Ask Abe…and when he’s not available ask Daniel Einstein

How many gardens does the UW have?

There are several possible answers to this question: two, or 24, or lots. Any is justifiable, depending on how you define garden and campus. Two is the strictest answer: the official map of central campus lists Allen Centennial Garden (at the corner of Babcock and Observatory) — which itself can be divided into 13 smaller gardens — and the Botany Garden (on University Avenue, between Lathrop and Chamberlain Halls). But according to Daniel Einstein MS’95 at the Division of Facilities Planning and Management, the UW owns 22 more garden spaces, many of which are at sites around the state. If you really want to blow it out, the Eagle Heights Community Gardens has 450 plots, and University Apartments has 107 plots. So, if the strict two seems too mundane for you, then the largest number of arguable gardens would include Botany (1) plus Allen’s 13, plus Eagle Heights’ 450, plus University Apartments’ 107, plus another 20 both on campus and throughout Wisconsin for a total of 591. Weeding all that must be exhausting.

Ask Abe: Gardens