In 1936 the new preplanned community of the Village of Greendale was established with it's own distinct architecture, new homes, green belts and many pedestrian pathways. These hearty pioneer first residents immediately established their own school system, government, churches, businesses and forms of entertainment. The Village was patterned after the English Garden City concept that emphasized the use of parks and large open spaces called Green Belts. The quaint village homes were constructed of cinder block, pine beamed ceilings and tile roofs.

As with all human nature there was a desire to enjoy and improve living conditions and this also extended to the development of flower and vegetable gardens, thus Greendale became known as the Garden Community. In 1994, some Greendale residents were aware that the many hidden gardens along the many pedestrian pathways and green belts in the oldest sections of the village were almost unknown and not being appreciated by the general population.

They established a committee called Greendale Garden Gazing and Bruce Bond created a special logo just for the group. Their goal was and remains to emphasize the warmth, friendliness and concept of Greendale as the Garden Community. This was done by designing ever changing, free, self-guided walking garden tours. The tour starts at the Gazebo in downtown Greendale, and is where maps are distributed by volunteers. The tour moves from one Featured Garden to another, with most of the gardeners available to answer questions about their flowers or garden design.

2009 marked the Fifteenth Annual Walking Garden Tour. There was a rest area, refreshments and popcorn for our walkers. Two free baskets full of gardening-related gifts, donated by our sponsors, were given away at two free drawings.

Greendale Garden Gazing would like to thank the following:
Broad Street Coffee Company
Jay & Sally Chadwick
Greendale Dept. of Public Works
Greendale Entertainment Association
Greendale Lions Club
Greendale Police Department
Greendale Village Board
Lee Kelm – Guitar and Vocal Entertainment
Margo’s Village Boutique
Gary Niebuhr – Greendale Library display
Reiman Visitor Center – Colleen Fechtmeyer
Shoppe Around the Corner
SE Wisconsin Master Gardeners
Tri-City National Bank
Wehr Nature Center
Wild Ones Natural Landscaping
Esther Wu-McGuire – Library art