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Eble FarmEble Farm is the smallest county park in Waukesha County, WI. It is only 31 acres large and it is hidden in plain sight on Blue Mound Rd. (which if you’re not familiar with it, is a very busy, four lane, commercial highway.) This tiny county park is the result of Mary Eble’s, granddaughter, Florence, who never married, and lived most of her life at Eble Farm. Over the years some of the farm land was sold, but despite the monetary value of the land, 31 acres was donated to Waukesha County for a park. Florence felt strongly that some green space should remain on Blue Mound Rd. for children. An ice rink was built on some of the land and bears the family name. The farmhouse and barn still remain and now the fabulous gardens. After interviewing Eileen Rudnick, So one day last week I spent a glorious two hours in the gardens at Eble Farm. I was completely alone. Sometimes there is a volunteer there, but the day I was there I was alone which was OK, because all the plants were clearly labeled and it was easy for me spend as much time as I wanted to study everything. There are two big gardens, one vegetable and one flower garden.Within the flower garden, which is surrounded by a white picket fence there are four smaller gardens.
These gardens vary from year to year, but this year consists of a kitchen herb garden, a pioneer garden, a butterfly garden and my absolute favorite, a tea garden.(watch for more about the Tea Garden soon!) As with anything that is sponsored by master gardeners there has to be an educational component to whatever they do. They accomplish this with their plant labels and with print outs that are available in plastic boxes near-by. If you’re lucky there will also be a volunteer there to explain the project you are seeing. The vegetable garden was remarkable, but true to form I spent most of my time in the flower garden. The day I was there both the peonies and the iris were in full bloom and the selection of iris was exquisite.
In case you’re ever in the vicinity, there are also a couple of picnic tables and you are welcome to linger for a bit before you jump back on the highway to pick up the details of your busy day. No matter where you live, if you’re questing for a little private time in a quiet place, take a look at your near-by parks. I bet you’ll find a few surprises that are not that far from your back door. I’ve driven by Eble Farm countless times and knew there was a garden there, but until the day I actually stopped and visited, I had no idea what a little gem it really is. The next time I go, I will take a picnic. For more information about Eble Farm contact: MGV Ann Dougherty, 262-782-6312 MGV Eileen Rudnick, 262-646-8279 Vegetable Garden, MGV Marie McGinnis, 414-559-0961 Related Articles: Annual Flower Garden
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