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This month marks five years since we took on the stewardship of Western Hills Garden. Apparently, the traditional gift for a fifth anniversary is wood, which is particularly appropriate for a place with more than 700 trees. Five years feels both incredibly long and remarkably short. So much has changed since September 2021 that it's sometimes hard to remember the garden we first encountered. But trees have a way of putting time in perspective. Western Hills has been growing since 1959, and most of the trees we're caring for today were here long before us and will, we hope, be here long after. Last weekend felt like a fitting way to mark the moment. On Friday night, Sean Hogan and Jim Salyards sat down together in the Garden as part of our growing Horticultural Exchange series. The conversation ranged from Sean's lifelong love of plants to the rewards and very real challenges of building and sustaining public gardens. We laughed. We nodded. And at times, it felt like we were eavesdropping on a conversation between two old friends. It was special, and we're looking forward to creating more opportunities like it. On Saturday, our Horticultural Advisory Committee gathered for a day-long retreat. We got into the weeds, literally and figuratively. We talked about tidying up some of the beds, putting the right plant in the right place, caring for an extraordinary collection, and making choices now that will set the Garden up for success as it grows. Five years have taught us a lot. Perhaps more importantly, we're realizing how much there still is to learn. What has become especially clear over this half-decade is how much stronger Western Hills becomes as the circle around it grows. It takes a lot of people to help a place like this thrive. Horticulturists share decades of expertise. Volunteers bring time and energy. Artists like Natalie Joy Tremblay see possibilities we hadn't imagined, then transform the Garden for a weekend. Our founding Board provides strategic guidance and ensures accountability as we plan for what’s next. Our staff brings deep commitment to the work every day. Members and donors give us the resources to keep going. And our partners enable us to share the garden with more and more people. Five years ago, the circle was pretty small. Today, it includes thousands of people who visit, care about this place, and contribute to it in different ways. That growing circle is what makes us see the possibility in linking people, plants, and place. Cheers to what’s next!
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