I like to garden at home, although I don't do nearly as much as I used to. I love the lush green that we have here in CT, but I was enchanted by the desert landscaping in Arizona. We were so lucky to be there when the cactus were starting to bloom and the trees were greening up. If we had stayed a week longer, I know I would have seen a lot more floweres, but it was just enought to tweak my interest.
These Desert Marigolds grew wild all along the road sides. We picked some and they made a very nice bouquet that lasted several days.
The Saguaro (pronounced Su war oh) became a favorite of mine. They are only native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and grow wild all through the countryside. They don't get an "arm" until they are 40 to 60 years old and then they may or may not grow more. Each plant was very unique and yet you knew it was a Saquaro. They do get a big white flower on the top of each arm, but we were too early for that. They were also used in landscaping around homes, but I suspect that many of them were there when the homes were built.
Such delicate little flowers on such a spiny plant!
These were quite small, only about an inch or so apiece.
One of several varieties of Prickly Pear Cactus. They do get a fruit that is quite delicious to eat and is also used in jams and Margaritas. Yum!
Two of the many varieties of Agave.
These Prickly Pears had a pinkish tinge to the leaves.
I thought that the strange growth on this Saguaro was very interesting. And there's that blue, blue sky that I've been missing since I came home.
This cactus looked like worms to me or maybe a brain.
I don't know what this beautiful tree was,but the bright yellow flowers were reminiscent of Forsythia.
If you know me, you know my penchant for wearing lime green. I thought I blended in very well with this cactus group. Of course I took a bazillion pictures of different cacti, but I won't bore you with any more.
6 comments:
Your pictures remind me of the Desert Museum in Tucson which is one of my favorite places. It is illegal to cut down a saguaro and we heard that the poaching and reselling was a problem down there.
Arizona was our #2 location to hang our hats in our old age.
Looking forward to more pictures.
Most of these pictures were from the Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. I didn't hear about poaching, although I wouldn't be surprised. If they sell at a nursery, it is by the foot. Since they are so slow growing, they must be very expensive.
That striking little tree could be a palo verde, although I couldn't quite tell from your photo. Thanks for posting the desert photos!
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