Betty Ford Alpine GardensBetty Ford Alpine GardensBetty Ford Alpine Gardens
Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is a beautiful garden in the heart of Vail. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what the Gardens offer. The commitment to conservation and education of fragile high alpine regions across the world has earned it worldwide attention and acclaim.
Your gift powers the Gardens’ team to work year-round to not only create a magical alpine experience in the Gardens but also drive efforts to preserve our Alpine region. Thank You.
DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT
Help impact the future of the Gardens. Projects below are upcoming projects, renovations and restorations in need of support.
Contact Development Director, Melissa Ebone at 970-306-7616 or email here at Melissa@bettyfordalpinegardens.org to explore possibilities.
This new specialist rock garden will feature iconic tufa rock, an ideal medium for cultivating rare and unique alpine plants. These hardy species, typically found only at high elevations, are an essential part of our botanical garden’s mission to preserve and showcase biodiversity. As a living repository for these remarkable plants, the garden will provide an extraordinary opportunity for visitors to experience the beauty and resilience of mountain flora—species that are often inaccessible even to seasoned plant enthusiasts and hikers.
Location: Just above and to the left of the Meditation Garden, along the walking path that descends from the rock wall near the large waterfall.
Phase I Project Cost: $30,000
Currently Raised: $14,225
Project includes purchase of the tufa rock material and transportation, plant material purchase and propagation, special equipment to transform landscape and place large pieces of rock, hardscaping to create natural flow and a viewing platform.
Read more here.
Read more here.
A new Garden is coming to the Gardens in Spring 2025. Inspired by a trip to the Czech Rock Garden Society Conference in CZ, Colin Lee, Curator of Plant Collections is adding a new tufa rock garden. After touring some of the finest crevice and rock gardens in the Czech Republic and hearing presentations from top professionals in the field at the birthplace of modern crevice gardening, Colin has his bedrock inspiration for the new tufa rock garden.
Tufa rock is a porous volcanic rock with many small spaces for planting. Alpine and saxatile plants thrive here making this a great material for rare alpine plants as part of the Gardens’ living collection. Read more here.
Thank you. These new projects throughout the Gardens have been funded with the support of our community.
Thank you. These new projects throughout the Gardens have been funded with the support of our community.
Built in 2023, this Mountain Waterwise Garden is a reimagined main entrance for thousands of visitors to Ford Park and Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. This Gardens’ mission is to include the use of waterwise perennials, trees and shrubs both native and cultivated in the landscape.
Generously funded by the Borgen Family Foundation in honor of Kathy Borgen.
Contact Development Office at 970-306-7616 to explore possibilities.
The list below includes special ways of honoring someone. Click on the text below to learn more about these opportunities.
Honor Someone Special with a Meaningful Gift
Celebrate the life of a loved one or pay tribute to someone special with a donation to Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. Your gift supports the beauty and mission of the Gardens while creating a lasting remembrance.
You can make a donation in someone’s honor using the link below. If you’d like us to notify them or their family, please include their contact information in the comments box when you donate.
Families often choose to have donations made to the Gardens in lieu of flowers. If you’d like to invite others to give in this way, our Development Office can create a personalized donation link for you to share with friends and family.
Contact our Development Office here to request your custom link.
Celebrate, honor, or remember someone with a living gift that blooms year after year.
Give a gift that grows. Through our Bulb Dedication Program, you can celebrate a loved one, mark a meaningful occasion, or honor someone’s memory with the planting of beautiful flowering bulbs in the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens.
With each dedication, vibrant blooms will emerge in the Gardens—a lasting tribute woven into the natural beauty of this special place.
Choose from two dedication levels:
🌷 40 bulbs for $100
🌷 100 bulbs for $250
Each recipient will receive a personalized letter acknowledging your thoughtful gift.
Please note: Bulb plantings are not individually marked, and locations within the Gardens are not specified.
Let your tribute blossom in one of the world’s highest botanical gardens—creating a legacy of color, life, and remembrance.
Benches in the Gardens are available to honor or celebrate loved ones. Benches cost $25,000 to name and the bench tribute plaque is for 10 years. Bench program participants are expected to make an annual gift to the Gardens to support the Gardens that house the bench. At 9 years after the dedication, the original funder of the plaque will be contacted with the first option to renew the plaque for an additional 10 years.
Complete the Bench Program Interest Form here or contact our Development Office directly at 970-476-0103 x5
Give the Gift of Peace, Beauty, and Discovery
A Gift Membership to Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is more than a thoughtful present—it’s an invitation to slow down, reconnect with nature, and find inspiration in every season.
Perfect for the nature-lover, the curious soul, or anyone who could use a little more calm and beauty in their life, this year-long membership offers access to enriching experiences while supporting vital conservation and education efforts.
Give a gift that brings lasting joy and quiet wonder.
Sharing his knowledge with the community was part of the vibrant fabric of Nick Courtens. To honor Nick, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens wants to name the community education program in his honor. This named series continues his legacy of inspiring the community about the environment.
This fund will be invested and allow the Gardens to build and grow community education programs in his name. This fund allows these programs to be available at low cost to the community.
The community education programs will include things like workshops, lectures, and expert guests. This is a chance for community members and guests to build their knowledge and expand connections with each other, just like Nick was always doing, sharing his knowledge and creating community wherever he went.
Read the Vail Daily article here: Betty Ford Alpine Gardens to start community educational series in honor of Nick Courtens.
Donate link: Donate In Nick’s memory
Contact Development Office at 970-306-7616 or email to explore possibilities.
Just as plants need good soil and a strong foundation to grow, so does Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. Leaving a gift to the Gardens in your estate plans protects the Gardens you love and continues the work to protect the alpine environment into the future. Read more below.
You can support the Gardens with your estate planning.
Leaving a gift to Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in your will is the most common way that individuals ensure the work of the Gardens’ continues for the next generation.
These gifts often take the form of:
Your tax advisor can guide you on the best way to take care of your family and the mission of the charities you hold dear. Oftentimes, with strategic planning, you are able to do more with your assets because of the tax implications of different types of giving.
Our gift acceptance policy states that all undesignated gifts to Betty Ford Alpine Gardens are put into capital reserve fund. If you would like to discuss different plans for your gift, please reach out and let us know.
Our Tax ID # is 74-2395097
*If you have made a plan for the Gardens in your estate plans, we invite you to share this information with us. We hope to celebrate this decision with you and understand your goals and intentions to make sure your wishes happen.
When you make a plan for the Gardens in your estate plans, we invite you to share this information with us and join the Bristlecone Pine Legacy Society. We hope to celebrate this decision with you and understand your goals and intentions to make sure your wishes happen.
The Society gathers once a year to celebrate the impact of your decision and get updates on the future direction of the Gardens from the director.
Endowment gifts offer a meaningful and lasting way to support Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. When you contribute to the endowment, your gift is permanently invested, with only a portion of the earnings used each year, ensuring the principal remains untouched. This ensures that your legacy will endure, providing vital support for the Gardens for generations to come.
Gifts to the endowment are often made through a donor’s will, allowing individuals to leave a lasting impact on a cause they care deeply about. Our endowment is managed with care through an actively overseen investment portfolio, designed to protect and grow our assets, ensuring the Gardens thrive long into the future.
Endowment Policy: The Gardens annually withdraw up to 4.5% of the endowment’s earnings to support our mission.
A Tribute to Helen Fritch: A Legacy of Love for the Gardens
In honor of the visionary founder of Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, Helen Fritch, this named fund continues her legacy of passion, dedication, and commitment to preserving the beauty of our natural world. The fund provides essential support for the Gardens, educational programs, and conservation efforts, helping to sustain the Gardens for future generations to enjoy and learn from.
We are deeply grateful to the Fritch family and to all who have contributed to the matching challenges over the last four years. Your generosity has made a lasting impact, and your support ensures that the founder’s dream of a thriving, vibrant Garden will continue to flourish.
Contact Development Director, Melissa Ebone at 970-306-7616 or email to explore possibilities.
