Desert Botanical Garden

   I really enjoyed seeing the varied desert flora. There was so much to see, all sorts of plants from the major deserts are represented here. I found the Plants & People of the Sonoran Desert trail to be the most interesting. This trail labeled each desert plant with its name and how the plant could be used. Whether it is for food, protection, rope, glue or other seeing how the resources can be used to survive was most impressive. There were also set-ups that demonstrated how those plants were used. You could grind your own mesquite bean pods into flour, make a paint brush, step into a hut and look at the vegetable patch. Daddy and I liked the Desert House display. It was a very smartly designed home for desert living. It was equipped with multiple eco-friendly attributes such as gray water catching system, solar energy and even the positioning of the home to get the best use of the desert sun. The garden provides a wealth of information for the local gardener. For people new to the area or new to gardening there are multiple handouts and free classes to assist locals with desert gardening. That is very wonderful. By lunch-time we were hungry and tired of the heat, it had drained us of our energy. It was the perfect time to get out of the sun and cool down.