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Vail -- Betty Ford Alpine Gardens

Smithsonian Gardens

Object Details

General
At 8,200 feet in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado there is a public garden created in 1985 by the Vail Alpine Garden Foundation. In 1988 the garden was named for former first lady Betty Ford who spoke about her family's love of gardening. The garden has more than 3,000 species of high altitude plants including native Colorado species and varieties that grow at high altitudes in other parts of the world. It contains both mountain plants including many conifers and plants that grow above tree line, technically alpine. Four garden areas were designed: a mountain perennial garden established in 1989, a mountain meditation garden started in 1991, an alpine rock garden since 1999, and a children's garden founded in 2002. There are children's programs coordinated with a local school including an annual butterfly launch for third graders from two counties, and classes in horticultural therapy, along with many other programs. The Gardens are open every day of the year although paths are not cleared in the winter. The Gardens employs five staff members and volunteers and docents who contribute more than 3,500 hours annually. With a strong commitment to conservation the Gardens works in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Botanic Gardens International and the Colorado Natural Heritage Program. Behind the scenes the work includes the study and conservation of Colorado's rare flora. Persons associated with the garden's design: Marty Jones, landscape designer and Helen Fritch.
Owner
Vail Alpine Garden Foundation
Honoree
Ford, Betty, 1918-2011
Landscape designer
Jones, Marty
Garden collaborator
Fritch, Helen
Collection Photographer
Jeruss, Irene
Place
United States -- Colorado -- Eagle County -- Vail
Betty Ford Alpine Garden (Vail, Colorado)
Topic
Gardens -- Colorado -- Vail
Rock gardens
Alpine gardens
Public gardens
Native plant gardens
Healing gardens
Demonstration gardens
School gardens
Flower beds
Aspen
Arches
Entrances
Signs and signboards
Walkways, flagstone
Benches
Prunus
Mountains -- Colorado
Ornamental evergreens
Ornamental grasses
Fir
Alpine garden plants
Botanical gardens
Water gardens
Ponds
Garden ornaments and furniture
Bridges
Stairs
Waterfalls
Log cabins
Hillside planting
Flower gardening
Wild flower gardening
Flowers
Shrubs
Trees
Owner
Vail Alpine Garden Foundation
Honoree
Ford, Betty, 1918-2011
Landscape designer
Jones, Marty
Garden collaborator
Fritch, Helen
See more items in
Irene Jeruss garden photography collection
Irene Jeruss garden photography collection / Garden Images / Colorado
Extent
27 Slides (photographs)
Date
2005
Container
Box 1
Archival Repository
Archives of American Gardens
Identifier
AAG.JER, File CO046_JER
Type
Archival materials
Slides
Slides (photographs)
Digital images
Collection Citation
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Irene Jeruss Garden Photography Collection
Collection Rights
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Genre/Form
Digital images
Scope and Contents
27 digital images and 1 file folder.
Collection Restrictions
Access to collection by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1654277100508-1654277101048-1
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb68141c02d-084c-4034-96ea-6dbfc6e5ea31

Related Content

  • Irene Jeruss garden photography collection

Vail -- Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
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There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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