Visiting The Desert Botanical Garden
Whenever I travel, I always try to fit in a visit to a garden, where I can learn more about landscaping and horticulture.
Last week, during a brief trip to Arizona for other business commitments, I stopped at the beautiful Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Situated on 140-acres in Papago Park, the Desert Botanical Garden features cactus, agave and other desert plants of the Sonoran Desert and the world. Founded by the Arizona Cactus and Native Flora Society in 1937, the garden has more than 50-thousand plants - one-third of which are native to the area, including 379 species, which are rare, threatened or endangered. Please visit the Desert Botanical Garden the next time you’re in or around Phoenix.
Here are some photos.
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- This is the Sybil B. Harrington Cactus Gallery at the Desert Botanical Garden. The massive structures display and protect the cactus and succulents gathered from around the world while allowing them ample room to grow.
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- Ferocactus gracilis, the Red-Spine Barrel Cactus is a spectacular desert plant with striking curved red spines. Native to Baja California, this desert plant needs sandy soil, full sun, and very little water.
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- Here are three different cacti – Pachycereus pringlei or Cardon Cactus, Lophocereus schotti or Senita Cactus, and the Carnegia gigantea, the Saguaro Cactus.
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- The Carnegia gigantea, Saguaro Cactus, is an arborescent or tree-like cactus species in the monotypic genus Carnegiea. Saguaros are found exclusively in the Sonoran Desert and can grow to be more than 40 feet tall.
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- Here is a closer look at the Saguaro. These plants often develop branches, or arms, as they age. The arms generally bend upward and can number over 25. Saguaros are covered with protective spines, white flowers in the late spring, and red fruit in summer.
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- Pachycereus pringlei, Cardon Cactus, also known as Mexican giant cardon or elephant cactus, is the tallest cactus in the world native to northwestern Mexico in the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, and Sonora. It’s part of the columnar cacti family which also includes the giant Saguaro.
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- Here is a closer look. It is a slow-growing cactus with bluish-green stems each featuring 10 to 15 ribs.
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- Opuntia engelmannii, Prickly Pear Cactus is a bushy succulent shrub with light green or bluish-green, egg-shaped, fleshy pads that grow up to 12 inches across. It is common across the south-central and Southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
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- Along with the saguaro, the Stenocereus thurberi, Organ Pipe Cactus, is one of Arizona’s most distinctive cacti, forming large clusters of 30 foot high stems, branching from the base.
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- Here it is easy to see how tall these cactuses can grow.
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- This is a Boojum tree, Fouquieria columnaris. The plant’s English name, Boojum, was given by Godfrey Sykes of the Desert Laboratory in Tucson, Arizona and is taken from Lewis Carroll’s poem “The Hunting of the Snark”. The trunk is up to 10 inches thick, with branches sticking out at right angles, all covered with small leaves.
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- I love agaves and have many in my personal collection. Agave macroacantha, the Black-Spined Agave is a very distinctive small to medium-sized Agave with leaf rosettes that grow on very short stems. The grayish-green leaves grow to more than a foot long ending in sharp black spines.
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- Agave sisalana ‘variegata’, or Sisal Agave, is a medium sized widely suckering agave that grows up to six feet feet tall by seven feet wide with long stiff narrow white to very pale green leaves armed at the tip with a one inch terminal spines.
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- The leaves grow almost upright and are very sharp.
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- Agave paryii truncata, Artichoke Agave is an evergreen, perennial succulent forming tight rosettes of broad, short, thick, silvery-blue leaves with conspicuous reddish-brown teeth and terminal spines. I also have these in my collection.
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- Myrtillocactus geometrizans is a species of cactus in the genus Myrtillocactus, native to central and northern Mexico. It is a blue grey candelabra like cactus of bearing a small sweet, edible berrylike fruit. It is also known as Blue Candle, Whortleberry Cactus, and Garambulla cactus.
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- These easy-to-care-for plants don’t like a lot of water. Always let the soil dry out first before giving it another drink.
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- Opuntia microdasys forma montrosus, or Bunny Ears Cactus, is a popular houseplant because of its easy care and charming appearance. It is native to Mexico with thornless, flat, elliptical to circular pads. It can grow two to three feet tall and up to six feet wide outdoors.
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- This is Cephalocereus senilis, or Old Man Cactus. It has fluffy white tufts of hair over the surface of the cactus body. The long hair is used to keep itself cool in its natural habitat. As an outdoor plant, these can grow to 45 feet tall, but are generally slow growing as potted specimens.
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- Echinocactus grusonii, popularly known as the golden barrel cactus, golden ball or mother-in-law’s cushion, is a well known species of cactus, and is endemic to east-central Mexico. It is rare and endangered in the wild, where it is found near Mesa de León in the state of Querétaro, and in the state of Hidalgo. It forms a pale green, barrel-shaped stem with prominent ribs adorned with areoles and bright golden spines.
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- Agave victoriae-reginae, or Queen Victoria Agave, is a small species of succulent flowering perennial plant, noted for its streaks of white on sculptured geometrical leaves. It looks great in groupings and is a popular ornamental.
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- I could have stayed much longer looking at all the beautiful specimens. Thanks to the Desert Botanical staff for a fun and informative tour. Here I am with the program director of volunteer services Nancy White, director of marketing communications Dana Terrazas, director of event services Marcia Flynn, director of horticulture Tina Wilson, social event and wedding venue planner Patrick Hanson, and volunteer Tom Gatz. Go to the web site for more information. https://dbg.org/
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