Desert Botanical Gardens: Part I

As I made my way east through Arizona I stopped at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. This is an amazing garden and a must see for spiky plant enthusiasts. An added bonus was Chihuly in the Garden, an exhibit of Dale Chihuly’s work, staged throughout the gardens adding visual candy to these already stunning desert dwellers.

These green glass forms greet you as you enter the gardens; titled 'Desert Towers.'

Sinita barbona echinocereus engelmannii - 'Strawberry Hedgehog,' fun little clumps, but don't get too close.

The 'Saphire Star' stands above a patch of  pricklypear and barrel cacti.

Opuntia is a genus of the cactus family, Cactaceae, and is also known as pricklypear.

Opuntia santa rita - 'Purple Pricklypear'

Opuntia microdasys - ‘Bunny Ears Pricklypear.' So cute.

Opunita macrocentra ‘Black-Spined Pricklypear’

Echinopsis huascha - 'Red Torch'

Ferocactus is a genus of the cactus family and encompasses barrel-shaped cacti.

Ferocactus wislizeni - 'Fishhook Barrel Cactus'

Ferocactus latspinus - 'Devil’s Tongue.'  Those spines are striking.

Ferocactus cylindraceus - ‘Compass Barrel Cactus’ the pattern in these spines are beautiful.

This is an endangered barrel cactus Echinocactus grusonni - ‘Golden Barrel.’

Fouquieria splendens - 'Ocotillo'

This Chihuly piece takes the form of the tree behind it and catches the color of the sky above.

Lophocereus schotti fma. monstrosus - 'Totem Pole Cactus'

It could be a face or many.

Cylindropuntia is a genus of the cacti family containing the cholla.

Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa x C. bigelovii (or x campii) - 'Red Teddy Bear Cholla'

Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa - ‘Buckhorn Cholla’

Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa - ‘Silver Cholla’

Cylindropuntia fulgida var. fulgida - ‘Chainfruit Cholla’

Stenocereus thurberi - 'Organ Pipe Cactus/Pitaya'

Carnegiea gigantean - ‘Saguaro’

For more information on the Desert Botanical Gardens click here. Next time I'll explore more cacti, agave, aloe, yucca and fantastic Chihuly creations in Desert Botanical Gardens: Part II.

San Francisco Botanical Gardens

I left Oregon after the holidays to start a new life in Southwest Florida and on my way I stopped at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Unfortunately bad weather had swept the country and Southern California wasn't spared. I knew I wanted to visit the Mediterranean climate habitats which feature plants from Australia, Chile, California and South Africa. The Australia exhibit was supposed to be at its best in December and January, but due to the bad weather there wasn't much to see. I did tour Australia, Chile and South Africa as well and will have to return another time.

Two other great habitats I visited were the Redwood Grove and Succulent Garden.

Entering the grove is like stepping into another world. This area was developed to recreate a coastal redwood forest. The coastal redwoods occupy the California coast from Monterey County up to the Oregon border. The coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, have thick reddish-brown bark and are the tallest living trees on the planet.

Other tall trees inhabit the California coast like this Abies Bracteata or Santa Lucia Fir.

This Picea Stchensis or Sitka Spruce can get up to 300 feet tall.

A lot of life is supported in the undergrowth of these giant trees.

Sequoia sempervirens ‘adpressa’ is a dwarf form and has small white tips at the end of the branches.

This nurse stump, a stump from a burned or felled redwood, houses a great deal of life.

Oxalis oregano carpets the ground.

Woodwardia fimbriata - Giant chain fern

Succulent Garden

The succulent garden sits on the side of a small hill and a winding path cuts along its side with a treasure around every spiky turn.

Crassulaceae aeonium arboreum from the Canary Islands look almost alien with their small trunks.

Agavaceae beaucarnea recurvata - Pony-tail palm from Mexico

Asparagaceae nolina nelson - Blue beargrass tree from Mexico

This Aloe arborescens liliaceae grow in large clumps and have many rosettes producing multiple striking red and orange cylindrical recemes or blooms. The sheer size of this South African plant is amazing. 

There were many birds, including this hummingbird (center), moving in and out of the different succulents.

Aloe petricola

Opuntia prickly pear cactus

Sedum dendroideum crassulaceae or Stonecrop tree

Agave Americana - Century plant

Agavaceae dracanea - Dragon tree from the Canary Islands

A magnificent spiky crown.

Cactaceae echinocactus grusonii - Golden barrel cactus

Aloe plicatilis has a beautiful form with a slight red hue to its tips.

Agave salmiana pulque agave

If you ever find yourself in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park make sure you visit the botanical garden, there is something to see at any time of the year. You can find out more here. Next time join me as I stop at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.