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Desert Botanical GardenWonderland Garden Brings the Desert into the City Go to Desert Botanical Garden sections: What Makes It SpecialThe Desert Botanical Garden is an outdoor wonderland.For avid gardeners and nature lovers, its like finding Oz in the middle of the city. In 145 acres, you’ll see one of the finest collections of desert plants in the world, including towering cactus, spiny succulents and vibrant wildflowers. There are over 21,000 plants here, many of which are from the Southwestern United States and Mexico. Besides being home to 139 rare, threatened and endangered plant species, the Desert Botanical Garden also has beautiful themed gardens and nature trails that lead you into the heart of the desert.
Nestled among the spectacular red rock buttes of Papago Park in central Phoenix, the garden brings the desert right into the center of the busy metropolis. The gardens are also a refuge for desert wildlife. Exploring its beautiful trails, we’ve encountered:
In case you haven’t guessed already, the Desert Botanical Garden is one of our favorite botanical gardens. We always make time for a visit during our Arizona vacation. The Desert Botanical Garden is one of the best Arizona attractions. It’s a beautiful garden and a "must see" for Arizona residents and vacationers alike. What You'll SeeJust like Dorothy, follow the brick trail to many of the garden’s wonders.
Along this 1/3-mile path, known as the Desert Discovery Trail, you’ll see the garden’s oldest plantings, the succulent and cactus houses and find the trailheads that lead to other themed gardens. This path gives you a great overview of the many kinds of desert plants found throughout the world, including yuccas, agaves, aloes, barrel, cholla and prickly pear cactus. There is also a great collection of columnar cactus including senita, organ pipe, myrtilocactus and saguaros - the tall, many armed cactus made famous by countless Hollywood Westerns. One of our favorite plants in this section of the garden is the tall, bizarre boojum tree. Often described as looking like a giant upturned turnip, this succulent plant from Baja California, Mexico is related to the spiky, wand-like ocotillos found throughout the Sonoran Desert.
Slow growers, boojums can live for up to 100 years and reach 80 feet in height. The variety of species found in the Succulent House and Cactus House is amazing. Sky-reaching, fuzzy columns of old man cactus. Short and round barrel cactus with brightly colored spines. Succulents with leaves soft as a kitten’s ear. Agaves spikier than a punk rocker’s hair. The diversity is enough to make a collector drool. You'll notice that the houses are covered with shadecloth.
That's because most of the world’s cacti and succulents live in habitats that are cooler and wetter than Phoenix Arizona. If you're interested in redesigning your own home and garden, be sure to stop by the Desert House on the Center for Desert Living Trail. The Desert Botanical Garden staff have designed the house to show us how we can live comfortably in hot, dry climates while saving money and energy too. This research and demonstration project is outfitted with all the modern amenities but doesn’t waste natural resources. You can see examples of low water use landscaping and learn how to use cost effective materials and products to both cool and heat homes. Informative signs provide tips on desert landscaping, water harvesting, using shade trees to cool homes and desert conservation.
The ¼-mile trail also has a vegetable and herb demonstration garden that showcases crops adapted to arid climates. To get a real feel for the desert, stroll the ¼-mile Sonoran Desert Nature Trail, where you can explore native desert habitat and see dramatic views of the craggy, red Papago Buttes. You’ll also get a close up look at the desert's most common plants like the saguaro cactus, green-barked palo verde trees, creosote bush and spiky cholla cactus. HighlightsSpring is the high season for the garden. This is when the Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Trail is a blaze of color.
Almost fluorescent golden-orange Mexican gold poppies, pink penstemons and purple lupines make this garden come alive with color and activity. Bees, hummingbirds and butterflies flock to the nectar- and pollen-rich flowers. For all those who think there’s no color in the desert, a visit to this garden is a must. The Desert Botanical Garden is home to many species of native desert animals, making it a great place for wildlife watching. When walking through the garden, keep an eye out for:
Birds are abundant at the garden too, due to its year round supply of nectar, seeds and fruits. During a recent visit, we were delighted to see a great horned owl sleeping high up in the branches of a large cottonwood tree.
We searched for the owlets but unfortunately didn't see them. Other common Arizona birds that you might see include Gila woodpeckers, curve-billed thrashers, cardinals, Gambel’s quail, cactus wrens, Anna’s hummingbirds and tiny, yellow verdins. If you’d like to learn how to identify desert birds, sign up for one of the docent-led bird walks, held in the mornings throughout the year. Favorite FeaturesFor centuries, Native Americans have called the Sonoran Desert region home.
The Desert Botanical Garden’s Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert Trail shows how these indigenous cultures’ intimate knowledge of plants enabled them to live and thrive in a challenging and unique environment. Native peoples, such as the Tohono O’odham and Apache, harvested some 400 edible plants and used hundreds more for medicine, fuel, fiber and construction. The 1/3-mile trail is split into distinct habitat areas, including:
Interpretive signs describe the plants and how they were used. Interactive exhibits give you a chance to have a hands-on understanding of how native peoples lived. Kids and adults alike will enjoy twisting agave fibers into twine, making a brush from dried yucca leaves or pounding mesquite beans into a nutritious flour.
Be sure to pick up the illustrated trail guide booklet at the entrance of the trail to take along with you. It's a great guide to the peoples and plants of the region Another highlight of spring in the Desert Botanical Garden is the Marshall Butterfly Pavilion, which is only open from March through May. Essentially a large shade house, the Pavilion is a lush, walkthrough tropical garden where you can get up close and personal with brilliantly-colored butterflies from around the world. Thousands of butterflies surround you, landing on the brightly colored, nectar-filled flowers and the feeding stations. If you're lucky, a butterfly might land on your hand,making for an amazing and memorable experience. Visitor AmenitiesIf you spotted something in the garden that you just have to have for your own yard, stop in at the wonderful Garden Shop.Here, you can pick up a baby saguaro cactus, penstemon plants and wildflower seeds.
The shop also offers a wide variety of gardening books, Southwestern cookbooks, Southwestern gifts and souvenirs. They even have foods made from Arizona plants, so you can taste a bit of the desert. If you get hungry during your visit, stop by the Desert Botanical Garden’s Patio Café Their menu has a small but tasty selection of Southwestern and American style dishes provided by Fabulous Foods Catering. Dishes include cold sandwiches and salads such as:
There's also a children's menu plus soup, pastries and drinks.
Our only complaint about the garden is the café's set up. It is a small outdoor eatery with a walkup window for ordering. Unfortunately all seating is outdoors with just a little bit of shade provided by tall mesquite trees. Also, in summer, the café often closes early and there is no other food available in the garden or nearby. We think the garden deserves a nicer café with both outdoor and indoor seating. Fast Facts: Desert Botanical GardenWhat to Know Before You Go:
Location: Papago Park in Phoenix, near the borders of Scottsdale and Tempe. Address: 1201 North Galvin Parkway, Phoenix, AZ 85008 Google Map Directions: Click on "+" and "-" signs on Map Controls in upper left hand corner to zoom in and out on the location. Phone: (480) 941-1225 Hours: Open seven days a week, year-round except for July 4, Thanksgiving Day and December 25. October through April: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm During evening hours, certain trails are closed. Call for more information. Several times a year, the garden closes early to prepare for special events. Call to verify garden closing times. Patio Café Hours: Open daily 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission Fee: Garden members are admitted free Amenities: Garden library; Outdoor Patio Café; Beverage vending machines only; Garden Shop sells film, cameras, hats, sweatshirts and sunblock. Strollers, wheelchairs and umbrellas are available for rent. There is an ATM near front Admissions Area. Activities: Nature trails; docent-led walks; evening flashlight tours; bird watching tours; interactive exhibits; reading room; children’s programs. Seasonal events include:
Wide variety of classes and workshops including gardening, cooking, arts and crafts and desert landscaper certification program. Return to Arizona Botanical Gardens page from Desert Botanical Gardens page
The information in this review was accurate at the time of our visit. All contact information, availability, access, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the facility before making reservations and/or travel plans. Legal Disclaimer: Arizona-Vacation-Planner.com accepts no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information.
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