The Friendship Society in Nelson is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.
It was created in 2003 to commemorate the twinning between Nelson and its sister city of Izu-Shi, Japan which was established in 1987, at the same time the Friendship Society was formed.
Last year the city presented them with a Sustainability Leadership Award.
“We are getting noticed across the country,” says John Armstrong, president of the Nelson Izu-Shi Friendship Society. “I had people from Manitoba approach me and say how beautiful the garden is and that they heard about us through Google.”
The garden promotes that they are a facility for all seasons and is gaining momentum not just in Nelson but nationally through website reviews and social media.
Armstrong says they will continue to improve and care for the garden while working on improvements around Cottonwood Falls Park throughout the year.
The park is working along with city services, and plans to be consistent with the city’s “healthy neighbourhoods” goal contained in its Path to 2040 Sustainability Strategy.