The Desert Botanical Garden

I admit that I have lived here for over a decade, and still know little about the plantlife that is here. I live on a mountain preserve, and just recently have taken to learning the names of a few plants I have run across. If you need to find out info about plantlife here, the Garden is an excellent place to go. They have lots of information,and species to purchase for your desert oasis. Admittedtly, I have only been there once, and it was at night for their Luminarias presentation, it is a wonderful place to go. Luminarias is around the winter holidays and the park is alive with lights, music and hot cidar. I enjoyed it alot. I also enjoyed the gift store where all the goodies could be found. I keep meaning to go back in the daytime, but haven't gotten to it. But I will, and you should, many times during the year to see what is blooming. A great place to bring new desert folks to appreciate all that can really grow here. more

I've lived in Phoenix on and off for 5 years and what first inspired me was the gorgeous weather in the winter time. (Ha! I was fooled! ;) ) Then it was the landscape and plant life here. This is the desert! It gets hot here...those from Phoenix know this. How can anything POSSIBLY live in this weather! It does and it's beautiful...a very different kind of beautiful. I've visited the Desert Botanical Garden a few times since I've lived here and at first I was naive and thought "this is a botanical garden? what a joke!" The more time I spend in Phoenix and during my many travels around the state throughout the year I got a better understanding of how all the plant life survived. So when I visit the DBG I looked at everything a little closer and found a new appreciating for the desert and for all the animals that share the desert with the plants. There are many different trails you can follow and they have explanations in front of the different types of cacti and plant life. The last time I went there I made sure to take some pictures of everything I was interested in growing some day. I've learned that saguaro can take YEARS to grow so wish me luck on that. The DBG is highly recommended if you are used to the typical floral gardens out east. Even if you've lived in Phoenix all your life it's a great place to go and learn something about the desert. more

Having lived in the Arizona desert my entire life, I never tire of the desert scenery. Having visited the Desert Botanical Gardens on many occasions, I am always surprised to see the colorful beauty of the desert-scape. The trails are well marked and there are always helpful staff to answer questions about gardening and planting in the desert southwest. The gift shop has lots to offer, we have taken home a few tress over the years to enjoy a piece of the gardens at home. more

The botanical garden is an absolutely wonderful place to visit in the desert! Spring time is the best time to go, but it is also beautiful all year round. (Although, very hot in summer!). I recommend goinig on Sunday morning when Cactus Jack gives a tour so that you can learn all about the plants and history. They also sometimes give small samples of prickly pear juice at the end! more

Nestled in Papago Park, the Desert Botanical Garden is a peaceful oasis in the city. You can stroll through the many different trails and view beautiful plant life indigenous to this area. There is plenty of parking and it isn’t too expensive, especially if you are a student. At Christmastime, they have a lot of wonderful events with music and food. They also hold weddings here year round. more

This garden is a must for those unfamiliar with the desert. But time your visit based upon a special event. This garden has seasonal opportunities ranging from dining under the stars to luminary night walks to live music to farm exhibits to food tastings. Classes abound and the staff there know so darn much! I've been several times and enjoyed something different each time. And the gift shop isn't bad either. more