A Message from our Executive Director

A spontaneous cheer erupted from the circle of Leach Garden staff when we told them the news. The group was gathered to talk about the status of the garden, the status of fundraising. Everyone had been affected by a reduction in staff hours and layoffs. Several managers were sitting in their last full group meeting, their jobs ending in two days. Jenn Woodward, Leach Garden’s development director was sharing news about the fundraising effort that had commenced when news went public that the garden was struggling financially. 

We all knew that some donations had come in. All the major TV stations in the city had set up interviews to cover news of the crisis. Nearly every print news outlet had reached out for quotes and had followed up with a story that tried to answer the big questions on everyone’s mind. How had the garden arrived at this point? Was it really going to close in March? Would the community show up to try to keep us open?  

Jenn read a number off her sheet. We were within $1,000 of hitting the goal of $50,000 per month for 5 months, enough to keep operating with reduced staffing through June 30… $249,139 and it had only been 14 days. We would still lose staff, but the garden would stay open. Even those who lost their jobs were pleased to see the response show up so tangibly. The work matters. The garden matters. The place matters. The group cheered; more than one salty tear was shed. 

When you look at a plant, it’s easy to miss the details. The variation in color, the fine texture, the patterns that repeat with infinite variation. A leaf is a marvel, a miniature universe upon which a single drop of water can dance or an insect can cast its song. 

When you look at an organization, like Leach Botanical Garden, it is also easy to miss the details. You see the entrance, with its kind and caring staff, a set of pathways leading to the wonder of botanical discovery. But if you look deeper, you see careful arrangement of stone, wood, tree, water, building, and paths. You can stop in a single spot and look deeply into a cluster of plants captured as a microcosm of nature with insects flitting, birds scratching, and small invertebrates carving a path through the soil. It’s remarkable what happens in a single square foot of ground. 
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Creating a space where tiny miracles of nature can unfold, seems like the work of luxury and privilege. It takes time, care, patience. It takes knowledge and resources, respect and attention. When neighbors are unhoused and hungry how can we justify resources for the cultivation of a garden?  When there are potholes to fill and wastewater to clean, what priority should a tiny stone pathway have? Surely funds could be better spent on a new freeway overpass, a grand stadium for rock concerts and raucous sporting events, or maybe a tax break for a business that will employ hundreds of people.  These are all important parts of our community. These are our choices as citizens. Where do we invest our limited dollars for the greatest good? What do we care about?

As it turns out, we discovered this month, you care about Leach Botanical Garden. You care about us, and you care about plants. It’s not to the exclusion of anything else, it’s inclusive of everything else. You care about this little patch of nature. 

We are so grateful. We are so appreciative that the little things we do to make this garden lovely have been noticed by you. We are so pleased to be able to keep cultivating these tiny remarkable plants…  These self-replicating, solar powered, water cleaning, soil stabilizing, food providing, beauty enhancing marvels…these plants that we would literally die without.

Perhaps in that context, it makes sense in our crowded world of buildings, streets, computers and cars to carve out a little space to honor the organisms, the oxygen creators, the flower makers? Perhaps it makes sense to learn their names? To honor them. To appreciate them. To visit them.

A garden celebrates life. It asks us to be present, to breathe, to observe. A botanical garden celebrates the wonders and diversity of our planet and all that it gives us. It’s a tour of the vast bounty of nature captured in a few acres of space, concentrated for our enjoyment. And the plants are happy to participate, content to just grow and be.

Now that we know we can stay open through the next few months, and while we craft plans to let us stay open through next year, we hope you’ll partake in the gift of hope that comes when spring calls forth the plants from their slumbers so we can celebrate the joy of color and fragrance, beauty and light. You made this happen. You bought us time. Come visit the plants at this very special botanical garden. Pick a spot and linger. Find your peace and experience the spring renewal with our profound gratitude, love, and appreciation.

Thank you

-The Leach Garden Staff and Board