Multitude of desert plants fill botanical garden

A cactarium at Moorten Botanical Garden has plants from multiple continents. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Why go to a botanical garden when all around you is desert landscape?

Because  Moorten Botanical Garden in Palm Springs is an outdoor school of sorts in all things desert plants. In the wild there aren’t name plates for easy identification, and with more than 3,000 plants from around the world in this old-school garden, the variety is much more than what you would see in any one desert.

Here you will learn prickly pear cactus is a name for more than 200 species of flat leaf opuntia cacti. A lava bed is full of specimens found in the volcanic areas of Mexico. A “hill side” of giant golden barrel cacti is like nothing I’ve seen growing naturally.

A lave bed with cacti represents what areas of central Mexico look like. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Walking on the dirt path it’s peaceful and meandering, with various spots to sit and take it all in. It’s a small oasis about a mile from downtown Palm Springs.

The garden opened in 1938 by a botanist and landscaper-nurseryman, and is now run by their son. Some plants have been around since the garden was first developed.

A bunch of barrel cacti add a splash of color to the garden. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

They call it “a living museum of desert lore.”

The family created what looks like a greenhouse they call a cactarium, a word they coined. Here is where you will find rare plants from the world over.

It’s also part nursery—where cactus, desert trees-shrubs, and succulents are for sale, as are decorative pots to put them in.

As a sign says, “Take your time like a turtle … and you will see more.”

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Deets:

• $7 for adults, $3 for kids
• Closed Wednesdays
• Open 10am-4pm in winter, 9am-1pm in summer
• 1701 South Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs
• Website