botanical society of zoo montana

"THE CHILDRENS GARDEN"

The children's area is located south of the main plaza. the garden is an area with large metal sculptures of animals that children can enjoy. The garden is above Canyon Creek and offers five berms of perennial and annual flowers for visitors to experience. There are several mature trees with benches beneath offering a place to rest, read or just observe the activities of the zoo. The center berm of the area is a color wheel of flowers! The gardens are planted to educate the visitors about specific blooming times of perennials that grow well in Billings. The gardeners try to plant flowers of interest to children. The plant might be an unusual color, shape, texture or the fruit produced particularly fascinating to children. The gardeners are also trying to propagate an early interest in gardening!

PLANT VARIETIES of the CHILDREN'S GARDEN

For more plant varieties of this garden see our Botany Page

Seasonal Mums

When is the best time to plant garden mums?
Spring or Fall ! When mums are planted in the spring after the last frost, they have plenty of time to develop a substantial root system that will lead to good blooms and healthy plants in future years. In the fall Mums add a big dash of color to any garden. Just remember it's a short season so they won't last as long.

Do mums have special soil requirements?
Not really. Mums can be very happy in well prepared, slightly acid garden soil. To grow chrysanthemums successfully you should have a pH reading near 6.5. As with most plants, mums appreciate well-drained soil with lots of organic matter, such as compost.

Color Annuals

Annual flowers can provide landscaped areas with more seasonal variety and colorful accents than most other plants. The key to success with annuals is to plant only the area that can be adequately cared for. Remember, color can have more impact on the landscape than any other design element. However, nothing has a more negative impact than a poorly maintained color area.

The Children's Garden is unique as plantings are utilized not just for color but texture, shape and novelty. Every year may give a new color explosion, new whimsy and new adventures for kids. Most plants in the garden are marked, hence the garden has importance because of it's educational value. Combined with the animal statues the garden it proves to be a fun experience!