The Desert Garden
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The desert garden makes a startling impact by the extraordinary variety
of unusual forms and shapes of plants massed before the visitor. This collection
includes more than 4000 species of desert plants. Not intended to represent
a desert, this is a landscaped garden covering twelve acres. Many beds reflect
floristic relationships, that is, plants are grouped by geographic area.
The plants are labeled to give their name and country of origin.
Desert plants exhibit adaptations in form and function to very dry conditions.
Many store water in their roots, stems, or leaves and are called succulents.
A large number of desert succulents protect themselves from herbivores with
sharp spines or thorns, and some have waxy or woolly protective coverings
to reflect the sun and decrease water loss.
Desert plants produce a wide variety of floral displays, from the brilliant
torches of the aloes in winter to the spectacular blossoms of the cacti
in summer. Every season of the year offers interesting sights to the visitor.
At the upper end of the garden is a conservatory housing those succulents
needing shelter from rain and frost.