Interning at Betty Ford was an amazing opportunity for so many reasons. Living and gardening in a landscape like this was completely new for me, but exploring the landscape and getting to know the native plants and the garden was an incredible learning and growing experience. As the horticulture intern, I worked in the gardens every day, and was constantly exposed to new plants and different challenges within the garden. I learned so much about alpine plants from working at BFAG but I also learned a lot about gardening in general. The garden feels like a dream to work in, there were so many mornings that I would look around and see the garden in the foreground and the mountains in the background and think of how lucky I was to be there.
The staff at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens also plays a huge role in making the internship so great. Everyone working here is incredibly kind and the overall atmosphere is fun and welcoming. Nick, as the Curator of Plant Collections worked very closely with me, and was always around to help me learn about the plants and answer questions. Throughout my time here I loved getting to know the staff and was so grateful for their openness and helpfulness. Working and living with the education intern and Seasonal was a really fun experience, and getting to know them while enjoying the garden and the surrounding landscape together was one of the best parts of my summer in Vail. Overall, this internship had an enormous positive affect on me and was an experience I will not forget