Autumn in the Garden 2026: Growing the Garden from the Ground Up!

Marking the close of our 20th anniversary celebration year, we honor 20 people who helped grow a garden instead of a freeway !
About this Event

To bookend our 20th Anniversary celebration year, we are hosting a very special edition of Autumn in the Garden! Learn about the garden's history and support our future by joining us to honor 20 garden champions who have helped grow the garden over the last two decades.

Awardees represent an inspiring cross-section of our far-sighted community and include neighbors, volunteers, horticulturists, scientists, artists, and many others!

TWENTY FOR TWENTY HONOREES (ALPHABETICALLY)

Aaron Tupac • Alfrida and Greg King & Pasadena Beautiful • Artemisia Nursery • Bill Smith • Brian Biery • Ellen Brown & the Harold and Colene Brown Family Foundation • Katia Ahmed & Jill McArthur (PUSD Farm to School Program) • Krystle Hickman • LA Compost • Lauren Hamlett • Margaret Gallagher • Molly Munger and Steve English • Nina Raj • Noah Klein • Outward Bound Adventures • Pasadena Audubon Society • Rebecca Latta and Logan Weidman • Soilwise • "Tuesday Mornings" Core Volunteers • West Pasadena Residents Association

There will be live music by Altadena-based artists Paul Livingstone and Alma Cielo programmed by our friends at Living Earth, delicious bites and treats, drinks including wine and mocktails, a silent auction, and more! Creative nature-inspired all-ages activities will dot the lower garden, making this a family-friendly fundraiser where the next generation of garden friends is welcomed.

Let's toast the garden's past, present, and future on October 25th!

• "Grow it Forward" Bundle ($250) includes admission for one person, light fare, and two drink tickets plus a "grow it forward" ticket granting event admission to a volunteer and an AG tote bag with garden goodies!
• Family Bundle ($250) includes admission for two adults and up to three children under age 16, light fare, and one drink ticket per attendee.
• General Admission ($100) includes admission for one person, live music, light fare, and one drink ticket.

All attendees receive complimentary valet parking and non-alcoholic beverages (excluding mocktails). Additional wine , beer and mocktail tickets will be available for purchase at the event.

Tickets will also be available for in-person purchase at the door.

This Autumn in the Garden we reflect back on our history and the community of people who have grown the garden. In addition to our 20 for 20 awarees, we will be honoring a group we are calling "The Originals" – our co-creators Betty and Charles "Kicker" McKenney, Councilmember Steve Madison, former City Manager Cynthia Kurtz, founding member George Brumder, and landscape designer Mayita Dinos, who moved the garden from mere possibility into a reality in 2005.

Looking ahead to the next 20 years of the garden, and our committment to sustaining Arlington as a unique outdoor sanctuary, we are including AitG26 in our 20th Anniversary campaign of renewal, with a goal to raise $200,000. If you are interested in becoming an event sponsor, please see this pdf of sponsorship opportunities here.

If you are unable to attend but would like to donate to Arlington Garden directly, you may so via this link.

Images in header from Autumn in the Garden 2021 and 2022 and 2025 by and , additional images from artist Scott Oshima.