Glass house is an oasis on Fredonia property on 2024 Open Days tour

It’s obvious gardening is a priority for Dawn and Steve Young as the first thing they did after buying a 12-acre parcel of land in Fredonia in 1993 was to plant a prairie.

After that was established, they built their home.

“We knew we wanted to be surrounded by wildflowers and nature. We converted 7.5 acres of the land into a prairie and then we built our home two years after that,” Dawn said.

Today their home is surrounded by their prairie, as well as woodlands and colorful garden beds. They say they wouldn’t want to spend their time anywhere else.

To create their prairie, the first thing they did was ask a farmer who had been farming the land to till everything under.

“He tilled it so we had dirt. That was 30 years ago, and we were young and very fit. Steve built a drag. It roughs up the dirt, and we physically pulled it ourselves. We were very ingenious then and hard working. Then we seeded it all by hand.

“We bought big bags of prairie seed mixes from Prairie Nursery (in Westfield) and from Prairie Moon Nursery (in Minnesota). We used about 130 pounds of seed, then we counted on Mother Nature to water it.”

After they built their home, Steve did hardscaping around it and built various structures with Dawn’s help.

That included a rock walk, a walkway made of bluestone at the front of the house, and a bluestone patio in the back with a large pergola. He also built a garden shed.

“It’s this cute little shed we use for storage, and we have a vegetable and cutting garden around it. It’s maybe 5.5-by-5.5 feet.”

Then two years ago they added a glass house which is now their favorite space on their property.

“In the morning we have coffee in there and in the evening we have a glass of wine or dinner," Dawn said. “It’s close to the house and it’s surrounded by the prairie and woodlands, and we have gardens around it and a walkway to the door. It’s 20 by 14 feet.

“Originally we were going to put up an 8-by-10-foot greenhouse we could grow in. I started looking at options to see what was available. Then we both said, 'Wouldn’t it be neat to have something bigger and make it a more multi-purpose space so we could not only extend the growing season in spring and fall, but we could use it for a dinner party, or the two of us could just have dinner out there?’ It kind of grew. Once I started imagining the possibilities, I went for it.”

She said while it took staff from Wisconsin Greenhouse Company in Madison only about two days to build the upper part of the structure that’s made of glass, it took the better part of the summer to build the foundation since footings were needed as well as a concrete base. It also took extra time due to some of the extras they added.

That includes a polished concrete floor with a drain, a gas stove, electric, water, a tinted roof and hardscaping.

These days, depending on the season, it’s either filled with plants or it’s ready for a dinner party.

“I have a crystal chandelier in it and a nice area rug. The chandelier is fun and fancy," Dawn said. “We have dinner parties in spring, fall and early winter. We don’t have parties in summer as its too hot. ... And for the holidays I put a Christmas tree in there and some decorations. I also put up white lights that I leave up all year as they give a pretty glow.”

She said depending on the day, she might have a table set for a breakfast or dinner with her husband, or there might be multiple tables set for the 14 guests she can accommodate.

For planting, she got a growing table from England.

“I fell in love with them," she said. "They’re not enormous, but they can probably fit 8 or 9 trays of seeds. They have little clay balls called LECA balls on the surface that help retain moisture around the plants. I also ordered a neat potting bench from Etsy. It’s multi-purpose. I can grow on it, use it as a buffet for a dinner party, or put collectables on it for fun.”

Because of her love of gardening, she also posts videos on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook under the name Seasonal Designs by Dawn. She's done videos on shade gardens and containers; she has a small part-time business in which she helps clients do their containers.

“I’ve met so many gardeners (through the videos). For me, it’s a way to connect with other gardeners,” she said.

She also did a video on how her glass house was assembled . Find that and more videos on her YouTube channel ( youtube.com/@SeasonalDesignsbyDawn ).

She recently talked about her gardens that will be part of this year's Open Days program Aug. 10 and 11.

What are the main plants in the prairie?

Asters, coreopsis, purple and white prairie clover, various coneflowers, Maximilian sun flower, lupine, bergamot, compass plant, golden rod, and big and little bluestem.

Do certain plants thrive while others don’t do well in the prairie?

Yes. There was a ton of different flowers in the wildflower mix we used, but what does well here because of our soil and other growing conditions kind of takes over. From May to June there is lupine that literally covers acres of our prairie, and it reseeds itself. Sometimes I collect the seeds and take them to different parts of the prairie to plant. We also have a lot of different varieties of echinacea and heliopsis from July to September.

How do you maintain your prairie?

I supplement it with seed and this year in spring we did a controlled burn in a good portion of it. We do that every six or seven years. We had someone come and help us do this as we have woods all around us. After the burn we added more seed and now everything is thick and lush.

What different garden areas do you have in addition to the prairie?

The glass house perennial garden, glass house annual garden, front yard garden, shade garden, front drive garden and the tree-line garden.

Do you use compost?

I have a huge compost pile, but I don’t turn it. But when I put in my first raised bed, I moved stuff off of it and used what was below, and it was great in the raised beds.

What’s the most challenging part of gardening here?

I don’t have enough time in my day to do everything I want to do. And I’m always fighting the weeds, so my prairie and gardens aren’t perfect. When you have such a big space you have to say, "Today I’m going to weed here, then I’m going to weed there, and then I’ll start all over."

Do you have a lot of wildlife?

Yes. We see a lot of fox, coyote and pheasant. And we recently had a mom skunk with her five babies here. They were walking down the walkway from the glass house together. It was the cutest thing.

What’s your style of gardening?

Near the house, it’s a little more formal. Farther away, it’s more natural. It’s a little bit wild.

Who does what in the garden?

Steve does the lawn. He’s meticulous about it. As far as designing and growing things, that’s me.

Do you do all the gardening yourself or do you have help?

My husband and I do it all ourselves. We really take pride in that we do it. We even spread all the mulch ourselves.

How much mulch do you get and how often?

We usually get mulch every other year, and we used to get 12 yards. But as the gardens filled in, we use less. Now we just get six yards.

What’s your secret to a beautiful garden?

When you are planting a new garden, it’s good to make sure you have good soil to start with. Also hard work, and educating myself in choosing plants that will do well in my environment and growing conditions.

Who inspired you as a gardener?

My mom was a big inspiration. She always had beautiful gardens. She also had an enormous vegetable garden. I have bearded iris from my mom that came from her mom’s garden.

Where did you get your fountain?

It was from my mom, who passed away in March. She had it in her garden for years. It’s very special to me.

How was your property originally used?

It was an empty farm field more than a quarter century ago.

If you go

What: 2024 Open Days. Tour three gardens in Saukville, Mequon and Fredonia. Put on by the Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee and the Garden Conservancy .

When : 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 10 and 11

Tickets: $10 per garden. Must be purchased in advance.

For tickets and more information: See gardenclubgreatermilwaukee.org .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Glass house is an oasis on Fredonia property on 2024 Open Days tour