Sisson's Peony Garden - Rosendale, WI
Late spring and early summer are peony blooming time in Wisconsin. If you're a fan of these timeless blooms, you'll enjoy a journey through Sisson's Peony Garden, in Rosendale. The garden has a history going back over a century, to 1920, when Wilbur Sisson moved to Rosendale to live with his widowed sister. Peonies are an easy to grow flower, and were very popular at the time. Wilbur began planting and growing a wide variety of peonies, and expanding the garden to include two additional lots next to his sisters' home. Eventually, he hired Jesse Phillips to work with him, filling five acres with herbaceous and tree peonies, along with a selection of other blooms like iris and gladiolus.
Jesse Phillips built the stone windmill that stands near the entrance of the garden to this day. Phillips eventually became a partner in the gardens, and eventually an owner. Over time parts of the parcel were sold off, leaving a half acre of garden, that has since been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Garden tours and peony festivals took place throughout the decades. But, as the years passed, the garden fell into disrepair. In 2005 it was sold, then donated by the purchasers, Jim and Emajean Westphal, to the Rosendale Historical Society. The society began restorations of the garden, keeping many of the original peony plants in the remodeled landscape (some nearing 100 years old).
In recent years, official tours of the blooming garden are given by the Rosendale Historical Society. Gardens are open for self-guided tours daily, as long as they are in bloom, typically mid-May to mid-June. I visited on May 17, this year (2024), and they were just beginning to blossom.
Guided tours will be given this year on Peony Sunday, June 2, 2024, from 11am - 2pm. Admission is free. Plate lunches and desserts will be sold in the garden during this time. Other local historical sites will be open for tours as well.
Location: 207 N. Main Street, Rosendale, WI (Fond du Lac County)
For more information click here.
Jesse Phillips built the stone windmill that stands near the entrance of the garden to this day. Phillips eventually became a partner in the gardens, and eventually an owner. Over time parts of the parcel were sold off, leaving a half acre of garden, that has since been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Garden tours and peony festivals took place throughout the decades. But, as the years passed, the garden fell into disrepair. In 2005 it was sold, then donated by the purchasers, Jim and Emajean Westphal, to the Rosendale Historical Society. The society began restorations of the garden, keeping many of the original peony plants in the remodeled landscape (some nearing 100 years old).
In recent years, official tours of the blooming garden are given by the Rosendale Historical Society. Gardens are open for self-guided tours daily, as long as they are in bloom, typically mid-May to mid-June. I visited on May 17, this year (2024), and they were just beginning to blossom.
Guided tours will be given this year on Peony Sunday, June 2, 2024, from 11am - 2pm. Admission is free. Plate lunches and desserts will be sold in the garden during this time. Other local historical sites will be open for tours as well.
Location: 207 N. Main Street, Rosendale, WI (Fond du Lac County)
For more information click here.
All photos, blog posts, and content are copyright (c) 2014-2024 Kimberly Mackowski, unless otherwise noted. |
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