Help Us Continue to Grow

What a year 2020 has proven to be. From bringing the Spring Plant Sale and education classes online, to reimagining community events like Urban Homestead Tour, Pumpkins on Parade and Garden of Lights, everyone involved in the organization has made extraordinary adjustments to provide our Members and guests with the world-class visitor experience you have come to know and love—whether in-person or online.

As The Gardens’ non-profit partner, 2020 has also been one of tremendous change for Friends of The Gardens. With your help, we made an initial investment of $25,000 to Gardens for All, developed our own website (friendsgosc.org), hosted more Member Mornings than ever before and created the very popular dinner and music experience called Date Night at The Gardens.

It has required a enormous amount of work and pivoting to meet COVID-19 guidelines. And despite our best efforts, the pandemic has left its mark on our organization, just like everyone else. Between revenue shortfalls and budget cuts, The Gardens is looking at a $150,000 deficit for the year.

We know this is a hard time to be asking for money, but if you are in a position to give this holiday season, we ask that you keep Friends of The Gardens in your end-of-year giving plans. Click here to learn more about your giving options.

Tax Benefits of Giving to The Friends
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act of 2020 created two new tax benefits that could prove beneficial for you and your family.

For taxpayers who do not itemize their deductions, the CARES Act created an above-the-line deduction of up to $300 for individuals and $600 for married couples filing jointly who donate to qualified charitable organizations by December 31, 2020. The deductible amount is applied to Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) without affecting the ability to take the standard deduction.

For those that itemize, the CARES Act allows deductions of up to 100% of AGI (normally 60%) for this year only. If you’re planning to include Friends of The Gardens in your year-end giving, consult a tax professional for further details on how this

While 2020 has been a difficult year, there is plenty to be excited about as we look ahead to 2021. Already we are planning more Date Nights, more concerts, new butterflies, yoga, tai chi, the Spring Plant Sale, exciting community events, a full year of education programming and the continued growth of our stunning gardens. Donor support makes this possible and we want to thank you in advance for helping us bring light and life to this community this holiday season.

Sincerely,
Mary Atchison,
Fundraising Chair Friends of The Gardens

Hornworms by Brionna McCumber

Gardeners in Colorado may find large green caterpillars with an iconic horn on their plants every summer—these are hornworms! Tobacco hornworms ( Manduca sexta ) feed on common garden crops, often leading to conflict with humans. These very hungry caterpillars are defoliators, damaging plants such as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and eggplant. While the caterpillars use crops as a food source, which could be seen as negative, the moths provide a critical step in reproduction for the plants via pollination. Carolina Sphinx Moths ( Manduca sexta ), also called Hummingbird moths, are the adult form of hornworm s. They are known for their unique ability to hover mid-flight. Combined with the use of a special elongated proboscis, these moths are especially important for plant species with long tubular flowers that other pollinators cannot access or pollinate. The Gardens on Spring Creek Butterfly House wants to highlight the importance of these specialized pollinators in our...

Color Theory by Chelsea McLean

By understanding the basics of color theory, gardeners can have a greater impact without more work. Let’s start with a refresher: you may remember that the primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. Mix these together in different formulations and you get the secondary colors orange, green, and purple. On the left side of the color wheel are the cool colors, the ones that inspire calm and tranquility. Opposite these are the warm colors that excite and buzz. Mix in your neutral colors – white, black, and grey – and you get tints, tones, and shades. Working with these foundational concepts is where things start to get exciting. The most dramatic color combinations are those that sit opposite one another on the wheel, like my personal favorite of tangerine and violet. Referred to as contrasting colors, be sure to choose highly saturated colors for contrast plantings as muted colors will only reduce the intensity. Perhaps a monochromatic planting is more your style. When I’...

Migrating Monarch Conservation Gardening

Migrating Monarch Conservation Gardening by Brionna McCumber This past winter, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a rule to list monarch butterflies as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The iconic migration along the east side of the Rocky Mountains sees monarchs flying from as far north as Canada down to the Oyamel forests in Mexico. Most of these butterflies travel through the Great Plains region of the United States, with the Front Range serving as the western boundary of their migratory pathway. Starting in March, monarchs begin their journey north again, reproducing and laying eggs along the way. Their northward migration continues over multiple generations, limited by the availability of milkweed host plants and nectar sources for adult butterflies. This cycle persists throughout the summer until late August, when the migration south begins once more. In December 2024, the overwintering populations occupied 4.42 acres of forest in Mexico—nearly d...

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