 Rotary
Botanical Gardens is a 20-acre internationally themed botanical
garden. There are more than 18 different garden areas represented, with
more being added yearly.
Rotary Gardens was founded in 1989. The
site was previously home to a sand & gravel company, cattle auctions,
BMX bike races, and later became a holding area for items unwanted by
the city.
 Dr. Robert
Yahr, a local orthodontist and Rotarian, envisioned the area as the site
for a botanical garden. Local Rotary Clubs were instrumental in
beginning the project. Rotary Gardens is now its own not-for-profit
organization.
A corps of approximately 400 volunteers
contributes nearly 20,000 hours of their time each year, assisting in
everything from grounds maintenance to greeting visitors, guiding tours
to preparing mailings.
 The Gardens
were built by volunteer contributions and participation. There were no
tax dollars involved in this process for the first ten years. In recent
years, the city has donated money to cover a portion of our annual
budget; however, in 2004 eliminated their portion from Rotary Gardens
operational budget. The majority of our budget is still funded through
private donations from corporations, local businesses, and
individuals. The Friends of Rotary Gardens program is an ideal way for
individuals, businesses, and families to support the ongoing operations
of Rotary Gardens.
Grounds
Collections
- Woody Plants (trees, shrubs, vines)
1101 taxa (3,121 specimens)
- Perennials 2,506 taxa (6,824
specimens)
- Bulbs 970 taxa (380,000 total bulbs)
- Seasonal Plantings 800 annual taxa
(100,000 plants)
Noteworthy Collections
- Daffodils (Narcissus) 300+ varieties
- Ornamental Onion (Allium) 54 varieties
(spring bloomers)
- Hostas 300+ varieties
- Daylilies 300+ varieties
- Ferns 250 varieties
 Seasonal
Collections
- Salvia (155 varieties, 2007)
- Tomato, Eggplant, Pepper, Basil (50
varieties each, 2007)
- All-America Selections (200 varieties,
2006)
View
www.all-americaselections.org/Rotary_Gardens.asp to see collection
- Nicotiana (80 varieties, 2006)
- Celosia (115 varieties, 2005)
- Snapdragon (220 varieties, 2005)
- Zinnia (154 varieties, 2004)
- Morning Glory (40 varieties, 2003)
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