Lawrence Rotary Club members got out their shovels Saturday and showed off their green thumbs as they added more shrubs to a developing arboretum east of the Clinton Lake dam.

About 15 members from the city’s three Rotary clubs spent about an hour planting 75 shrubs and bushes, said George Woodyard, who has been involved in a Rotary committee organizing the project. Some Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department employees assisted.

“This was our first real work day,” Woodyard said. “We had a good turnout and everybody just jumped right in.”

Local Rotarians began planning an arboretum last year as part of the Lawrence Sesquicentennial celebration. They approached the city of Lawrence about a project and ended up working with Parks and Recreation on the arboretum.

“We were thinking what we could do as a long-term project in Douglas County that the whole population could enjoy,” said Carmela Sibley, president of the Jayhawk Breakfast Rotary Club.

The other two clubs involved in the project are the Lawrence Rotary Club and the Central Rotary Club.

The arboretum is east of the dam and across from the Youth Soccer Field complex. It covers about 15 acres.

The Rotarians have raised $25,000 to pay for trees and shrubs going into the arboretum. Their goal is to raise $50,000.

“We had an opening ceremony last fall and planted a few shrubs, but that was more ceremonial than work,” Woodyard said.

During the winter, city workers planted about 60 trees at the arboretum, Woodyard said. That is about half the number of various types of trees that ultimately will be planted. Work also was done to improve drainage to two ponds on the site, which has improved their attractiveness, he said.

Additional planting days will be scheduled, Woodyard said.