GPOD on the Road: Two Arizona Gardens

Carol is taking us on the road today to warm, dry, Arizona.

I thought I’d join in and share some photos I took while on the road recently. I traveled from Philadelphia to Phoenix and had the opportunity to visit the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix as well as the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior. I’m afraid I won’t be much help with plant IDs since Southwestern plants are not my area of expertise, but I thought your readers my be inspired by the images.

The Desert Botanical Garden was featuring an exhibit by Dale Chihuly that was quite magical in the evening when I visited. The Boyce Thompson Arboretum was amazing too—very naturalistic and expansive.

botanical garden full of cactiThe iconic saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea, Zones 9–11) is one of the largest cactus species, reaching over 40 feet tall, and it lives longer than 150 years. These are at the Desert Botanical Garden.

patio looking out on a desert gardenDesert gardens don’t have to be austere. With the right plant choices even a very dry garden can be lush and green looking.

large white and gold glass sculpture in the gardenA stunning Dale Chihuly glass sculpture in the Desert Botanical Garden

tall skinny desert plantA crazy-looking plant in the garden—any desert garden experts know what this might be?

cactus with mutation growth on topThis saguaro cactus has a monstrose growth, which is a chance mutation that changes the growth of the cactus and produces this unusual crested form on the top.

illuminated red glass sculptureA Chihuly glass sculpture lit up at night creates a dramatic display.

container display with succulentsThe rest of the photos are from the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, including this beautiful succulent display.

desert garden with large rock formations in the backgroundThe arboretum includes views of beautiful natural features and some of the iconic rock formations of the area.

aloe plant with orange red flowersI think this is Aloe ferox (Zones 9–11) or a related species or hybrid.

rock formations and cactiStunning rock formations

small creek running through desert landscapeWater makes a ribbon of green through the desert and carves fantastic forms out of the rocks.

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

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Published at Fri, 25 Mar 2022 03:00:47 -0400

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