Enriching lives through beauty, education, and the arts.
Rotary Botanical Gardens has been selected to receive a coveted 2025 Historic Preservation Excellence Award from the Wisconsin Association of Historic Preservation Commissions (WAHPC). The Gardens will be recognized in the Historic Preservation Commission category, which honors commissions that, through thoughtful project review and oversight, make a significant impact on the outcome of a historic property or preservation effort.
This prestigious recognition celebrates the active restoration of the Red Japanese Arch Bridge, an iconic feature of Rotary Botanical Gardens and a beloved symbol of Janesville. Originally constructed in 1989 using repurposed light poles from the site’s former life as a sand and gravel quarry, the bridge is a striking example of adaptive reuse and community vision. Its bold red arc has become a cultural landmark—featured in public murals, local tourism campaigns, and personal memories and artistic works spanning generations.
After standing gracefully for over 35 years, the bridge is now showing visible signs of aging. The Gardens are prioritizing its renewal not just for safety and preservation, but to honor the legacy and meaning it holds for the community. This project honors the past while safeguarding the future. The work is a true community effort—shared between RBG staff, volunteers, local engineers, and generous donors. Their contributions span everything from structural assessment and fundraising to hands-on maintenance and public storytelling. At every step, this project reflects a collective belief in preserving beauty, history, and belonging, ensuring the bridge continues to welcome and inspire future generations.
Rotary Botanical Gardens is leading this effort with reverence and intention. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a 35-year legacy, RBG has grown from a dilapidated industrial site into a nationally celebrated botanical destination spanning 21 acres and 26 themed garden areas. Today, it welcomes 150,000 annual visitors, engages over 400 volunteers, and offers year-round programming in youth and adult education, wellness, art, and environmental sustainability.
“This award affirms what we already know to be true,” said Kelcie Baior, Director of Development at Rotary Botanical Gardens. “The Red Bridge is more than a structure—it’s a centerpiece of a story. A symbol of connection, creativity, and the incredible things that happen when a community comes together around beauty—and purpose.”
Restoring the Red Japanese Arch Bridge is not simply about maintaining a structure—it is about continuing to tell a story. A story of resourcefulness and resilience. Of how a forgotten space became a sanctuary. Of how a small Midwestern city chose—and continues to choose—to preserve a symbol of peace, reflection, and unity for generations to come.
The award will be officially presented at the WAHPC Annual Meeting and Conference on Thursday, April 24, in Racine, Wisconsin.
Photo Credits: Marsha Mood Photography
Last Thursday, Blake Taylor from Alhambra Flower Farm gave us a wonderful Garden Speaker Series on How to incorporate cut flowers into your home garden and bring a little more color into your life.
I had the pleasure of speaking with him for a few minutes before the lecture started and got to ask him a few questions on how he got started in the cut flower business. The quick little chat lasted about three minutes and in that short time I could feel Blake dripping with passion. He was so bubbly and such a joy of a person!
I first asked him what inspired him to grow flowers specifically, and he told me how he lived in the UK for about 8 years. He shared how passionate the English are about their gardens, his neighbor’s husband had worked at a Botanical Garden over there and he was just so inspired by all the things they would do in their yard. He told me about how inspired he gets whenever he visits there even still, and is always trying to figure out how to make his garden look like the ones he saw in the UK.
So after one thing led to another, Blake began “decking” out his yard to grow what he wanted to after discovering the local farm movement back in his home of Dane county. Blake answered my two first questions in one!
I asked him what he wanted attendees to take away from his class on cut flowers and he said that he really hopes to inspire them to think about ways that they can incorporate cut flowers into their garden! He said “There has been a really big surge in interest for the local farm movement to source your food from farmers close to you, and instead of shipping flowers all over the country and raising emissions, it would be more environmentally friendly to buy those locally too.”
Because we didn’t have a lot of time before his talk began, I only asked him a few questions. The final question I asked him was what was next for his flower farm? He said, “We’re growing.” He laughed a little. “Our farm size is only about a quarter of an acre right now but we want to expand it. We’re looking at winter forcing tulips and other bulbs so we can provide cut flowers year round since growing in the winter is not really an option here. Greenhouses can be extremely expensive, so I’m looking into Hydroponics systems to grow flowers indoors. There is a lot of fun stuff coming up for us that I’m really excited about.”
I attended his class right after I chatted with him. I have to say, If Blake wasn’t a Tech worker turned farmer, I would want him to be my teacher. He was so knowledgeable and funny that it was easy to stay engaged in his class the entire time. I can’t wait to see Alhambra Flower Farms grow and what is next for him.
Thank you so much Blake, it was a pleasure getting to know you and I hope to see you again!
Keep an eye on our calendar of events here at Rotary Gardens. We have so many speaker series (at least once per month) and they are all held by amazing people who are so knowledgeable on their topics and it’s a joy to learn from them all.
If you would like to Support Blake and Alhambra Flower Farms, you can find his website here.
Check out the recent Redfin article Our Director of Horticulture, Michael Jesiolowsi was featured in:
Enhancing curb appeal is a priority for any homeowner. Whether you reside in a ranch-style house in Dallas, a Victorian-style home in Charlotte, or a modern style in Los Angeles, perennials offer a transformative power. Redfin asked the green-thumb experts, who shared what botanical beauties will have your curb appeal standing out from your neighbors, ensuring your home looks amazing all year.
Read the full article here: Perennial Flowers and Plants That Provide Lasting Beauty to Your Home| ApartmentGuide | Rent
I had the pleasure of speaking with Jenny Revels. Jenny Revels is a passionate consultant and coach who holds workshops on inner wisdom and mental health in your career. She’ll be holding a seminar called Empowerment and Clarity here at the Gardens on March 19th!
During her workshop, attendees will learn how to tap into their inner wisdom, build emotional awareness, and how to break free from the cycle of anxiety, stagnant energy, and negative thoughts.
I asked Jenny how she found herself in this line of work. She laughed and said, “That is a good question,” She went on to tell me that she got her start in corporate HR and stayed there for most of her career until about 9 years ago when she decided to leave corporate and started her own consulting business.
“At first, I started out doing anything and any project that came my way, since I’ve done so much HR work. Someone would ask me, ‘can you write this manual?’ or ‘can you help me fire someone?’ But eventually, I started saying no to things, I wanted to focus on the things that I felt passionate about.”
She told me that her husband was fortunate enough to be able to retire early, and she wanted to follow him to spend more time with her kids, but she also didn’t want to stop working, so her decisions reflected this and is how she got here today. She considers herself so incredibly blessed and fortunate to be able to do these things. You could hear how grateful she is just in her voice.
She says she loves helping Non-Profits with team and leadership coaching, and just helping leaders with conflict and communication because that is the root of leading a team. Up until the COVID-19 Pandemic, work kept coming her way, and after that, work started going downward to which Jenny said, “I looked inward at this point.” She said, “I started by getting a coach to help me with branding my business because I had to market myself and it wasn’t my favorite thing to do.” She laughed.
At this point, she said, “Long story short, I went through a few coaching programs, which really helped me to know myself better and has been such a journey. My love of learning has taken me down a whole path of healing and taught me that you can overcome negative emotions.” She went on to say that we have so many things we are taught–you know, by our parents, workplace, all these cohorts that shape how we think. We get all this conditioning from society that it takes so much undoing all of this to learn who we authentically are.
“So I guess because of all that, I feel the calling to teach people this because I think it is so needed.” She finished.
She told me about her fascination with human design and gene keys, and how it relates to you and your personality. There is a little bit of a root in astrology, and there is somewhat of a spiritual system, to which she said, “It’s so weird because I wasn’t into spirituality or anything beyond typical personality assessments and the tools used in a business setting,, but the root of this is so fascinating.”
She told me a bit more about these systems, and how it relates to what she does. After this, I then asked her what her advice would be for someone who might be struggling with feeling stuck or unfulfilled in their personal life since there are so many people that struggle to align their work and personal goals.
She had this to say, “It’s okay to look within yourself. Most answers are in there, it’s just a matter of sitting with it and really asking yourself those tough questions like, ‘why am I doing what I’m doing?’ Or, ‘What is it I don’t love about it?’ You know, like what would you rather be doing that better aligns with your heart’s desire instead of listening to your head and doing what everyone tells you that you’re supposed to be doing.” She said to really dig deep within yourself to find these answers.
The last thing I asked her in our short phone call was this, “what would you say to someone who might be unsure if this workshop is for them? How would you encourage them to attend?”
She responded, “I think anyone can attend. I want to focus my talks in a way that I speak everyone’s language. If you have struggles with feeling down, stuck, stressed, which is absolutely anyone unless your life is uber peaceful. I want to be able to give everyone those tools and resources that they may not have found yet on their own.”
Jenny was such a wonderful, sweet, and knowledgeable person to chat with today, and I enjoyed our phone call. Don’t forget to check out her workshop, “Empowerment and Clarity,” on March 19th at RBG from 5-7pm.
Thank you to Jenny for allowing me some of her time, and we can’t wait to see everyone at her talk!
The story of the Koi fish is both a long and interesting one. The Koi fish, which translates literally to, “Carp,” From Japanese was also called Nishikigoi (錦鯉) or, “Brocaded carp” Originated from a source of food. In Japan, the word Koi (鯉) Is a homophone for “Affection,” or “Love,” So it is seen as a symbol of Love and Friendship.
It was said in the Japanese History book Nihon Shoki (日本書紀 ) (Chronicles of Japan, 720) that Emperor Keiko released carp into a pond for viewing in the Mino Province, which is known as the Gifu Prefecture today. At that time, he was in the fourth year of his reign and Koi fish were singular colored red, white, and black due to natural mutations from being bred as a source of food.
Over time, Japanese farmers began selectively breeding them to mix their colors and by 1875, the multicolored scales went global and led to the creation of the Koi fish that we see today. A colorful addition to gardens and outdoor spaces around the world.
So, why am I telling you about Koi fish? At Rotary Botanical Gardens, we have a Koi Pond! (One that we are in the process of restoring!) However, if you attended our Holiday Light show this year, you may have been met with a sign that told you about our fish named Fred.
Fred was seen floating at the top of the pond during a time when he should have been hibernating, or rather, in torpor (More on that later!)
This is a picture of Fred, as seen during the Holiday Light Show. He is not dead!
Koi fish have something known as a swim bladder that helps regulate their swimming ability and keep them buoyant when they are on the bottom of lakes and ponds. Without this swim bladder, they would have to continue swimming in perpetuity like sharks do! It is an organ found in fish, and because it is an organ, it can sometimes malfunction or get infected. The swim bladder not working properly is common during times of the year when the temperature fluctuates rapidly and often.
This is called chilling. When swim bladder chilling happens, it causes the fish to swim upside down sometimes. It is possible that our Koi fish, Fred, is suffering from this phenomenon. Some Koi fish can recover from this, but it is common that they do not, so we are doing our best to take good care of Fred!
This winter has been rough on all of us. The temperatures and the weather has been all over the board so of course our scaled, furry, and feathered friends would feel it too! So, let’s look a little bit at what Koi fish are supposed to do in winter so we can see why swim bladder chilling is so interesting.
When water temperatures (Especially in shallow Koi ponds) drop below 50-degrees Fahrenheit they go into a hibernation-adjacent state called torpor where their metabolism slows way down to allow them to conserve energy. This is when they tend to swim to the bottom of their pond and remain there for the winter months. One more fun fact about Koi fish is that they can live up to forty years! It’s no wonder that they’ve adapted to the cold winter months so well.
We hope that our scaled friend Fred will recover from his swim bladder dysfunction, and if you’d like to help our koi pond restoration, please consider donating to our initiative today!