Rotary Gardens, a privately funded non-profit botanical garden
located in Janesville, Wisconsin, is a 20-acre internationally
themed botanical treasure enjoyed by more than 100,000 visitors
annually. Founded in 1989, the gardens were built by volunteer
contributions and the participation of hundreds of volunteers
and a small but dedicated staff.
In January 2003, the AAS Board of Directors approved
Rotary Gardens as an AAS Flower Display Garden. AAS
honored Rotary Gardens as the 2004 Category III winner
of the prestigious AAS Display Garden Exemplary Education
Award for their inventive educational historical garden
display. Their garden, featuring 170 AAS Flower Winners
available since 1933, was planted chronologically by
date of introduction, so that a walk along the garden
path was a stroll through AAS history.
Mark Dwyer, Rotary Gardens Horticulture Director,
was encouraged to recreate their historical AAS garden
for the June 2006 Garden Writers regional meeting.
Through months of research, Mark and a dedicated volunteer
located seed sources for an impressive 200 AAS Flower
Winners, including 19 Winners from the 1930’s.
Seven bermed AAS beds were planted based on plant
height, tapering down from the tops of the berms to
the edges to allow maximum visibility. Beds were composted
with mushroom compost in the spring and rototilled
in preparation for plants grown by local nurseries.
Dedicated staff and volunteers planted and maintained
the exceptionally photographic garden.
Rotary Gardens is receiving extensive publicity, increased
attendance, and visitor accolades for their outstanding
AAS historical display. Please visit their website www.rotarygardens.org for
additional information.
Rotary’s beautiful garden images and seed source
information offer support and inspiration for AAS Display
Gardens to celebrate the 2007 AAS 75th Anniversary
by creating a historical garden for their community.
All-America Selections is most grateful to Rotary
Gardens for creating their exemplary 2004 and 2006
AAS gardens.
