ANNUAL REPORT
A Celebration of Friendship at the Gardens Since 1962, Birmingham Botanical Gardens has served as a cherished place of respite, a meaningful connection to nature, and a vibrant source of plant, gardening, wellness, and environmental education thanks to your ongoing commitment to this invaluable community resource. We extend our sincere gratitude to all who support our mission through donations, event sponsorships, memberships, honorary and memorial tributes, planned giving, and gifts to specific programs. Thank you for helping us grow a greener tomorrow.
A facility of the Birmingham Park and Recreation Board, Birmingham Botanical Gardens is the result of a public/private partnership between the City of Birmingham and the nonprofit Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens. For nearly 60 years, the City and Friends have worked side by side to fulfill the Gardens’ mission. Funding from the City covers many of the Gardens’ core, day-to-day operating expenses. Thanks to your generous support, the Friends has the capacity to offer a broad range of programs that inform, inspire, and enrich our community. Your contributions also enable the Friends to play a critical role in supplementing the Gardens’ operational needs and ensuring the ongoing stewardship and enhancement of this beloved community treasure.
Operating Revenue $2,652,337
OTHER EVENTS EDUCATION MEMBERSHIPS
Operating Expenses $2,196,033
GARDENS & GARDEN PROJECTS
Source: Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens actual, unaudited financial statements for the 12 months January through December 2021. Operating revenue does not include investment activity and reflects several generous donor-designated gifts with multiyear impact.
FUNDRAISING, MEMBERSHIP & VOLUNTEER HIGHLIGHTS
The Friends celebrated the 15th-annual Antiques at the Gardens in person in October 2021 with a full weekend of special events, acclaimed speakers, and distinctive antiques dealers. Presented by IBERIABANK (a division of First Horizon Bank) and led by co-chairs Shannon Lisenby and Stephanie Lynton and a dedicated volunteer committee, the Friends’ largest fundraiser of the year surpassed its goal, making it one of the most successful Antiques shows to date. Thank you for your generous support!
With the safety of the Gardens community top of mind, the Friends developed a new e-commerce site to allow us to host our popular Spring Plant Sale fundraiser online in April 2021. Our new platform will allow us to continue to offer smaller virtual plant sales in addition to our signature in-person sales, which resumed in the fall.
As we worked to find creative ways to generate support during an unusual year, the Friends offered its first “Evening with an Expert” benefiting the Gardens. The virtual fundraiser featured a festive cookalong with Chris Hastings, James Beard Award-winning chef and co-owner of Birmingham’s OvenBird and Hot and Hot Fish Club. Participants received a three-course dinner menu, recipes, pro tips, wine pairings, and time for Q&A.
The Friends expanded annual member households by 17% and member income by 16% in FY2021 through on-site and virtual membership drives. Thank you for supporting our mission through your annual membership! Your commitment keeps these beloved Gardens growing.
Our volunteer program doubled the Friends’ volunteer base and increased service hours by 65% from 2020 as we continue to leverage volunteer passions and skills to support the Gardens and all that this inspiring green space makes possible. Expanding our partnerships with UAB and other local universities has enabled us to reach and attract new volunteers interested in gardening. Thank you—your service makes an incredible impact.
Friends achieved these milestones in 2021.
Protecting the Gardens’ Wonders
The Friends continued to support the ongoing care and maintenance of the Gardens by working to bridge the gap between limited City funding and the Gardens’ operational needs. Examples of garden support during 2021 include the refresh of the flower border and other plantings in the Southern Living Garden; renovations of the Kaul Wildflower Garden, from the removal of invasives to the creation of a strategic planting plan; turf care and water feature maintenance; the purchase of plugs for bedding plants and pine straw mulch for garden beds; and the organization and supervision of volunteer projects across the 67-acre property.
The Friends completed phase one of a new Gardens-wide irrigation assessment and documentation, which features a comprehensive digital map of the Gardens’ existing irrigation infrastructure. The map will be used to identify needs and opportunities to connect or restore water lines and resources across the property for maximum water savings and efficiency.
The Moore Cultural Pavilion in the Japanese Garden was renovated to repair damage caused by squirrels, restore flooring, and paint the exterior stucco to match the Toshinan (teahouse) thanks to a grant from the Walker Area Community Foundation. Other improvements in the Japanese Garden included the dredging of excess sediment from the settling pond at the top of the Hill and Stream Garden and the staining of the cedar posts and panels on the Protective Life Boardwalk and the education platform given by the CS Beatty Family Foundation in memory of Craig Shipley Beatty, Jr., in the garden’s Bamboo Grove.
The Friends and City of Birmingham partnered to repair and reinstall the Lawler Gates leading from the Gardens to The Birmingham Zoo after a car hit and damaged the gates in late 2020. Through the installation of a new pump, cable, and lighting, the Friends and City also worked together to restore the fountain in Sonat Lake at the main entrance to the Gardens. New auto-fill and overflow valves were added to help conserve water and reduce energy costs.
The sugar kettle urn fountains at the north and south edges of the Formal Lawn were reinstalled following a renovation to prevent the bowls from separating from their bases. Repairs included sandblasting, repainting, and replumbing with new PVC piping. Nine benches flanking the urns were also refurbished, stained, and sealed.
Nurturing the Gardens’ Wonders
The Friends’ biennial Native Plant Conference, “Growing Resilience,” celebrated the benefits of cultivating native plants in our gardens and urban landscapes. About 120 professionals and hobbyists attended the four-day hybrid program, which featured virtual presentations as well as in-person observation of Alabama’s native plant species.
The Friends continued its efforts to cultivate the next generation of horticulturists and plant scientists by hosting two college interns with an interest in public gardens during summer 2021. Our Rotary Club of Shades Valley Intern researched native azaleas for a new, native-focused planting plan for the Abroms Rhododendron Species Garden. Our Native Plant Intern mapped the locations of rare natives in the Kaul Wildflower Garden.
The Library at the Gardens’ Seed Exchange provided Friends members and local residents with a resource for more than 720 varieties of seed in an ongoing effort to highlight the value of seed sharing to strengthen biodiversity. For the second consecutive year, Birmingham Botanical Gardens received an Urban Agricultural Resilience Program award from the U.S. Botanic Garden and American Public Gardens Association to help sustain urban agriculture and community food growing.
Volunteers harvested 2,500 pounds of fresh vegetables from the Bruno Vegetable Garden in 2021 to share with Birmingham-area residents in need through our Harvest for the Hungry initiative.
We are excited to announce that the Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens has earned a 2022 Platinum Seal of Transparency with Candid. View our nonprofit profile: Guidestar.org/profile/63-0495111
Year after year, your dedication and support allow us to fulfill our mission: to protect, nurture, and share the wonders of Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Because of your commitment, the
