Say “Hello” to Michael, Director of Horticulture

Michael Jesiolowski – Director of Horticulture at Rotary Botanical Gardens

Jesiolowski has spent most of his career at public garden institutions, most recently as Garden Supervisor at Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri. At Chicago Botanic Garden, where he was Senior Horticulturist, he was responsible for the Entrance Gardens, which encompassed the Visitor’s Center, Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden, and the Regenstein Learning Campus. He created the seasonal displays in these areas, spearheaded the creation of gravel garden beds in the Parking Lots, and added hundreds of new taxa to the collection.

Jesiolowski, born in Oak Park, IL, received his formal training through the University of Illinois, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture. He also has experience working at The Morton Arboretum (Lisle, IL), Bernheim Arboretum (Clermont, KY), Epic Systems (Verona, WI), and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

As Director of Horticulture, Jesiolowski leads horticulture staff and volunteers, where they balance the building of creative display gardens, with the development of sustainable plant collections with diversity.

You can follow Michael on Instagram at @Up_in_my_tree

Email Michael at [email protected]