled Arrow Collar men who “haunted several generations of less fortunate-mankind,” according to David Rowland in a 1973 issue of the Post. In Leyendecker’s 40-plus years with The Saturday Evening Post, he showed amazing versatility as an illustrator, depicting subjects varying from elegant to comical in more than 300 covers.

Classic Covers: A Hint of Spring The Saturday Evening Post

Recipe 2

• 2 ½ cups watermelon
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 lime, peeled
• Greens

Tip: If you’re new to green smoothies, Miles recommends that only 10 percent of your smoothie be greens (spinach is a good beginner’s green because of its mild flavor) and gradually increase them to 40 percent as you grow accustomed to the taste.

Looking for more? The Post has featured nine of the 300 recipes available in The Green Smoothie Bible (three summer smoothies, two autumn smoothies, and two winter smoothies). Try one or all and share your green smoothie adventures in the comments below.

Spring Recipes from The Green Smoothie Bible The Saturday Evening Post

First Flower
Norman Rockwell
March 22, 1947

Author Jim Butcher wrote, “Men plan. Fate laughs.” Everyone can pinpoint a time in their lives when fate stepped in and skewered well-laid strategies. That’s particularly true of Gene Pelham, the model in the cover at right celebrating the arrival of spring. The New York native had moved his family to Arlington, Vermont, in 1938 from New Rochelle, New York. In that former life, he was an artist and photographer and knew (and occasionally modeled for) the great Norman Rockwell. But in Arlington, Pelham was happily ensconced in the country and hoped to try his hand at farming, raising livestock, and, in his own words, “building stuff.”

One crisp fall day in 1938, Pelham was working on his car in the front yard of his new Vermont digs when a stranger pulled into his driveway. The driver rolled down his window and said, “Can you tell me where the West Arlington Bridge is?”

As Pelham’s son Tom relates the story, his dad looked up and was amazed to see none other than Rockwell behind the wheel. “Norman? What are you doing here?” Pelham asked. Rockwell explained he was moving to Arlington.

And so, Pelham not only returned to modeling for the First Flower cover but he later became Rockwell’s assistant. He found and photographed models, scouted locations, and more. Fate certainly had other intentions for this would-be farmer.

First Crocus The Saturday Evening Post

"You were right—green is a restful color."
from November 12, 1960

"How’s it going?"
from March 12, 1960

"I think we’d better go clean our rooms—Mom’s getting serious."
from July/August 1993

"That certainty isn't how I'd fix a leak in the roof."
from October 24, 1942

from August 1, 1959

"Charlie saved a bundle by building our cabinets himself…
that is, if you don’t count what the hospital charged
for sewing his thumb back on."
from July/August 1993

"There! There! That shade of red."
from May/June 2007

Cartoons: Spring Spruce Up The Saturday Evening Post

“April Showers” by J.C. Leyendecker

April 5, 1919

This 1919 cover shows a lady prepared for a downpour, but not everyone is ready for the worst.

“Baseball Rained Out” by Charles A. MacLellan

August 4, 1917

Game called on account of wetness. The artist, Charles A. MacLellan, did almost fifty Saturday Evening Post covers and this 1917 one is a treat.

“Commuters in the Rain” by John Falter

from October 7, 1961

Making a run for it in 1961 are these commuters rushing from the train. Why does the rain on the plains fall mainly when we detrain? This was by one of our favorite cover artists, John Falter, who cheated: he painted the railroad station in Gynedd Valley, PA while it was sunny and dry.

“Cub Scouts in Phone Booth” by Richard Sargent

August 26, 1961

Somehow on their country hike, these Cub Scouts were able to use their tracking skills to find a phone booth. “We realize this is an awfully small Cub pack,” Post editors wrote, “but artist Dick Sargent simply couldn’t pack any more boys into the booth.” Good luck finding a phone booth these days, but this cover was from 1961.

“Flat Tire, Flat Evening” by Ellen Pyle

November 24, 1934

It’s raining, you are in formal wear, and a tire goes flat – anything else? Oh yes, the nearest garage is five miles away. This 1934 cover is a unique one for delightful artist Ellen Pyle; most of her Post covers were of adorable children or young ladies.

“Splashed” by John LaGatta

May 20, 1939

Stylish, willowy ladies and gorgeous colors – it must be the work of artist John LaGatta. But as we learned from the cover above, being elegantly attired tempts fate. What can be more of an affront than looking urbane and polished and getting splashed by a passing car? We have an answer below. (See more of The Elegant Art of John LaGatta.)

“Muddied by Dry Cleaning Truck” by Stevan Dohanos

October 2, 1948

Adding insult to wetness, these pedestrians are getting soiled by, what else? A dry-cleaning truck. Ever the realist, artist Stevan Dohanos followed delivery trucks around Bridgeport, Connecticut for a while in order to study “splash detail.” Once he got the technique, that twisted humor that afflicted so many of our fine cover artists kicked in and he decided to paint a truck delivering clean laundry. We’re sure it was a driver oversight and not an attempt to drum up business. For more wonderful art by this artist, see “The Great Covers of Stevan Dohanos.”

Classic Covers: April Showers The Saturday Evening Post

“Queen of Spring”

May 23, 1931

We’re celebrating the spring birthday of our most prolific cover artist with three very different springtime covers. This 1931 cover we call “Queen of Spring” is what J.C. Leyendecker was known for: an elaborate tapestry of a painting, lush in detail.

“Ready for Spring Cleaning”

May 15, 1937

Leyendecker (March 23, 1874-July 25, 1951) also painted delightful character covers, such as this very different spring queen: a take-no-prisoners woman from 1937 ready for spring cleaning.

Norman Rockwell stopped at 321 Post covers out of deference to the artist he idolized, J.C. Leyendecker, who painted 322. “Between 1900 and 1945, Joe Leyendecker painted like a machine gun,” state Lawrence S. Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler in their 2008 book about Leyendecker.

“Two Children with Easter Flowers”

April 4, 1908

Leyendecker was adept at sweet depictions of children, like these two from 1908, all dressed-up for Easter.

Leyendecker painted covers for a number of magazines in addition to the Post, but perhaps ironically, he is best remembered as the illustrator who created the handsome “Arrow Collar Man.” But from 1899 all the way through two world wars, he created a glorious body of work for The Saturday Evening Post for which we are most grateful.

Classic Covers: Happy Birthday, J.C. Leyendecker The Saturday Evening Post

Photo By Hugh Kretschmer.

For some time the least-used part of our house, the basement, had been the cause of the most stress. Strewn about and packed into the sectioned spaces—a finished playroom with two storage rooms on either side with exposed cinderblock walls—were baby furniture and toys, car safety seats, obsolete electronics, boxes of books, cans of paint, camping and sports equipment, bags of jumble, and three boxes containing the entire written and photographic archives of a deceased wing of my mother’s family.

I was all for eBay and turning old stuff into cash, but neither my wife nor I could work up the enthusiasm to act on this idea. The cluttered space below the stairs where neither of us could bear to go slowly began to develop into a field of conflict. The two of us are of a single mind about many things—about most things—but we realized that we differ on stuff. It took us a while to realize this, but one day as we were struggling (okay, arguing) about the functionally cordoned off no-go zone down there, it hit me: I was a hoarder; she was a stockpiler.

There’s a fine distinction. As a hoarder, I can never let things go, sensing either sentimental or monetary value in items that are notable to my wife only because they occupy valuable space. I had boxes of postcards people sent me in the 1980s. I kept computer cables. (Hey, you never knew when they might come in handy.)

As a stockpiler, my wife is a member of a different species entirely. The stockpiler always buys more than he or she needs, then justifies it in economic terms. Buying in bulk saved my wife from having to make multiple trips to Costco and Trader Joe’s, she explained. I understand the argument perfectly when it comes to paper towels, toilet paper, and lightbulbs, but it didn’t explain what looked to me like a lifetime supply of chocolate sauce. The reason for that, she said dismissively as if I were missing the whole point, was that she bought more after forgetting she’d already stockpiled a goodly amount a few months earlier.

Consider the types, though. One is focused on what’s past, the other on the future. So we came to see the basement as being divided between my urgent desire for historical preservation and, well, her grand vision. Or to put it another way, between my junk and her supplies. (“Not my supplies,” she would say, “our supplies,” since I too would use the stocks, including, naturally, the chocolate sauce.)

We agreed we needed to address it, but because it was out of sight we just let it grow. To an outsider, it might have seemed as if we were nurturing an indoor junkyard.

Then I got into a conversation with Richard Lyntton, who had a business to help people deal with their clutter. Lyntton developed his thinking during five years of sharing space with fellow soldiers in the Royal Tank Regiment. “When you’re in such a confined space, it forces you to consider what you truly need,” he told me.

Lyntton sees clutter as more than a matter of just, well, matter. “Most people think of it purely on a physical level,” he said, “but clearing physical clutter is a good place to start clearing your whole mental and spiritual deck. What matters ultimately isn’t the thing itself but that you have a feeling of peace.”

As far as my historical preservation project was concerned, he suggested loading a rented truck and dropping it all at a local thrift store. “Just get rid of it,” he said. “It’s all dead energy. You’ll feel great once it’s gone.”

And so I determined to address the mess. Taking Lyntton’s advice not to procrastinate, I went to the basement without so much as a pit stop at the fridge.

I went down deep. Real deep.

Photo By Hugh Kretschmer.

There were photos, letters from an old girlfriend, schoolwork, and stories and diaries that I felt vaguely embarrassed to read now, as if I were sneaking a peak at someone else’s private life. Other objects, too, cued remembrance of things past, and the experience of poring through the stuff seemed to telescope events, making them appear closer than they had been in years. An old typewriter took me back to my first ambitious—if grandiose—days of writing, blazing away in the basement of my parents’ house.

The act of disposing became by turns emotional, sentimental, and then, finally, cathartic.

Lyntton was right that all the stuff wasn’t just stuff, but it wasn’t “dead” at all. It was a record. Events and relationships had run a course with a beginning, middle, and end. People had married, borne children, divorced, and died.

“If I knew things would no longer be,” says the narrator at the end of the Barry Levinson film Avalon, “I would have tried to remember better.”

I scored my vanity a few times, too, with photos that were like time-lapse shots for a PowerPoint presentation on aging. Which pushed me toward another thought: Where have all the years—my years—gone?

The fear of the future, the unknown, is common enough, but what spurred my fear of the future was how quickly the past had passed. Childhood passes under the pressure of anticipation, slowly while it’s in progress, but as a parent, at least for me, the years have seemed to float up and burst like bubbles. The past was contained in finite objects, and they reminded me of the finitude of time.

Of course, there’s a practical side to it all, too. If the objects help you remember and, so, give a certain shape to your life, they have a totally opposite impact on your digs. They accumulate, time stuffed into a space. A brave few pay $100 an hour to get walked and talked through the process of divesting. Some people are forced to deal with it at certain times, such as when they move or when the spirit moves them, but it’s inevitably left to the people who bury the dead to toss out their junk as well—and to wonder why the heck anyone would keep thus-and-such.

My afternoon of purging passed quickly. The garage filled with stuff that I vowed I would soon take away to the thrift shop or the dump. My wife came home. “Wow,” she said, “you really did some job. You look tired.”
“I feel all cleaned out,” I said.

She surveyed the basement, the cause if not the scene of a few battles. Enough space had been reclaimed that we could find a meeting place somewhere in the middle of the room to start armistice talks. She considered the open space.

“I’d say it looks like we’re about halfway there,” she said.

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

Conquer Clutter The Saturday Evening Post

Try it. I dare you.

And the best part is … the bread, which can be served round the clock.

Breakfast: Serve toasted with a drizzle of honey and a side of cottage cheese.
Lunch: Serve with a scoop of light chicken salad on a bed of greens.
Dinner: Serve with an entree of honey-glazed salmon.
Dessert: Serve with a scoop of low-fat coffee ice cream.

Homemade Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

(Makes 1 loaf)

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons margarine, softened
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted

Warm milk in small saucepan until it bubbles. Remove from heat and let cool until lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside until frothy. Mix in eggs, sugar, butter or margarine, salt, and raisins. Stir in cooled milk. Gradually add flour to make a stiff dough. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, about 10 minutes. Place in greased mixing bowl and turn to coat dough. Cover with damp cloth and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Press or roll out on lightly floured surface into large rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons milk over dough. Mix together 1/4 cup sugar and 3 teaspoons cinnamon, and sprinkle mixture on top of dough. Roll up tightly, about 3 inches in diameter, and tuck under ends. Place loaf into well greased 9 x 5-inch pan. Lightly grease top and allow to rise again for 1 hour.

Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes, or until loaf is lightly browned. Remove from pan and brush with melted butter or margarine. Let cool before slicing.

Baking Bread: Cinnamon Raisin The Saturday Evening Post

Here comes summer, and with it, your garden’s biggest growth spurt. Get ahead of those extra inches by pinching back new growth on annuals and perennials to encourage more branching and blooms. Use your garden shears or thumb and forefinger to remove the plant’s tips just above the uppermost pair of leaves.

Tall, bushy, and vining plants (e.g., delphinium, peony, or clematis) benefit from support, so get plant cages, bamboo stakes, and trellises into the soil now. Old fence posts, shovel handles, or sections of snow fence make economical plant reinforcements.

Amend garden soil while there’s space to work around your plants. Add in 2 to 4 inches of compost, aged manure, or peat moss to the top 8 inches of soil and follow up with a fresh layer of mulch. Fallen pine needles, grass clippings, or even shredded leaves will do the trick in a pinch.

Primp the Patio

Spruce up outdoor furniture for spring with a quick clean up. Whisk away dirt and cobwebs with a broom or soft-bristle brush, then sponge down chairs, tables, and cushions with a solution of 1/4 cup mild dishwashing detergent and 1 gallon of warm water and wipe dry with a clean rag. Use fine grit sandpaper to remove peeling paint, mold, rust, or even bird droppings and follow up with touch-up paint as needed. Treat wood furniture with a coat of water repelling wood sealer, metal furniture with liquid or paste auto wax, and aluminum furniture with a one-to-one mixture of vinegar and water. (Check the manufacturer’s care instructions.)

Close Companions

By planting your veggies with the right partner, you’ll keep pests at bay and encourage growth. Cheerful nasturtiums deter squash bugs and whiteflies (their edible flowers also make a tasty addition to fresh salads) while marigolds repel nematodes, tomato hornworms, and bean, cucumber, and asparagus beetles. Peppers thrive alongside carrots, onions, parsnips, and peas, and tomatoes flourish near basil, bush bean, chive, lettuce, and cucumber.

Notes from the Field: Summer Growth Spurt The Saturday Evening Post

Several years ago my wife and I rented a house that had, attached to its hindquarters, a screened-in back porch. Though it was our vacation and we had made ambitious plans for the week, the pull of the screened porch proved too great, causing us to scrap our agenda and spend our days reclining in twin hammocks, reading, beyond the reach of the horseflies and mosquitoes.

Over the next few years, I revisited that pleasant porch many times in my memory, recalling the cool breeze circulating around me, the gentle throb of the evening crickets, the sweet iced tea within arm’s reach, the book tented upon my chest as I slid into a nap.

Winters rolled into springs and springs into summers. I turned 48 and felt the press of time, my life half spent without a screened porch to show for it. Then last spring, I phoned a builder, who walked around the house with me, studying it, looking for the obvious place to attach a porch.

“How about we build on a front porch?” he said.

“Wouldn’t work,” I told him. “We’d have to chop down my wife’s magnolias. She’d skin us alive.”

“We could always come off the kitchen,” the builder said. “Tear out this wall here, put a door there, move the garage over there.”

He stretched out his tape measure, punched some numbers into his calculator, and quoted a figure that was more than we’d paid for the house. Why is it that whenever I hire a builder, no matter how small or large the project, it inevitably involves the depletion of my entire savings?

By then, I had painted myself into a corner. Believing the porch’s cost would be modest, I had begun buying porch furniture and stacking it in our garage—a rocker, couch, swing, tables, chairs, a fan, a lamp by which to read, one sign forbidding the use of cell phones, and another sign prohibiting the use of dirty words, such as Congress, incumbent, Republican, Democrat, or Tea Party.

I’m a simple Quaker minister and have to watch my expenditures, lest I become the subject of gossip and speculation. Quaker ministers are granted wide latitude in theological matters, but have to toe the line when it comes to simplicity. There are Quaker porches and Episcopalian porches, and I am expected to know the difference. I thanked the builder, an Episcopalian, and sent him on his way.

Later that evening, my wife and I were discussing our prospective porch, and she suggested I build it. There was a time I would have tackled a job like that with confident enthusiasm, but that was several explosions ago, and I’ve grown more timid over the years. The phrase, “I’ll build it myself” has become codespeak for “How about I screw it up so bad we’ll spend twice as much paying someone else to fix it?”

A few days later my friend Dave Helton came to visit. Dave is a human encyclopedia, able to dredge up, sort out, and spew forth arcane bits of data on any topic related to the home.

“Why don’t you just hang mosquito curtains on your breezeway?” he asked. “People down South use ’em all the time. You put ’em up in the spring, take ’em down in the fall. Cost you a couple hundred bucks.”

I went online, entered the words “mosquito curtains,” and landed on a company in Georgia, owned by a man named Kurt, who, despite once having a job on Wall Street, looked reasonably trustworthy. I phoned Kurt, told him the dimensions of our breezeway, read him the numbers on our credit card, and four days later the UPS man delivered our mosquito curtains. Kurt had predicted it would take two hours to hang the curtains and thoughtfully included directions, which I ignored, adding several hours to the installation time. After hanging the curtains, I transferred the rockers, couch, swing, tables, chairs, fan, lamp, and signs from the garage to our breezeway. It was a tight squeeze, but I shoehorned them in.

There is much concern in our country these days about our national debt, climate change, and health care. My plan of action is to sit many hours on my porch this summer, drinking sweet iced tea and not thinking about them.

My Porch Plan The Saturday Evening Post

View the gallery.

All of these delightful covers are available in reprints at: www.curtispublishing.com

A Norman Rockwell Spring The Saturday Evening Post

“Warm weather causes tree and grass pollens to flourish, leaving millions sneezing and sniffling,” says allergist Dr. James Sublett of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). “If spring allergy symptoms are hurting your quality of life, you may want to see an allergist to determine your specific allergies and find the right treatment to stop your symptoms.”

Here are some dos and don’ts about springtime allergies from the ACAAI:

Don’t spend blindly on over-the-counter medications. You may think you know what’s causing your allergy symptoms, but more than two-thirds of spring allergy sufferers actually have year-round allergies. Do get an accurate diagnosis and discuss which treatment options might be best for you with an allergist. Some OTC treatments  can be very effective. Immunotherapy (allergy shots and sometimes pills), can actually cure allergies, and keep you out of the drug store aisles for good.

Don’t delay taking allergy medicines until your symptoms are making you miserable. Do pay attention to the weather, and have a ready supply of the medication that worked for you in the past. Start taking it just before the weather turns warm and pollens and molds are released into the air.

Don’t invite trouble—steer clear of your allergy triggers. Finding the right treatment is important, but it’s also critical to avoid whatever is triggering your symptoms. Do keep windows shut if you have a pollen allergy. Take a shower when you come inside and stay indoors during midday when pollen counts are highest.

Don’t eat foods that aggravate sniffles and sneezing. If your mouth, lips, and throat get itchy and you sniffle and sneeze after eating certain raw or fresh fruits or other foods, you may have “oral allergy syndrome.” Do be aware that oral allergy syndrome affects about one-third of those with seasonal allergies. It occurs when the immune system reacts to similar proteins found in pollen and food. If you are allergic to tree pollen, you may need to avoid apples, cherries, pears, apricots, kiwis, oranges, plums, hazelnuts, and walnuts. Cooking or peeling the food may help, but first consult an allergist.

For more information about allergies and asthma, and to find an allergist near you, visit www.AllergyandAsthmaRelief.org.

Coming next week on Medical Update: Herbal Remedies for Seasonal Allergies.

Here Come Spring Allergies! The Saturday Evening Post

You can view more images in our gallery.

The Midwest

Photo by Robert Quick/Courtesy Olbrich Botanical Gardens

Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Wisconsin) Olbrich Botanical Gardens (OBG), located near the University of Wisconsin in Madison, is among the Midwest’s best-kept secrets. It has earned awards in fields ranging from solid architecture to inspirational value. In 2005, it won American Public Garden Association’s National Award for Excellence, an honor given to only one garden a year. Outside, OBG features free admission to 16 acres of captivating areas like the sunken, shade, and rain gardens. Indoors, Bolz Conservatory makes this northern destination great to see year round, with exotic plants, waterfalls, free flying birds and more. OBG is a model in sustainable gardening, responsibly implementing smart water usage, natural insect control, composting and more. www.olbrich.org

Missouri Botanical Gardens' Climatron with artwork by Dale Chihuly/Wikimedia Commons

Missouri Botanical Garden (Missouri) St. Louis is home to one of the US’s best and oldest botanical gardens – Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG). It recently celebrated its 150th birthday, is a National Historic Landmark and is a global leader in plant science and conservation. MBG offers thematic gardens ranging from English Woodland to Chinese. A signature area is the Spink Pavilion, which features a reflection pool with floating sculptures by legendary glass artist Chihuly. Climatron Conservatory serves as the pool’s backdrop and houses over 1,400 plant and animal species. Behind the scenes, MBG is a major plant information center. Its herbarium oversees global research projects and has over 6 million mounted plant specimens, it operates tropicos.org (the largest online plant database) and is home to multiple conservation centers, making it a true environmental leader. www.mobot.org

Photo by Jim Munson/Courtesy HLG Files

Hidden Lake Gardens (Michigan) Hidden Lake Gardens (HLG), which is operated by Michigan State University, is a 755-acre ode to the four seasons. The essence of year-round nature is captured here, making it a place worth a visit any time. A main attraction is the Benedict Hosta Collection (or “Hosta Hillside”), where over 800 varieties of the plant reside, including Michigan’s own “Hosta Hybridizers.” The Harper Collection of Dwarf and Rare Conifers, miles of trails and of course the Hidden Lake itself all add to the appeal. HLG’s conservatory is home to a Bonsai “forest” with dozens of the miniature trees capturing the imagination of visitors. hiddenlakegardens.msu.edu

Monument to a Tree/Courtesy Toledo Botanical Garden

Toledo Botanical Garden (Ohio) People like some things universally: pretty landscapes; free things; centers of culture and knowledge. Considering Toledo Botanical Garden (TBG) is all of these, it’s no surprise that over 120,000 come see it every year. TBG is free to the public and offers over 15 thematic areas. A real emphasis is placed on balancing art with nature and, in places like the aquatic, shade, and color gardens, harmony is achieved. Another emphasis is on culture. TBG is home to 19 garden, art, and nature groups and hosts work from over 230 artists during the Crosby Festival of the Arts. Additionally, youth benefit from its educational programs, science benefits from a research partnership with the USDA, and the city benefits from “Toledo GROWs,” a gardening outreach program. www.toledogarden.org

The Northwest

Vancouver Island's Butchart Gardens (Wikimedia Commons)

Vancouver Island Garden Trail (British Columbia) Roughly 50 miles from the city of Vancouver off the coast of Canada, Vancouver Island is nature at its most untamed. Home to several Canadian national parks, people come for the untouched mountain terrain and wildlife. Yet, in the wilderness lies a group of cultivated gardens that rival any. The Vancouver Island Garden Trail is several gardens, ranging from less than an acre to grand estates. The temperate coastal climate allows an array of flora not normally found this far north and different plants take turns putting on a color show each season. Fall brings vibrant leaf change; winter provides the stark contrast of snow on evergreen; spring and summer mean the entire wildflower color spectrum. The best way to tour is to ferry from the coast, rent a car and travel at your leisure. Each garden presents unique atmospheres, from small, quaint Ronning’s Garden to large, exquisite Butchart Gardens. www.vancouverislandgardentrail.com

International Peace Garden

International Peace Garden (North Dakota) Because of this 2,339-acre garden dedicated as a symbol of friendship by the U.S. and Canada in 1932, North Dakota is known as the “Peace Garden State.” It is a favorite destination for citizens of both countries, as well as people the world over. Friendly international relations is a resonating theme – there is an entrance from both sides, and the Maple Leaf and Stars and Stripes are depicted side by side in floral gardens. The Peace Poles project, founded in Japan and dedicated to world peace, has seven poles here that say “may peace prevail on Earth” in 28 different languages. Other features include the Cairn (a border marker made of aboriginal hammerheads from the area), a floral clock, the Peace Tower and the Peace Chapel. A special site is the 9/11 Memorial, where 10 girders collected from the twin tower wreckage help us understand, forgive and grow from the tragedy. www.peacegarden.com

America’s Best Botanical Gardens, Part 3: The Midwest and Northwest The Saturday Evening Post

You can see more images by viewing our gallery. You can also check out our first installment, America’s Best Botanical Gardens, Part 1: The West

The South

Wikimedia Commons

Atlanta Botanical Garden (Georgia) Most gardens ask visitors not to step in flowerbeds. In the Atlanta Botanical Garden, they warn you. This is because it has one of the largest carnivorous plant collections around, making it a place where guests with poor manners learn the hard way. In reality, these plants are no threat to anything larger than a bug (or the occasional mouse or frog), but they are very cool. They capture prey in a variety of ways- from snapping shut to pitfall traps- and fascinate visitors of all ages. There are of course other attractions, like the Rose, Rock, and Southern Seasons gardens. The Fuqua Orchid Center houses lots of the flowers, and the Center for Conservation and Education does just that. For a special treat, visit after dark. www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org

Courtesy Fairchild Botanical Gardens

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (Florida) Florida is home to the greatest tropical plant center in mainland U.S.- the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (FTBG). Named for David Fairchild, who traveled every habitable continent studying plants, it is a global conservation leader. FTBG’s 83 acres harbor over 4,000 plant species. Thematic areas include the National Palm Collection (the world’s greatest living collection of palms and cycads), Simons Rainforest, and Whitman Tropical Fruit Pavilion. Events like the Chocolate, Orchid and International Mango festivals add to the appeal. FTBG’s conservation efforts extend beyond its grounds. It oversees research, development and renovation projects in over 20 countries. More than 150 classes are taught here, including graduate courses for tomorrow’s conservationists. www.fairchildgarden.org

Courtesy of the Dallas Arboretum

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden (Texas) Plants have unique challenges in North Texas – searing summer heat; severe winter temperature drops; drought possibility all year. The Dallas Arboretum (DA) meets this climatic challenge, maintaining a model in regional gardening excellence. The garden’s relative youth (founded 1982) has been key in its success. Planners used modern information to select flora that endure and thrive in the harsh conditions. Today, DA is a leader in climate-specific plant knowledge and operates trial gardens to provide private plant companies info. In spring, DA puts on two signature events. In “Dallas Blooms,” 500,000 bulbs create the South’s largest floral display. In Artscape, artists show photos, jewelry, woodwork, and more. www.dallasarboretum.org

The Northeast

Photo by T. Kates / Courtesy of The Trustees of Reservations

Mytoi Gardens (Massachusetts) Located in Martha’s Vineyard, one of the most scenic locales in the U.S., the Mytoi Gardens are a sight to behold. Here, the pristine beauty of the Massachusetts coastal island seems to be captured and amplified with a Japanese twist. Guests enjoy tranquility and self-reflection during their visit to Mytoi, which includes a camellia dell, stone garden, and pine grove. All of these center around the signature feature: a reflection pond and island accessible by elevated bridge. Mytoi is free to the public, making it an easily accessible and affordable item on any Martha’s Vineyard travel itinerary. A hurricane destroyed much of it in 1991, and the Trustees of Reservations charitable organization has restored and maintained it for everyone since. www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/cape-cod-islands/mytoi.html

(Wikimedia Commons)

Brooklyn Botanical Garden (New York) This 52-acre “living museum,” located smack dab in the middle of Brooklyn, makes visitors rethink what an “urban jungle” is. Over 700,000 come annually to see the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, which celebrates its centennial in 2010 and is home to 11,000 plant species and several specialty areas. The cherry orchard is a famed destination during Hanami, the Japanese holiday for cherry-blossom season. An enchanting landscape takes center stage during this event- hundreds of  cherry trees bloom overhead and millions of fallen petals carpet the path below- while Japanese culture is shared with all. Other thematic areas include a Rose Garden, Conservatory, and Fragrance Garden. Year round art shows, tours and plant sales, and programs like the Chili Pepper Fiesta and Street Tree Stewardship Initiative, make this botanical garden world-class. www.bbg.org

America’s Best Botanical Gardens, Part 2: The South and Northeast The Saturday Evening Post

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