Admiring Nature in Fall at Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin

Admiring Nature in Fall at Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin

**Disclosure: Thank you to Janesville CVB for hosting my family's visit to Janesville.

Wandering through the collection of gardens at the Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin beckons contemplation. While the temperatures were a tad chilly during our October visit, we did encounter a number of visitors slowly strolling though taking in the change of seasons. Of the 24 gardens at the Rotary Botanical Gardens, the Japanese Garden perhaps was the most striking:

Melding of nature, rocks and architecture creates art in the Japanese Garden.

Reds, oranges and purples brought light and warmth when other colors were fading. Japanese gardens incorporate water elements inviting wonder, calm and renewal.

The red hues truly warm up the garden.

Bridges allow visitors to linger and savor the beauty of the garden. They meld right into the garden. We marveled at the interesting Zig Zag Bridge in the garden.

Contemplating on the Zig Zag Bridge.

Stones are another important element to Japanese Gardens and provide grounding as well as some relief to the garden in the form of little hills. The spot where we discovered a crane sculpture melds together a variety of elements of a Japanese garden. Truly a moment of joy!

A crane sculpture artfully melds into the Japanese Garden.

Stop to Admire the Little Things:

As flowers disappear and leaves fall in autumn, other elements that you may have neglected during summer begin to emerge. As we walked through the gardens, I noticed thoughtful statements on memorial benches. Stopping to read the thoughtful messages gave way to contemplation. I am not sure that I would have noticed them so much if the entire garden was in bloom.

In the Japanese Garden, I noticed a rock with a character. I think this is the character for beautiful.

Beautiful!

Nature Exploration for Children:

Rotary Botanical Gardens is home of one of the best story walks that I have seen. Often, the story walks merely consist of sealed book pages spread throughout a stretch of a preserve or park. But, the dinosaur and frog really made the story jump out at you!

Whimsical dinosaur and frog delight on the story walk.

We also loved swimming in the aquarium. Pretty neat concept!

There is a digging area which I am sure little ones find irresistible!

Admire the Pond:

Breathtaking. Really, breathtaking is the perfect way to describe the way that the Rotary Botanical Gardens nestles around the pond. Plenty of spots around the pond offer moments of grace and natural beauty.

The Japanese Arched Bridge sculpts magically into the landscape and looked incredible framed with the fall colors and beautiful pond waters.

Japanese Arched Bridge surrounded by warm fall hues.

Nancy Yahr Memorial Children's Garden:

The Nancy Yahr Memorial Children's Garden abutting with the Herb Garden provides a nice spot inviting exploration. Immediately, I fell in love with the whimsical child flying on an airplane!

There also is a wishing well that was a favorite spot while we were visiting. The Children's Garden still showed signs of life but I am sure is much more lively in the warmer months.

Italian Garden and Herb Garden Serenity

The sculptures found in the Italian Garden and Herb Garden provide for serenity in all seasons. The manicured hedges, plant accents and soothing sculptures put you at peace.

Scottish Garden:

We ended our visit in the Scottish Garden. The Scottish Garden is truly earthy in nature and you find yourself looking for woodland nymphs! In the future when it is warmer, we would like to explore a little more.

Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin creates a nature escape that introduces visitors to a wide variety of plant and tree arrangements representing gardens from throughout the world. A day at the gardens truly transports you from the everyday and uplifts you with the appreciation of nature.

To Know:

• There is a holiday light show coming up which is probably an entire delight to enjoy!
• Rotary Botanic Gardens is part of the American Horticultural Society's Reciprocal Admissions Program which I highly recommend joining.
• There is a gift shop available with a great collection of gifts including locally made items!