Rocky Mountain Gardens is honored to receive funding from Missoula Botanical Gardens to support a comprehensive plant labeling and databasing project. This gift will fund the purchase and installation of permanent plant labels throughout the garden, as well as the creation and maintenance of a plant database.
This project represents critical next steps in making Rocky Mountain Gardens more accessible, educational, and engaging for visitors. As an emerging three-acre botanic garden, Rocky Mountain Gardens is actively developing its plant collections and expanding its role as a community resource.
The addition of labels will provide clear identification and information for hundreds of plant species, supporting self-guided exploration, educational programming, and improved plant recordkeeping. A plant database will strengthen the garden’s internal plant documentation system through accession labeling, ensuring each plant is recorded and connected to detailed records including origin, planting date, and cultivar information.
The partnership between Missoula Botanic Gardens and Rocky Mountain Gardens embodies a shared commitment to fostering connections between people, plants, and place in the Missoula community. The resulting advancements lay the groundwork for future interpretive features, collections management, and expanded educational opportunities.
Funding from Missoula Botanical Gardens enables Rocky Mountain Gardens to begin implementation of this project in 2026. The gift will be recognized on a kiosk to be located in the garden’s courtyard. Recognition will include a statement of Missoula Botanical Gardens gift alongside an explanation of how to read a plant label.
Missoula Botanical Gardens’ Story
Missoula Botanical Gardens was created in 2019-2020 by a group of inspired community members of Missoula. The mission of the nonprofit was to create a botanic sanctuary that protects and showcases unique plant diversity where the public can experience wonder, enrichment, and wellness through nature and artistic beauty. Over several years, MBG’s Board and the public’s support of the idea grew, though difficulty in securing resources and land led the group to consider scope and explore multiple options.
After connecting with the Rocky Mountains Garden team, MBG recognized the most effective way to further their mission was to join forces. Rocky Mountain Gardens not only supports MBG’s mission, but upholds their values of promoting environmental stewardship, conservation, enabling learning, providing an urban oasis, preserving Missoula’s historic legacy, and fostering a visitor-centric experience.
MBG is particularly excited about Rocky Mountain Gardens’ active support of numerous (and growing) gardens throughout the city and state, which allows for more garden diversity, conservation efforts, and public accessibility to greenspace than a single location could offer.
“Our collaboration with Rocky Mountain Gardens demonstrates the power of Missoula community citizens and organizations working together with shared purpose to achieve greater grassroots impact for the long-term instead of competing for limited resources and funding,” shared Ali Duvall, Board Chair of Missoula Botanical Gardens.
The Missoula Botanical Gardens Board thanks everyone who supported them over the years, especially our donors and volunteers. The dissolution of the organization as a fiscal entity feels like a sunsetting rather than an end, as the board views the strategic alliance with Rocky Mountain Gardens as an opportunity to rise with brighter outcomes.
