Why we decided to “dig in”.

Week of December 1, 2022

(A letter from Michael Mechanic, one of WHG owners.)

When we heard that our friends Kent and Hadley were planning to purchase the Western Hills Garden, my wife Laura and I looked at one another like, “They are definitely crazy!” But then we came and experienced the garden for ourselves.

There was a magic in this place. In the bursts of color everywhere—always. In the soul-reviving sounds of running water, buzzing pollinators, chittering hummingbirds, and the elusive Pacific chorus frogs. In the graceful canopy of the zelkova—the garden’s “mother tree.” In the fairy ring of redwoods quietly guarding one entrance. In the rare and mysterious Wollemi pine, a species that coexisted with the dinosaurs.

You can feel the magic flowing along the garden paths and under the dozens of tiny bridges. It wraps around the base of the giant eucalyptus, the one we call the white rhino, and past the stout Chilean wine palm that sits proudly in the center of the path. You feel it every time you spot something new amid the riot of plantings—and when you return a few weeks later and find a completely new cast of characters vying for your attention.

So we decided to join Kent and Hadley in their adventure. Just over a year ago, Laura and I (I’m Michael, by the way) dedicated a chunk of our family’s funds to help restore Western Hills Garden to its pre-pandemic glory, reopen it to the public, and maintain and improve it for the future.

We have had zero regrets. Kent and Hadley are the perfect partners: passionate, trustworthy, hardworking, and well-equipped to keep things moving forward. Hadley, a veteran nonprofit executive and community leader, is a master of forging connections. And she isn’t afraid to wade into a thicket armed with clippers, either. Kent is a lawyer and a tinkerer, equally capable of dealing with financial arcana, repairing rotting fences, and inventing crafts to sell at the nursery kiosk.

The garden wasn’t a good investment in the traditional sense. It represents something more meaningful: an investment in community, in natural beauty—a labor of love that nurtures the spirit rather than the wallet. It is an investment in the longevity of a special place that has created intergenerational memories and brought all manner of fascinating people and plants together. And will continue to with your help.

For the first time in its 63-year history, the garden is operating as a nonprofit, which allows us to apply for grants and accept tax-deductible donations of any size from our community of supporters. From friends like you.

So let me explain why we really do need your help this year. Keeping Western Hills Garden alive is simply expensive. Kent, Hadley, and our small and mighty group of volunteers spend countless hours planning, digging, weeding, fertilizing, planting, raking, trimming, composting, hammering, replacing, shoring up, and building bridges. 

But a botanical preserve of this size and importance can‘t survive on volunteer labor alone. We have two paid part-time gardeners plus expenses such as irrigation supplies, pond and well maintenance, utilities, arborist services, and nonnegotiable capital improvements—like the recent rebuilding of the garden's septic system (below). The next big project is to ensure our common areas are accessible to people with disabilities.

Just keeping the garden running costs north of $150,000 a year. But with your generosity, we can do more to make WHG a vital community resource. In 2023, we’ll be rolling out new opportunities for people to get involved: art classes, horticultural workshops, botany tours, music and health retreats, environmental education partnerships.

And of course, casual day visitors and our growing squad of members are welcome.

For all of you who, like us, have deep feelings for Western Hills Garden and would like to see it continue to thrive, we would deeply appreciate your financial help before the end of the year. Please click on the button to make a tax-deductible donation today.

See you out there on the paths!

- Michael & Laura