2023 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 gardening, horticultural, and environmental education. On behalf of all who love, visit, and benefit from this community treasure, we thank you for being a Friend of the Gardens.
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 Friends achieved these milestones in 2023.
Stewarding and Protecting
The Friends spearheaded vital improvement and conservation projects this year throughout the Gardens’ 67.5 acres. The Gardens Support team welcomed two new horticulturists: Julia Adams, horticulturist for the Japanese Garden and Katelyn Bahr, horticulturist for our specialty gardens. In the fall, Julia honed her skills and expanded her professional network with participation in the North American Japanese Garden Association’s tour of gardens in the Northwest.
Enhancement and repair projects included repairing the irrigation systems in the Native Rhododendron Garden and the Hess Camellia Garden and renovating the Thompson Enthusiast’s Garden. Ongoing enhancements to the Kaul Wildflower Garden
included establishing and cultivating the Oak-Pine Savanna, and the installation of a “living bird feeder” garden, which will be completed in 2024. We also repaired the Seven Virtues Waterfall stream pump in the Japanese Garden, and began restoration of the tsubo-niwa, or small gardens pavilion (the former bonsai pavilion).
Work continued on the production of a new bronze sculpture “Discovery” for the Jemison Lily Garden, expanding the sculpture collection at the Gardens, and developing plans for native plantings around it. Plans continue to move forward for a much-needed major renovation of the Herb Terrace. In conjunction with the Birmingham Rose Society, we also began preparations for the renovation of the Dunn Formal Rose Garden in the spring of 2024.
Nurturing and Elevating
Birmingham Botanical Gardens attracts over 300,000 visitors a year, from across the region and around the world. In addition to the many educational programs offered by the Friends, visitors flock to the Gardens for cultural events such as the Cherry Blossom Festival, Tanabata Festival, flower and plant shows hosted by local garden clubs and plant groups, and other civic events. The Gardens are a source of enrichment and vitality for the broader Birmingham community.
As we grew a stronger membership base with increased renewals and upgrades, we utilized better analytic tools in communications and marketing decision-making, including visitor and attendance data. Our social media presence increased exponentially on all platforms this year, and our e-newsletter engagement consistently rose above industry standards. We also reestablished partnerships with local media for education and program visibility.
In 2023, the Friends piloted a new format for Spring and Fall Plant Sales, extending the number of days and hours open to both members and the public.
We launched a member-exclusive travel-abroad program, and quickly filled the roster for a 2024 tour of English gardens, castles, and private manors with former Friends’ horticulturist Molly Hendry.
We also partnered with The Garden Conservancy on a documentary filming project highlighting prominent local gardener Louise Wrinkle and her garden. The film “A Garden in Conversation: Louise Agee Wrinkle’s Southern Woodland Sanctuary” is due for release in the spring of 2024.
Sharing and Inspiring
2023 marked a wonderful time of returning to in-person celebrations, lectures, and events. The Friends orchestrated the return of an in-person Member Celebration featuring landscape architect, teacher, and writer Thomas Rainer. This kicked off a year of reconnecting with long-time friends and welcoming new ones.
In March 2023, we hosted the 14th biennial Native Plant Conference, returning to an in-person format, featuring keynote speaker Douglas Tallamy, an ecologist, conservationist, and author of “Nature’s Best Hope.” We also hosted Kelly D. Norris for our annual Spencer Lecture, author of “New Naturalism: Designing and Planting a Resilient, Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden.”
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
2023. The program combines hands-on experience and the opportunity to pursue an independent research project related to their interests. The Rotary Club of Shades Valley Intern Maria Timberlake researched native plants water filtration abilities and built a 3-D river model to be used for teaching demonstrations.
Our Native Plant Intern Harlee McClean created a native bog garden as part of our Garden Lab to be used in future classes and teaching demonstrations.
The Friends embarked on the first year of a multiyear effort to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education in our region. A collaborative effort in partnership with Huntsville Botanical Garden and Bellingrath Gardens & Home, this project includes the development of professional workshops tailored to the needs of elementary school teachers.
