Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail, Colorado
Vail's Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, the highest botanical garden in the country (8250 ft), has received this year's Award for Garden Excellence from the American Botanical Gardens Association (APGA), sponsored by Horticulture magazine. The APGA award honors a public garden every year for excellence in commitment to plant collections, outstanding horticultural displays with top design, and gardening practices appropriate for the regional environment, among other criteria. APGA executive director Dan Stark cited the garden for its hard work in "creating, maintaining and growing a truly wonderful botanic garden in such a trying environment."
The garden, founded by the Vail Alpine Garden Association in 1985, is located in Gerald R. Ford Park. It was named in honor of former first lady Betty Ford in 1988 because of her contributions to and association with Vail Valley. (Remember ... when Ford was president, he often vacationed and skiied at his home in Vail).
Since its establishment, the garden has been recognized as the country's foremost authority on high-altitude plants in natural and cultivated environments throughout the Rocky Mountains. The garden also promotes conservation throughout the region and is home for many threatened exotic and rare plants and alpine wildflowers.
Comments