Garden Stewardship Award
2025 Great American Gardeners Awards presented by the American Horticultural Society
We are thrilled to announce that Betty Ford Alpine Gardens has been named the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Garden Stewardship Award, presented by the American Horticultural Society. This award recognizes gardens that lead the way in sustainable horticulture through thoughtful design, responsible maintenance, and impactful programs.
As dedicated ambassadors of alpine conservation, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens continually witness the effects of climate change on this delicate ecosystem. Their stewardship extends from high-altitude preservation efforts to minimizing their operational footprint a few thousand feet below. Whether it’s using repurposed agricultural irrigation pipelines made into trash bags or integrating natural systems into their practices, sustainability is embedded in every aspect of their work.
A Model for Sustainable Gardening
Recognizing the unique challenges of gardening in a high-mountain environment, the Gardens created the Mountain Waterwise Garden last year. This demonstration garden provides an invaluable resource to the community, showcasing water-efficient landscaping, resilient plant selections, and sustainable gardening practices for homeowners, landscapers, and visitors alike.
Sustaining a botanic garden requires significant resources, but the horticulture team at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens remains committed to best practices that conserve water, reduce waste, and minimize environmental impact. Their plant selections emphasize drought-tolerant species native to the Rocky Mountains, ensuring adaptability and resilience. Fertilizers are strictly organic and non-synthetic to prevent nitrogen pollution in nearby Gore Creek. Their irrigation system utilizes weather sensors to optimize water use, while water meters monitor features for efficiency and leak detection. Even their landscaping boulders are sourced within a 200-mile radius to limit carbon emissions. Additionally, the team takes proactive steps to reduce plastic waste by returning and reusing plant pots and trays. To further lessen their footprint, all garden maintenance tools, including blowers, trimmers, and snow blowers, have transitioned to electric power. Meanwhile, composting remains a cornerstone of their waste management strategy, ensuring garden materials are transformed and reused.
Educating and Engaging the Community
Sustainability extends beyond the Gardens’ borders through their programming and outreach efforts. Their annual “Sustainable Landscaping Series” provides accessible education at little to no cost, empowering the community to implement sustainable practices at home. Seasonal social media campaigns, such as irrigation reduction reminders, make sustainable gardening approachable and actionable for everyone.
Their internship programs have played a pivotal role in nurturing the next generation of horticulture professionals, guiding both college and high school students toward fulfilling careers in public gardening. A standout initiative, the Colorado Alpine EcoFlora project, utilizes iNaturalist to crowdsource observations of alpine plants. With over 15,000 recorded observations across 700+ species, this program engages the public in critical conservation efforts while providing valuable data for research and ecological preservation.
Leading by Example in Sustainable Operations
The Gardens’ commitment to sustainability extends into their daily operations, achieving an impressive waste diversion rate as high as 80% through extensive recycling, composting, and specialized collection programs for hard-to-recycle materials. Events held at the Gardens adhere to zero-waste principles, using only reusable or BPI-certified compostable serviceware.
The Education Center, constructed in 2015, exemplifies green building design. Featuring a living roof and utilizing beetle kill pine, the building’s strategic orientation and partial hillside embedding optimize energy efficiency. As a participant in the PuRE program, the facility is powered entirely by renewable energy..
A Legacy of Recognition and Conservation Leadership
This Garden Stewardship Award adds to an impressive history of recognition for Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. Recent accolades include Best Sustainable Organization (2022, 2023, 2024), Climate Impact Award (2023), and Actively Green Business of the Year (2022), among many others. However, they value most being in a community that values and implements sustainable practices.
Their conservation efforts extend beyond local initiatives, reaching national and global platforms. In collaboration with Denver Botanic Gardens, they co-authored the North American Botanic Garden Strategy for Alpine Plant Conservation, setting essential objectives for protecting alpine flora. As active members of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, they are working toward establishing an Alpine Plants Specialist Group. Their affiliations with the Center for Plant Conservation, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (newly accredited in 2024), and the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation demonstrate their leadership in worldwide plant conservation efforts.
Looking Ahead
The dedication of the Gardens’ seven full-time staff members, alongside an innovative board, has made this remarkable achievement possible. Their unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship ensures that Betty Ford Alpine Gardens will continue to lead by example, pushing the boundaries of sustainable horticulture.
Receiving the Garden Stewardship Award is an incredible honor, but for the team at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, the true victory lies in continuing their mission: to protect, educate, and inspire.
