By Barry Wise Smith
Anyone who has spent time at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens (BBG) knows that it is a community treasure. What people might not know is how the Friends of BBG provide critical support to the Gardens.
Since its founding in 1964, the nonprofit has worked with the City of Birmingham Park and Recreation Board to make BBG a resource to the whole community through impactful educational programs and outreach and fundraising. Through their memberships, Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens provide invaluable support to BBG and have provided funding to ensure maintenance, repairs, restorations and enhancements to the Gardens, making them more beautiful for all visitors.
During the month of May, the Friends are conducting a membership drive offering a $10 discount on every new, renewal or gift membership purchased during the month. As a special gift to members, three member-exclusive tours are being offered on Saturday. May 16. The Garden’s expert horticulturists will do tours of the Kaul Wildflower Garden, Bruno Vegetable Garden and Herb Terrace and the Japanese Garden. The tours are limited to 20 people each and will last for 45 minutes to an hour. “I’ve done all the tours, and they’re incredibly interesting,” says Friends Director of Communications and Marketing Cassia Kesler. “They’re small tours and very informative.” Members can do one of the tours or all three.
The benefits of Friends of BBG membership are extensive, including reciprocal admission to over 360 botanical gardens across North America, shopping exclusives at the popular Fall and Spring Plant Sales, discounts on classes and workshops, priority registration for special events and summer camps and free passes to Antiques in the Gardens, 10 percent off at Leaf & Petal merchandise and lunch at the Gardens Café by Kathy G and much more.
Kesler says that people often mention their top benefits as the member deals at the plant sales; discounts at local garden centers, nurseries and some local florists and the reciprocal admission benefit. “These are valuable benefits that are available to anyone who becomes a member,” Kesler says.
Over the years, the Friends have funded many programs for BBG that share the Gardens with the broader community. Some of the programs funded by Friends of BBG are:
• Educational programs for thousands of local schoolchildren who might not have access to the Gardens otherwise.
• Renovations to the Japanese tea house and the bonsai pavilion, along with upgrades to the Japanese Garden’s irrigation system (and irrigation systems throughout the Gardens).
• A complete restoration of the Herb Terrace.
• Grants to 15 local, grassroots greenspace initiatives through the Rooted in Community program.
Another valuable program funded by the Friends is the summer internship program. Interns from around the country work in the Gardens on valuable projects. On May 7, the Friends will host Rosé in the Roses as a fundraiser for the summer internships. The fundraiser—which includes unlimited rosé, light hors d’oeuvres and live music—will fund the hiring of three summer interns, two of who will do horticultural internships and one in informal education. “It’s a great time for a really good cause,” Kesler says.
In October, the Friends will host the 20th anniversary of the group’s largest fundraiser—Antiques in the Gardens—which includes talks by internationally acclaimed interior designers, floral designers, architects and landscape architects. The show also features antique dealers from around the country offering curated antiques, fine art, jewelry, silver, rugs and textiles, home décor and garden accessories. This year’s honorees will be Margot Shaw, editor of Flower magazine; Bart McCorquodale, Chief Executive Officer of his company McCorquodale Transfer and designer and longtime supporter Richard Keith Langham.
