“It’s cool to know that this pretty little garden in Milwaukee is just around the corner.”

On a beautiful Sunday morning after a fresh rainfall, Abigail Krier, a UW-Milwaukee information science and technology student, decided to visit the Sanger House Gardens located on N Palmer Street in Milwaukee. The Sanger House Gardens have been a historic stop for many visitors near and far for decades. Before becoming a highly popular bed-and-breakfast, the gardens were originally known as the Sanger Mansion owned by Emil A. Sanger. The perfect getaway home is surrounded by gardens that are home to over 400 different types of plants, which helped spark the nickname “textured gardeners”. While visiting the gardens myself, I was able to pull Krier aside to learn about what drew her to the historic homes and gardens.

Abbie Christiansen: Have you ever visited or heard of the Doors Open Milwaukee event before? How did you find out about the event?

Abigail Krier: No, I haven’t. I’m actually a UW-Milwaukee student as well, so I’m still getting to know Milwaukee. I have never been to any of the events before, but I saw some posters around campus. There’s this big old banner about Doors Open Milwaukee, which at first, I was confused about and what it meant. So, I decided to look it up and that is how I figured out what the event was all about.

Q: Why did the Sanger House Gardens stick out to you the most?

A: Well, I really like being outside, and I’m very interested in plants. I took a plant biology course last year, so I enjoy learning about them. I thought it sounded very cool and it is something that I have not heard of before. There are other similar garden locations I have visited and seen in Milwaukee, so I was excited to see some more interesting plants.

Q: Is there anything specific that stood out to you while walking around the gardens?

A: I just think the amount of biodiversity that is present in the gardens is insane. Besides the plants, there’s really cool stain glass pieces that are placed around the garden. I really like stain glass art, so it was really interesting to look at. One of the employees was describing the process that goes into making stain glass pieces, which was really cool to learn about. The fact that the gardens surround the bed-and-breakfast that you stay at is really cool. I am sure it is beautiful when all the plants are blooming.

Q: Was there anything you were able to learn about while visiting?

A: I was able to listen to a short presentation that a beekeeper had, and he was just describing the whole process of bees. It was something I have never learned about before. I also found out that there is this really cool looking plant that was really dark, almost black or purple, and it has little baby leaves that were bright green. It looked really odd because the rest of the plant was almost completely black, and the little leaves were green. I thought it was super weird. I asked one of the employees about it, and it turns out the leaves sprout green, but turn black as they grow bigger. I thought that was just very cool.

Q: Do you think visiting the Sanger House Gardens and taking part of the Doors Open Milwaukee event has make you feel more familiar with Milwaukee? Do you feel more included in the city?

A: Yeah, for sure. I think it has allowed me to see another part of the city and all the hidden gems the city has to offer. I would have never known about this place if it was not part of the event. I think that’s something really cool about living in the city, because there is always more things to explore and to discover. So yeah, I definitely feel like I know the city a little bit better.

Q: Are you glad that you were able to come out and find a new hidden place in Milwaukee that you weren’t aware of before?

A: Yeah, exactly what you said. It’s really cool to see a new place and to learn some new information about plants. It’s cool to know that this pretty little garden in Milwaukee is just around the corner.