Rotary Botanical Gardens

Rotary Botanical Gardens, Janesville, Wisconsin, a 20-acre non-profit botanic garden, is home to many dramatic and themed gardens.  Some have an international focus, such as the Japanese, Scottish, French Formal, Italian and English  Cottage Gardens.  Also included are less formally-structured gardens including one of very few Fern and Moss gardens recognized by the Hardy Fern Foundation in the United States, as well as Shade, Prairie and Woodland Gardens.  On-site are also a visitor center, gift shop, and a beautiful facility that may be rented for wedding receptions, reunions, meetings, etc. 

The gardens are open from dawn till dusk while the visitor center hours vary by season.  Admission policy is in effect April through October.  Guided group tours can be arranged for an additional fee; buses welcome with advance notice.  Visitor center and main garden paths are handicap accessible. 

Rotary Botanical Gardens changes with the season– each visit can bring something new.  We hope you not only visit the gardens but return in the near future as well.

• Click on the tabs above for more detailed information about different aspects of the Gardens
• Visit the blog of our Director of Horticulture, Mark Dwyer, for daily updates in the gardens.
• Download the 2010 Event Calendar for Rotary Botanical Gardens (PDF)
• Join our mailing list for our weekly e-mailing of What’s In Bloom!
• Interact with staff and volunteers via our Facebook Fan Page.

Save the date for a special Friends-only bus trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden. 

• Thursday, August 12, 2010
• 7am to 7pm
• At Chicago Botanic Garden board a tram for a beautiful overview of the Gardens’ 385 acres.  Includes views of the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden, 100-acre oak woodland and the native prairie.  Wheelchair accessible. Time will be allowed after the tram tour for exploration on your own.
• Lunch and treats provided.
• Special detour to Northwind Perennial Farm and receive 20% off purchases made this day!
• Download registration materials (PDF)

August 4, 2010

Rotary Botanical Garden’s (RBG) youth education volunteers will host bi-monthly stories and strolls of the gardens. The program, for youth with an adult present, will be held the first and third Wednesdays of the month, March through December, from 10 am – 11 am. Program participants will meet in the Education Room of the Parker Education Building. Garden admission as applicable (first Wednesday of the month is a free day to the general public; third Wednesday of the month regular admission is applicable- $5 per adult and no charge for youth 6 and under. RBG Friend Membership accepted. Donations appreciated.

Complete schedule here.

Please thank our 2010 Story & Stroll sponsor, Sharon Hough

Goin’ to California with an achin’ in my heart. Led Zeppelin. In my case, the “achin’” is the nausea and jitters caused by flying for 4.25 hours! Looking forward to the conference in Pasadena over the next couple of days. Tomorrow I’ll go to the Getty Center and will meet with Michael, their horticulturist. Many of those that are “LA Savvy” have said this is a must see and while I’m primarily interested in their grounds, I’ll check out the museum as well. The conference starts in earnest on Thursday morning. Should be fun (not including the travel). Nice shot above of ‘Arizona Sun’ blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata) that is a short-lived perennial but looks great in annual schemes as well. I’m a big fan of gaillardias in the annual garden or for a “seasonal punch”. They don’t establish well in areas that are irrigated frequently, hence our lack of success with longevity for this plant in other locations. The gardens are really filling out and our cucumbers are going crazy (see to the left). The support frames are working well and are allowing for easier access for picking and is also keeping many of the fruits off the ground. I hope to see gourds forming soon enough as everything still seems to be early. To the right is a shot of one of our annual beds yesterday morning. With few exceptions, our “drift approach” to planting has worked well and has been effective. The woodchucks and bunnies will not be losing weight this summer however… As a side note, the deep lavender blooms in that photo are a hybrid, annual bee balm (Monarda hybrida) called ‘Bergamo’ that is a Fleuroselect award winnner for its early (and long lasting) blooms that attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The foliage is also fragrant (lemony). I’m more impressed with this variety each year and it looks great for a good three months out in the gardens. Below is a signet marigold called ‘Tangerine Gem’ (Tagetes tenuifolia) that is along our ornamental edible wall planting. The flower petals are edible with a slight lemony taste. However, not all marigolds (Tagetes sp.) are edible. This plant is a nice tight mound with lacy foliage and a profusion of blooms. Further below is Dick P. falling asleep in one of our carts with Rollie, John and Dick H. Some people can sleep anywhere! It was a smaller crew today but we accomplished a lot of work including watering all day. Despite overcast skies and the chance of rain, we just don’t believe it anymore and hardly look up at those dark clouds. Larry worked on running irrigation, repairing irrigation, weed whipping and other tasks. Big John went on a trip with Maury and worked on push mowing, deadheading hostas and helping me get ready for the Home Garden Tour and Luncheon (for the locals, it’s not too late to get your $10 tickets!!!). Janice was here to water, weed and plant. Little Jerry mowed and worked on pruning trees and shrubs in front of the visitors center. Hal and Doris worked in their area as did Mary and Roy. Ron W. came in to help water and Dr. Gredler was here mowing and working on other small projects. Chris, Bob and August planted additional perennials in the sunken garden and we also saw Mary W., Chuck, Bill F., Vern and Dr. Yahr today. Nice shot to the right of the bloody dock (Rumex sanguineus ssp. sanguineus) with some good backlighting to show off those dark red veins. With edible (and showy) leaves, this perennial (zone 5) has much merit in the gardens. We don’t let it bloom and form seed as I’ve heard it can really spread around. Either way, what a nice foliage effect on an 18″ tall plant. We planted over 100 of these out in the gardens primarily as seasonal filler but will share many of them later if/when we dig them out. To the left is a nice combination down along the wishing well garden. This was just planted last year but it has matured quite quickly. The bottom photo is of a dwarf gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia hirta) called ‘Becky Orange’. I love all Rudbeckias and this one is no exception with such reliable blossoms and a nice height of 16″ or so. I wont be blogging until next Monday night but should have some pictures and stories to share. I just hope they don’t involve a barf bag at 35,000 ft…….

I enjoyed a stroll thru the gardens this morning and there was no shortage of color around every bend. After an initial sunny start, the gardens have been cloudy the rest of the day and we hope there will be some rain later this evening. The shot above is of one of the Fleuroselect (http://www.fleuroselect.com/) award winners that we are featuring out in the gardens this year. Winning the Fleuroselect novelty award, this tickseed (Coreopsis tinctoria) is called ‘Roulette’ and has nice gold stripes on mahogany flower petals. At 30″ tall, this wispy annual can offer color thru the entire summer. The back lighting and combination with the ‘Blue Vein’ petunias made for a nice shot for sure.

The weather was a bit cooler today and we had a great turnout of volunteers and grounds staff. With Terry gone this week, Marv was off on his own accomplishing lots of sprinkler placement, hand watering, mulching, rototilling and rock work. I give him large areas to irrigate and he has a nice system for rotating sprinklers around to really give everything a good soaking. Marianne worked on weeding, watering, her cutting display and other activities. I’m relying on Marianne for more work prior to the iris sale and both she and Marv will be involved with the Home Garden Tour & Luncheon this Saturday while I’m gone. Larry ran irrigation all day and started another round of string trimming. Little Jerry was here briefly but will be back tomorrow to help mow and work in the Japanese garden. I’m getting prepared for being gone this week (Wed. thru Sat.) to the National Youth and Garden Symposium (www.ahs.org/youth_gardening/national_youth_garden_symposium.htm) hosted by the American Horticultural Society(AHS) out in Pasadena, CA. I hate flying and the time change will be a challenge but I’m looking forward to the experience. To the left is the silvery cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) and summer poinsettia (Amaranthus tricolor ‘Early Splendor’). Both of these are along our “ornamental edible” wall planting and truly show the impact of foliage (and function). To the right is another Fleuroselect promoted annual. This is the marigold (Tagetes sp.) called ‘Solan’. I love the center “tuft” as this marigold looks very unique and is quite floriferous. Marigolds are quite common in our gardens but there are very special varieties that should be considered for their unique appearance and contribution in the garden. Below is ‘Golden Gate’ marigold (Tagetes patula) that was an All-America Selection in 1989. What a beautiful blossom.
Mary and Winifred worked on weeding some of the annual beds in the arboretum this morning and did a nice job catching some of these thugs before they could set more seed for future years of enjoyment. Karen was here tidying up the Japanese Garden and has been doing this for over 15 years. What a great volunteer. Urban, Dick K., Charlie, Bill, Gary, Del and Bob C. worked on regraveling many of our older paths (replacing gravel) while Ron and Bob T. worked on more air edging around the gardens. Our beds are looking nice and tidy and overall, the gardens are quite striking right now (despite the lack of a beneficial soaking). Bob A. and Vern worked on obelisks while Dick P., Rollie, Big John and Dick H. started on more fence work. There is some preliminary work to accomplish but they’ll sink their teeth in to the new fence installation early next week. We also saw Dr. Yahr, Dr. Gredler, Dave, Luis, Mary W. and many others as well. Below is a neat new yellow blanket flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Mesa Yellow’) from Pan American seed that is the first F1 hybrid, compact blanket flower that is also a short-lived, zone 5 perennial. Blooming the first year from seed and reaching 20″ in height, this plant has won both an All-America Selections and Fleuroselect award in 2010. Looks good to me with many more blossoms on the way. Although we are using this in a seasonal area, we’ll dig it up later and move it elsewhere to extend its contribution for future years. In August we’ll have plenty of activity occuring with getting our new laser engraver up and running. Our salesperson is coming down for a day to do some of the installation and help train some of our staff and volunteers. The intent with the engraver is to start working on our trees and shrubs first over this fall and winter, then target perennial labels in 2011. The transition will take some time but the end result will be a cleaner, more professional look out in the gardens. Labeling has so many challenges but is vital for any museum (of living plants), primarily for education. This engraver also has other potential uses that may include generating revenue. Nice shot to the left of the rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) blooms turning white and looking very picturesque in the wishing well garden. To the right is a portion of our terrace bed planting that carries over the rich red and maroon theme from the front of the building. Note the use of colorful obelisks and 4″ diameter PVC pipe planters painted red and sunk in to the ground. The vertical repetition of these pillars is effective and each has a tuft of one annual, drooping sedge (Carex flagellifera ‘Toffee Twist’). Anyone who has had to water these would agree that it is a real “bear cat” to keep them damp as they shed water so quickly. The sacrifices we make for effect. Below is a nice shot of Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia ‘Torch’), another All-American Selections winner that can top out at well over 72″ tall. For a shorter (48″) version, try ‘Fiesta Del Sol’ or ‘Yellow Torch’ for a golden yellow option of what you see below. The bottom photo is a single, 12″ wide bloom from the ‘Kopper King’ hybrid hibiscus (Hibiscus) that has maroonish foliage and is only 4-5′ tall. This hibiscus regenerates from ground level each year and likes moisture.

Hello fabulous people!  Some folks have asked me where they can get a RG volunteer shirt.   Some other questions were  “are we supposed to wear them”, “can I get one”.   Absolutely – we wear those shirts not only to show our great pride for the gardens but mostly so they indentify us.  We would love you to wear them – you are however not required!    Now some of you may ask – what if someone asks me a question I can’t answer while working in the gardens in my shirt?   Never fear there is always someone close by who can help .  If you are to shy to ask or can’t get an answer just wave to someone driving by on a cart.   The most certainly will get you an answer.    . . .and between you, me , and all of them , they would be very sad to discover they may have driven by someone they could have helped .  These fabulous shirts are available most anytime from Mark at the Hort Center.  He has a plethera of sizes – So grab a shirt (if so inclined) and let’s see if you can wear your’s out before I wear out my new one!  I’m on # 3 !

I went out to the EcoFair360 (www.EcoFair360.com/) at the Walworth County Fairgrounds (Elkhorn, WI). The event was really neat and was picking up steam as I arrived before it opened to get prepared for my talk. Today was day 1 of 3. There were some schedule issues as I was switched from Sunday to Friday and to make a long story short, I didn’t have anyone show up for my talk on “Energy Efficient Landscape Design”. However, Jumbo Jim and Julie came to my tent and we walked around and met with some of the vendors. I saw some people I knew from Northwind Perennial Farm, Cobrahead Weeders, and other locations. I hope this event is well received and attended. If you have the time, head over there and check it out as there were vendors and organizations from all over the place. The organizer, Catherine M., did a fine job and my bruised ego will heal. I’ve learned in the past that the first speaking time slot on the first day of a multiple day event is a tough sell. My therapist will get me thru it though… The image below was taken at the booth, the Working Bikes Initiative (http://www.workingbikes.org/) that collects used bikes and ships them to projects in poorer countries. They are a non-profit and the two gentlemen we talked with were very passionate. The set-up below allows the bike to generate electricity to pump water. They had all sorts of neat arrangements and distribute over 5,000 bikes annually. The picture further down is of some neat electric carts I noticed. Fancy (and probably expensive).

The gang spent most of the day watering. Terry and Janice push mowed right away while it was still “cool” and moved on to watering duties. Big John was here for a half day and helped water as well. We’re just trying to keep things from drying out. John came back later to give a tour to his brother, sister-in-law and wife. Little Jerry was here to mow the arboretum and Dr. Gredler was here most of the day. Kay weeded one of our problem areas near the main building and did a nice job tidying up in advance of the big Dinner Dance which happens this Saturday night. I’m not attending the event but will come for a bit to do a small presentation about the gardens. This is one of our most successful fundraisers and Polly always does a nice job organizing it. Larry will have his work cut out for him tomorrow (Sat.) with watering but at least there are no outdoor weddings to work around (which is a very rare occurance). We also saw Vern, Lilian, Mike and others. Most of my day was absorbed with the EcoFair360 but my big priority is organizing all the iris photos, primarily so we can get them ready for the iris sale on August 28th. Next week will be intense before I leave for CA with lists and organizing some details for the Home Garden Tour & Luncheon (July 24). The two side photos are of the birdhouse gourd (Lagenaria) that is right in front of where I park my car every morning at the Horticulture Center. I am totally smitten with the blooms and vigor of this annual vine. We’ll see what a monster it becomes by the end of the season. The cucumbers are looking great and Doreen, a renowned garden writer, is coming this weekend to take some cuke photos. The annual below is the bush violet (Browallia sp.) that is great in part sun in particular. Browallia comes in various shades of blue and also in white. We like to plant them in our dappled shade areas as they offer a nice blue throughout the growing season. The bottom photo is the perennial dune grass (Panicum amarum ‘Dewey Blue’) along the base of our terrace. I like the color of this grass and it has a nice scale at around 5-6′ tall. We have seen some minor reseeding of this grass which is also typical of many of the native switch grasses (Panicum virgatum). I don’t think ornamental grasses can be overdone. Finally, a weekend off (sort of…).