Located at: 1701 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264

The Moorten Botanical Garden is a cactus and desert garden located in Palm Springs. I have visited this garden several times throughout the past two decades and it actually didn’t occur to me until now that it is a residential garden. It has a private residence where the Moorten’s live and the garden is their front and side yard.

Keeping this in mind, the Moorten Botanical Garden serves as an excellent example of how to landscape your yard into an interesting spectacle. Using carefully carved paths and outdoor decor items such as mining relics, petrified wood, ironwood, cactus and succulents are on main display.

Larger desert trees and shrubs such as palo verde, acacia, ocotillo, and jojoba serve as larger focal points and provide shade to the desert plants. Tall cactus such as organ pipe and columnar cactus add visual interest with their height and also provide shade.

Main portions of the landscaping is composed of larger “statement” plants such as agaves, barrel cactus, and opuntia cacti.

For smaller succulents and sensitive plants such as haworthias, crassulas, and kalanchoes, they are housed in the “Cactorium.” Located inside a quonset hut, I expected the room the be warm but it was the reverse. It is actually a cooling room where the plants can thrive in the shade and not acquire mold due to a fan that keeps the conditions dry.

This garden can be completed within 30 minutes to 1 hour and they suggest taking your time to look and observe everything to get the full impact.

And yes, your visit will end with a visit to the gift shop but this particular gift shop houses plants, cactus and succulents, and pots for you to purchase so you can create your own little desert garden at home. With their expertise, the Moortens also house quite a bit of space that is not part of the gardens but an area where they sell plants to landscapers.

I always feel inspired when I leave this garden.

Admission required. Website: http://www.moortenbotanicalgarden.com