From wedding photos to events, here's what to know about Boerner Botanical Gardens

Boerner Botanical Gardens , 9400 Boerner Drive in Hales Corners, is part of the Milwaukee County Parks system. According to the gardens' website, there are thousands of plants laid out in 12 formal gardens.

Here's what to know if you're planning a visit.

Where is Boerner Botanical Gardens?

The gardens are located inside Whitnall Park , which is also home to the Wehr Nature Center , miles of trails for hikers and bikers, a beer garden, a golf course and several playgrounds and picnic areas.

When is Boerner Botanical Gardens open?

According to the Milwaukee County Parks , the gardens are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily May 1-Sept. 10, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily Sept. 11-April 30.

Margie's Garden (the children's garden) is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily from May 1 to Aug. 31, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily Sept.1-Oct. 31. Margie's Garden is closed Nov. 1 to April 30.

The education and visitor center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily May 1-Oct. 31, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday from Nov. 1 to April 30.

How much is admission to Boerner Botanical Gardens?

According to the Milwaukee County Parks, adult tickets (age 18-59) are $8 for Milwaukee County residents with ID and $9 for non-county residents who are 18 and older.

Tickets cost $6 for ages 3-12, senior Milwaukee County residents (ages 60 and older), students, members of the military (veterans and active duty) and people with disabilities.

What is there to do at Boerner Botanical Gardens?

Within the main gardens, there are several themed gardens , including ones dedicated to fragrance, butterfly-attracting plants, roses, annuals, perennials, heirloom plants, peonies and herbs. There's also a daylily walk, a shrub mall, a rain garden, a bog garden walk and a rock garden.

The botanical gardens are also home to a trial garden, where more than 500 varieties of new plants are tested for their suitability in the Great Lakes region.

Margie's Garden is a 3-acre garden designed for children. There are several child-sized spaces within the garden, including a playhouse, a twig hut and mushroom-chair rings. There's also a sound garden, secret garden, bug garden, prairie and wildflower zones, as well as a storybook nook.

An education and visitor center has a library, classrooms and event spaces. There's also a Friends of Boerner Botanical Gardens gift shop.

China Lights, Winter Wonders and other events at Boerner Botanical Gardens

Boerner Botanical Gardens have several annual events .

• The annual Arbor Day celebration (on the last Friday in April) serves as the official start of the gardens' season, with free admission for people to see the work going on to prepare the gardens for the season. School children are also invited each year to plant a new tree in the gardens with the Milwaukee County Parks forestry team.
• A summer concert series takes place in the gardens on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. On those evenings, admission to the gardens is free after 6 p.m.
• Each autumn, the gardens are illuminated with a China Lights festival. The 2024 festival runs Tuesdays through Sundays from Sept. 13 through Oct. 27. There are three time slots each night, at 5 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are available online starting Aug. 8.
• For the past few years, the gardens have been the site of Winter Wonders, a 1.4-mile drive-through holiday lights show.

There also are a variety of educational programs at the botanical gardens offered by the Friends of Boerner Botanical Gardens group. They include guided garden walks, art classes, story times and crafts for children, and yoga sessions.

Can people take photos or get married at Boerner Botanical Gardens?

Boerner Botanical Gardens has several areas that can be rented for weddings. The annual garden gazebo has a capacity of 30 guests, the rock garden and rose garden have a capacity of 200, and the shrub mall has a capacity of 300 guests. A variety of permits are required, available at the gardens' website.

There are also several areas , including in the education and visitor center, that can be rented for meetings and events.

Three types of photography permits are available:

• For commercial purposes, a three-hour photo permit can be purchased for $344.18, and an eight-hour permit can be purchased for $847.20. The form must be submitted at least one week in advance, and admission fees for the gardens are not included in the permit price.
• Wedding photography permits (which include admission to the gardens for up to 20 people) can be purchased for $169.44 per hour.
• Photo permits for other purposes (such as engagement, homecoming, prom and family photos) are available for $37.07 per hour, and admission fees are not included.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: From wedding photos to events, here's what to know about Boerner Botanical Gardens