" A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in, what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars." - Victor Hugo
The Sensory Garden is a 40,000 square foot bowl area surrounded by a six foot berm with mature trees, shrubs, and plants. Flower beds surrounding the grassy area are three feet high and all contained with a rock wall. A path separates the wall area from the grass and flower area. There are two main plant berms on the north and south sides of the area, a lovely waterfall fountain on the west and the Jim Reger memorial fountain on the east.
The Sensory Garden was the vision of Jane Reger who was the chairperson of ZooMontana's Sensory Garden Committee in 1991. Their vision was to offer a garden area that was secluded, peaceful and shaded. The garden was designed to appeal to all the senses and is in total compliance with the American Disabilities Act of 1990. There are numerous benches, a shaded arbor area and plenty of grass. It is a delightful respite for picnics or corporate retreats and is one of the popular locations in the area for weddings.
Below you can take a brief history tour through the gardens during it's construction, early times and up to present day. It is an evolving cornucopia of color, texture and depth and changes with the season and changes with the progression of time. It is a testament to a vision and years and years of dedicated volunteerism
Initial construction site and layout
First volunteer plantings
Original entry to Sensory garden
Early photo courtesy of Rocky Mountain Images-Billings
August 1999
August 1998
August 1999
June 1999
Google photo-Summer 2015
Fall 2017
If you have any garden photos from the Zoo and would like to share with us please free to e-mail us at: billingsbotanical@gmail.com
Please include your name and date of photo. Thank you for your support.