"Roseland Cottage" painting by April Guilbault of Norwalk, CT. 

CT's Historic Gardens Announces Winner of 2025 Poster Art Contest

Connecticut’s Historic Gardens is pleased to announce artist April Guilbault of Norwalk, CT as the winner of the 11th annual Historic Gardens Day Poster Art Contest.

“To read the history and know the plants and trees that were first planted there, such as the rose bushes and Tulip tree, is forever intriguing to a gardener and deepens its story. To learn about its beginnings and evolution and see what has been preserved contributes to its own ‘history lesson’, offering ideas that can inspire us in our own gardens. This striking salmon-hued cottage, an architectural gem, with its formal parterre garden is a joy to paint or visit any time of the year,” April stated.

April Guilbault graduated from Syracuse University with a BFA in Communication Design. She worked in broadcast graphics at NBC Chicago and NBC New York on the national news, Today Show, and Rosie O’Donnell shows, garnering several broadcast Emmys. In the years since, she has been a freelance illustrator, creating whimsical and nature-inspired visuals for invitations, stationary products, rubber stamps, as well as for print and digital magazines. A long-time gardener and plant lover, she acquired an herbalism certificate from the Rosemary Gladstar Science and Art of Herbalism program and is enjoying focusing her illustration work on the natural world.

This year's Historic Gardens Day, an event that attracts garden lovers from throughout the state and beyond, takes place on Sunday, June 22, 2025.