Papago Park's red buttes are home to the Desert Botanical Garden's world-class collection of desert plants. The outdoor exhibits arranged around the 50 acres are proof that the "semi-arid desert can be home to some of the most spectacular plant life." The gardens are "a treat for the eye, as well as relaxing for the spirit." With 139 rare, threatened, and endangered plant species, there is "no other region in the country that has the trees, flowering plants, cacti, and succulents housed here."

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One of the most amazing museum/parks I have even seen, the Desert Botanical Garden is within the Papago Park and not far from Phoenix and near the cities of Scottsdale and Tempe. It hosts what possibly is the world’s finest collection of desert plants. Founded in 1939, it displays fifty acres of exhibits, from 139 rare plant species to a complete desert house and offers several research and educational programs.

The Desert Botanical Garden is open every day. From October to April it is open from 8am to 8pm and during the rest of the year from 7am to 8pm. A ticket for an adult costs ten dollars. Extra features are the pleasant Patio Café (which closes soon after midday), a library (which offers just a reading room service) and umbrellas, strollers, scooters, and wheelchairs available for renting.

The Garden can be reached practically from everywhere in Phoenix through the Valley Metro Buses (see detailed information at www.valleymetro.org).

The park is arranged in a series of trails along which the visitors can walk freely. Each trail is dedicated to a different theme.

The Desert Discovery Trail
This third of a mile trail shows the unique characteristics of desert plants from around the world. It features the Garden’s oldest plantings and leads to all trailheads and facilities.

The Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert Trail
This third of a mile trail the interaction between Humans and plants in the Sonoran Desert. It explores the uses desert plants for food, construction, tools, basket-making, and another surprising variety of uses.

The Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Trail
This trail is a variation of the former one. It shows the interactions between desert plants and desert animals. The ecosystems are clearly and attractively exposed.

The Sonoran Desert Nature Trail
This quarter of a mile trail is the most scenic one in the garden and features sights of the surrounding plains and mountains, which probably form one of the most dramatic desert scenes in the whole world.

The Center for Desert Living Trail
This quarter of a mile trail explains how to live in harmony with the desert, touching issues like desert landscaping, gardening and conservation. It includes the vegetable and herb demonstration garden and Desert House, which seems to belong more to Santa Fe, New Mexico than to Phoenix. The house provides information on how to live in an energy-efficient arid environment, while enjoying a modern life and without wasting resources.

In its ability to show all the different aspects related to the desert environment surrounding it, this garden provides a unique and profound experience, which should be scheduled first while planning a visit to the area.

Visiting the Desert Botanical Garden was the hidden gem in our quick Arizona trip. With an entire day to kill before an evening spring Training Game in Surprise, we were keen on some warm weather outdoor activity, and have always enjoyed botanical gardens, from Kew to Melbourne, so we left our hotel in Mesa and drove through Tempe's deserted campus (spring break), and past the Ferrari and Bentley dealers (can't afford it) in Scottsdale to the Garden.

Exquisitely maintained, with an outstanding staff, the garden can easily occupy 3-4 hours of your time. And don't worry about being there over lunch, as the patio cafe, while short of shade, has excellent food. The mushroom and goat cheese tart is recommended, and pricing is maybe slightly under what you would expect.

You can see the website at http://www.dbg.org

Unlike the desert, in Canada you are expected to have grass in your backyard!

But we don't!

It was off-season for many plants, so we didn't see a lot of blooms. But the diversity of plants presented was astounding.

They have also recreated different desert farms as part of the exhibit. It was very interesting to see how natives lived and thrived in the desert years ago.

You could certainly spend a few hours here and is well worth the price of admission if you have an interest in gardening, especially if you've never been exposed to desert plants.

They also have tours available, call them first to find out when, as with most things we were too late to take one.

My friend and I went to visit the Desert Botanical Garden early since we wanted to see other sights afterwards. The admissions clerk said that we could walk the whole park in 90 minutes. We took a whole 4 hours to walk the park.

We would walk the Desert Discovery Trail, which is the main trail lined with brick. Then we would wander off into the other trails: Plants & People of the Sonoran Desert Trail, Sonoran Desert Nature Trail, Center for Desert Living Trail, and the Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Trail. The longest trail is the first one. It's great for kids since there are many things to touch and do. The other trails are quicker, although the Wildflower Trail is the second longest trail. We ran into a couple of birdwatchers on this trail. They intently watched all birds in the garden. I happened to step near a cactus shrub where a jackrabbit was hiding, and he was off, hopping away. The birders followed the rabbit with their binoculars.

My favorite part was the Garden Shop where you can purchase foods made from cactus like prickly pear tea, jelly, or candy. You can buy cactus salsa or desert flower tea, or even your own cactus to bring home. Since I was driving back to California, I didn't think it was wise to bring home a cactus plant, as tempting as it was. I didn't want to bring home an unwanted pest or insect hidden in the cactus' soil. You can check their web site out here.