Plant Records Horticulturist

Job Description

The Plant Records Horticulturist is responsible for maintaining the intellectual infrastructure of Rotary Botanical Gardens’ living plant collection. This role ensures accuracy, continuity, and long-term institutional knowledge through comprehensive plant records, tagging, mapping, care plan documentation, and collections data management.

Grounded in both horticulture and systems thinking, the Plant Records Horticulturist plays a critical role in supporting stewardship, interpretation, memorials and dedications, grants, and institutional storytelling by translating collections data into usable, enduring knowledge across the organization.

About Us

Rotary Botanical Gardens is a 21-acre, internationally themed public garden in Janesville, Wisconsin, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit since 1989. The Gardens steward a living collection of more than 4,000 plant species across 26 distinct garden areas, with a strong focus on perennial systems, sustainability, education, and community engagement. The organization welcomes approximately 150,000 visitors annually and is guided by a mission of Enriching Lives Through Natural Beauty, Education, and the Arts.

As a public garden with a deepening museum-aligned approach, Rotary Botanical Gardens is committed to long-term collections stewardship, thoughtful interpretation, and meaningful visitor experiences that connect people to plants, ecology, and place.

Duties & Responsibilities

Collections Documentation & Records
– Oversee plant tagging, mapping, and collections database systems.
– Maintain accession, deaccession, and plant history records.
– Document and maintain plant- and garden-zone care plans, including maintenance standards and curatorial intent, in coordination with the Collections Curator and horticulture staff.
– Ensure accuracy, consistency, and long-term usability of all collections data.
– Develop and maintain systems that support institutional memory and knowledge continuity.

Garden Stewardship
– Serve as primary steward for assigned garden zones within a shared stewardship model, under Curator oversight.
– Coordinate records work with on-the-ground plant care, seasonal changes, and curatorial decisions.
– Observe plant performance and contribute insights to collections planning and plant succession discussions.
– Knowledge Translation & Interpretation Support

Translate collections data into:
– Public-facing stories and interpretive content
– Grant proposals and reporting language
– Support materials for tours, exhibits, and education programs
– Participate in seasonal interpretation planning and cross-department alignment conversations.
– Support consistent institutional language around the living plant collection.

Memorials, Dedications & Tagging Coordination
– Work closely with the Development team, including Memorials and Dedications, to ensure dedication plants and tags are accurately placed, documented, and maintained.
– Coordinate dedication records with plant accessions, maps, and care plans to ensure long-term accuracy and stewardship.
– Support the integrity and longevity of dedication signage and associated records over time.

Institutional Collaboration
– Collaborate with Development, Education, and Community Engagement to ensure collections knowledge supports donor engagement, visitor learning, and public programming.
– Work with the Associate Director and Collections Curator to align records practices with institutional goals, interpretation priorities, and stewardship standards.

Education and Experience

Education and Experience
– Background in horticulture, botany, museum studies, environmental science, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
– Experience with plant records systems, collections databases, or documentation practices preferred.
– Strong organizational, analytical, and documentation skills.
– Experience in public gardens, museums, or mission-driven organizations preferred.

Additional Information

Reports to: Collections Curator / Horticulture Manager
Works closely with: Executive Director, Associate Director, Development, Education, and Community Engagement
Pay Range: $18.00–$22.00 per hour

Physical & Work Environment Requirements
– Ability to work outdoors in a range of weather conditions.
– Ability to perform hands-on garden work as needed.
– Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
– Combination of office-based records work and on-site horticultural activity.

This position safeguards the Garden’s knowledge, memory, and meaning. It ensures that plants, stories, dedications, and care practices remain legible, accurate, and transferable across staff, volunteers, donors, and generations.

Application Instructions

Please submit a resume and cover letter to: development@rotarygardens.org