It's 111°F (44°C) inwards Tucson, AZ equally I'm writing this on July 7, 2017. Quite a difference from Dec 28, 2016 when I visited the
Tucson Botanical Gardens (TBG). That twenty-four hr flow the high was alone 68°F (20°C)--right inwards what I consider the perfect temperature hit (68 to 72°F). Balmy days similar that are the argue why I dear to take in Arizona inwards the winter!
This is was the minute fourth dimension I had been to the TBG. The heart of the garden was pretty much the same equally during my 2013 visit, simply other things were different, the master copy modify beingness the relocation of the garden entrance to the dorsum of the parking lot. In addition, the TBG was hosting the New York Botanical Garden’s exhibit:
Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life. More on that a niggling later.
Like then many world gardens, the TBG started out equally a private property. Built inwards 1928, the master copy residence (now housing the offices) was the habitation of Rutger in addition to Bernice Porter in addition to their family. When Bernice died inwards 1964, she wanted the belongings to go a world garden in addition to donated it to the City of Tucson. It took some other 10 years, simply inwards 1974 the Tucson City Council finally passed a resolution that allowed the entity known equally Tucson Botanical Gardens, founded inwards 1964 yesteryear horticulturist in addition to flora collector Harrison Yocum inwards a unlike spot inwards town, to motion to the place at 2150 due north Alvernon Way.
Click here to read to a greater extent than nigh the Porters in addition to the early on history of the garden.
During my take in lastly December, I parked inwards the parking lot simply commencement walked out onto the sidewalk to photograph the wall separating the TBG belongings from busy Alvernon Way. The wall is at nowadays a stunning blood cherry in addition to forms a perfect backdrop for a lately planted row of Mexican fencepost cactus (
Pachycereus marginatus). You cannot instruct to a greater extent than Southwest than that!
Blue accents (see below on the right, in addition to a few photos down) are the perfect contrast.
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| Yucca rostrata |
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| Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) |
This is the entrance to the parking lot:
Below is what I saw correct after I got out of the car. Lovely combination, isn't it?
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| Opuntia macrocentra and Calliandra 'Sierra Starr' |
The novel master copy entrance is flanked yesteryear a miniature woods of Yucca rostrata:
Yucca rostrata in addition to their unopen cousins, Yucca rigida, are everywhere inwards the garden:
As I mentioned earlier, the master copy attraction lastly autumn (and this spring) was the New York Botanical Garden’s exhibit: Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life:
This exhibit examines Kahlo’s work, life in addition to influence through the lens of the plants in addition to nature that surrounded her. Tucson Botanical Gardens was selected equally the alone establishment to have this extraordinary exhibition designed yesteryear ane of the world’s premier botanical gardens, the New York Botanical Garden.
The centerpiece of Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life is the recreation of the gardens that Frida Kahlo maintained inwards her habitation inwards United Mexican States City: La Casa Azul. Great assist was taken to introduce the plants, colors in addition to forms that were such an of import source of inspiration to Kahlo. Included inwards the installation is the Meso-American-inspired pyramid that Diego Rivera built inwards the fundamental courtyard of Casa Azul. This replica is used to showcase a various collection of cacti in addition to succulents native to the deserts of United Mexican States in addition to the Southwestern United States. [source]
More from the official press publish for the exhibit:
The New York Botanical Garden’s staff worked for years to practice Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life—the commencement exhibit e'er to focus on Kahlo’s appointment alongside nature, revealing her intense interest, aesthetic appreciation in addition to deep noesis of the natural world, peculiarly Mexico’s flora life.
Their amazing squad of 200 staff members, including eighty Ph.D. scientists, provided alone part of the grouping of experts involved inwards the process. Additional experts came from farther afield including Tony Award-winning Broadway phase designer Scott Pask. In grooming of his operate to recreate features of the vivid habitation of Frida Kahlo in addition to Diego Rivera, Pask traveled to La Casa Azul, Frida’s childhood habitation inwards United Mexican States City. Pask is a University of Arizona alumnus in addition to part-time resident of Tucson. [source]
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| Mexican fencepost cactus (Pachycereus marginatus) |
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| Totempole cactus (Lophocereus schottii var. monstrosus) |
The recreation of Frida in addition to Diego's garden was really interesting, simply what I loved to a greater extent than than anything were the colors used inwards the exhibit. They were then vibrant in addition to cheerful that I had a grin on my appear upward the entire time. If alone I could discovery a agency to contain colors similar those into my ain garden...
Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life ended on May 31, 2017 simply the TBG has enough of permanent attractions that are at that spot twelvemonth round. On of them is Nuestro JardÃn, an illustration of a garden typical of the Mexican neighborhoods inwards Old Tucson. This is a modest enclosed space, created alongside cheap materials in addition to anything simply fancy. Yet it has then much pump that y'all forthwith experience comfortable there.
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| Agave americana |
The adjacent laid of photos was taken in Aloe Alley. The cry pretty much says it all. According to the TBG spider web site, this expanse is a favorite amidst garden employees.
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| Aloe vanbalenii |
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| LEFT: NOID RIGHT: Aloe fosteri |
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| LEFT: Aloe marlothii |
My favorite expanse at the TBG is the
Cactus in addition to Succulent Garden. As befits its name, it's chock total of wonderful plants from both the New in addition to Old World. The beds are less formal than inwards a typical botanical garden in addition to to a greater extent than similar what a passionate collector mightiness stimulate got inwards their ain personal garden. And that's just what I discovery then attractive nigh the TBG.
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| One of the nicest metallic agaves I've seen |
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| Agave difformis |
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| Agave titanota |
As y'all may stimulate got noticed, the beds inwards the Cactus in addition to Succulent Garden are filled non alone alongside plants simply also alongside a large diversity of rocks. They used to belong to TBG founder Harrison Yocum. After the TBG moved from its original place at Yocum's solid to its electrical current habitation on the one-time Porter belongings inwards 1975, Yocum’s extensive stone in addition to mineral collection moved along alongside it.
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| Lophocereus schottii var. monstrosus and Agave lophantha |
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| Yucca thompsoniana |
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| Golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) |
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| Queen Victoria agave (Agave victoria-reginae) |
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| Some twenty-four hr flow I'll stimulate got a ceramics bird then I tin brand my ain garden art |
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| Moroccan mound (Euphorbia resinifera) |
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| Yucca endlichiana |
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| LEFT: Mexican fencepost cactus (Pachycereus marginatus) MIDDLE + RIGHT: Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) |
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| Agave sobria and Ferocactus townsendianus |
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| Agave sobria |
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| Lophocereus schottii var. monstrosus |
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| Palo blanco (Mariosousa willardiana). This niggling edifice isn't likewise shabby either! It would brand a perfect guesthouse! |
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| Yucca rigida and assortment of Astrophytum |
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| Big cactus top right: organ pipage cactus (Stenocereus thurberi) |
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| Astrophytum myriostigma |
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| Astrophytum myriostigma |
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| MIDDLE: Maireana sedifolia RIGHT: Astrophytum myriostigma |
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| Agave lophantha, to a greater extent than blueish than typical |
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| Echinocactus pentalophus |
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| LEFT: Euphorbia resinifera RGHT: Ruschia rupicola |
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| MIDDLE: Agave macroacantha LEFT + RIGHT: Maireana sedifolia |
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| Agave cerulata |
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| LEFT: Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus RIGHT: Tephrocactus articulatus var. inermis |
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| Crucifixion thorn (Castela emoryi), an impressively spiny shrub native to California, Arizona, in addition to Sonora, Mexico |
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| Baby golden barrels (Echinocactus grusonii) |
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| Chile pepper ristra |
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| Ferocactus pilosus |
Bordering the Cactus in addition to Succulent Garden are iv
Sensory Patios, modest covered spaces that offering unlike vignettes of outdoor living. They reminded me of the Desert Living Courtyard at
Tohono Chul Park, some other Tucson treasure for flora lovers.
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| Every agave lover should stimulate got an agave fountain! |
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| "El mismo tiempo", ane of several poems yesteryear Mexican poet Octavio Paz who received the 1990 Nobel Prize inwards Literature |
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| The Zen Garden adjacent to the Sensory Patios is completely out of house inwards the Arizona desert simply this fourth dimension unopen to I constitute it quite charming (I'd hated it during my 2013 visit) |
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| Pink poweder puff (Calliandra haematocephala) |
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| Mission prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) seeming to merge alongside tree |
The gift store inwards the entrance edifice has a overnice alternative of everything from T-shirts in addition to jewelry to prickly pear tea in addition to jelly. The strangest particular I saw were these flip flops covered alongside artificial turf:
I didn't desire to go out in addition to was dragging out my deviation yesteryear taking a few lastly photos:
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| Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) |
Unlike the other world gardens I similar to take in inwards Arizona—the 140-acre Desert Botanical Garden inwards Phoenix, the 37-acre Tohono Chul Park in addition to the 21-acre Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum inwards Tucson—the scale of the 6-acre Tucson Botanical Gardens is much to a greater extent than intimate. In fact, I constitute it quite slow to imagine that all of this could live the personal belongings of a household unit of measurement or individual—myself, for instance.
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