The Gardens on Spring Creek, 2145 Centre Avenue, broke ground today on five acres of new gardens, which will include the Great Lawn and stage, Undaunted Garden, Prairie Garden, Foothills Garden, and several educational and themed gardens.

Located north of the existing Visitor’s Center and south of the Spring Creek Trail, the $2.5 million dollar project marks the final step to the completion of the community botanic garden’s Master Plan.

“This day has been long anticipated, and we are ecstatic to finally begin,” said Michelle Provaznik, Executive Director, Gardens on Spring Creek. “As a true partnership between the City of Fort Collins and the Friends of The Gardens, this project is a culmination of a dream that started over thirty years ago with a group of engaged community members who believed in the power of gardens. Today, we begin our last lap in bringing that dream to life.”

Lead donors to the project have included Bohemian Foundation, Woodward, Inc., and the City of Fort Collins along with over forty other large contributors. In addition, hundreds of community supporters contributed through The Gardens’ annual campaign and Colorado Gives Day in 2015 and 2016.

Features of the expansion include the Great Lawn, a two-acre garden featuring a one-half acre lawn with a stage surrounded by smaller themed gardens. This multi-use venue may seat up to 1,500 people for performances. Concerts, plays, community festivals, fundraisers, rentals and weddings are all designated uses. Seating will be formatted in a non-formal, picnic grouping style.

“The Great Lawn will be a community gathering space unlike any other in Fort Collins,” said Dulcie Willis, President, Friends of the Gardens on Spring Creek. “It will be a place where you can immerse yourself in natural beauty and open air while art of all forms can come alive in front of you.”

Another key feature of the project is the Undaunted Garden, designed by internationally recognized landscape designer and Fort Collins resident Lauren Springer Ogden. This garden will be a showpiece of plants native to western North America and non-native plants adapted to local conditions. The three-quarter acre xeric garden will demonstrate how to garden in a drought-prone region and will feature one of the largest hardy cactus collections in the United States.

Comprising over two acres, the Prairie, Foothills and Wetland Gardens will showcase the beauty, form, and function of native plants, which will reflect the local landscape and provide unique educational opportunities for students of all ages.

The project team includes Krische Construction as the General Contractor and Russell + Mills Studios as Landscape Architects.  Construction completion is estimated in August 2018.

For project updates and more information, please visit www.fcgov.com/gardens.

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About the Gardens on Spring Creek: The Gardens on Spring Creek is the community botanic garden of Fort Collins, Colorado. The 18-acre site opened in May 2004 as part of a vital public/private partnership between the city of Fort Collins and the Friends of the Gardens on Spring Creek. The Gardens includes a Plant Select® Demo Garden, Children’s Garden, Garden of Eatin’, Rock Garden, Sustainable Backyard, and Xeric Strip. The Gardens supports school and community garden outreach programs, offers a school field trip program and youth summer camps; provides year-round educational programs for all ages; and hosts several special events. In 2016, The Gardens hosted 65,000 visitors. Learn more about the botanical gardens at fcgov.com/gardens