The story of Clark Gardens began with Max and Billie Clark and the life they built together. After purchasing the North Texas property in the late 1960s, they built their family home there in 1972 and began transforming the surrounding land.
What started as a rugged mesquite pasture became their private garden—a place shaped through shared vision, hard work, ingenuity, and care. Over time, that personal project grew far beyond their original plans and became a legacy they would eventually share with the public.
Creating the Gardens required years of persistence and hands-on work. The native soil was thin and difficult, so Max and Billie brought in thousands of truckloads of topsoil and compost to support the landscape they imagined.
Drawing on Max’s construction experience and their shared willingness to think big, they reshaped the property piece by piece. Lakes, waterfalls, fountains, pathways, buildings, and distinct garden spaces gradually emerged from the rugged terrain. Every part of the property reflected their creativity, resourcefulness, and commitment to building something that would endure.
As the Gardens continued to grow, Max and Billie began thinking beyond their own lifetime. They wanted the place they had created to be preserved, shared, and cared for well into the future.
Max and Billie built their home on the property and began transforming the surrounding North Texas land into a private garden.
They created the Max and Billie Clark Foundation and donated 143 acres, including the Gardens, to the new nonprofit organization.
Clark Gardens began its next chapter as a public botanical garden, allowing visitors to experience the place Max and Billie had spent decades creating.
Hear the story of Clark Gardens from the people who know it best and see how Max and Billie Clark’s private garden grew into the place visitors experience today.
Clark Gardens was never designed as an anonymous public landscape. Max and Billie’s family life, interests, and personalities are woven throughout the property.
Visitors can find a bronze sculpture of Max working in the garden with one of his chocolate Labrador retrievers, along with a sculpture of Billie and her granddaughter Molly beside a red Radio Flyer wagon. Family gathering places, handcrafted features, garden railways, and personal touches throughout the grounds continue to tell the story of the people who created them.
These details make Clark Gardens more than a collection of plants and pathways. They preserve the warmth, creativity, and character of Max and Billie’s original vision.
As Clark Gardens entered its public chapter, caring for Max and Billie’s vision became a shared responsibility. Their daughter, Carol Clark Montgomery, joined the Gardens full time in 2008 and has helped guide its continued development alongside staff, board members, volunteers, donors, and community supporters.
Clark Gardens has continued to evolve while remaining rooted in the values of its founders. In 2014, Clark Gardens was recognized as the Official Best Public Garden in Texas. Today, it serves as a botanical garden, living classroom, gathering place, event destination, and peaceful North Texas retreat.
The story Max and Billie began is still being written through every person who helps care for, share, and sustain the Gardens.
The story of Clark Gardens continues in every path walked, garden tended, lesson shared, and memory made. Come experience what Max and Billie created—and discover the place their vision has become.
