As I was saying in my last blog, public gardens can show off special plant collections. For curiosity seekers and sheer whimsy, check out Moorten Botanical Garden. It is often called a cactarium, a new name which the creators coined in 1938. I never miss this botanical garden when I go visit my mother-in-law in Palm Springs.

The incredible display of cacti and succulents always makes me LOL. I don’t know why I have an affinity for this plant group, but the two cacti gardens that we have on our 3 acres prove it.  <For would-be customers, don’t get scared, this is just one of many types of plant groups that I love. I get it that most people don’t want cacti. But I can be whimsical…>

When you go to Moorten Botanical Garden, you will also get to see desert trees, rocks and crystals, gold mining antiquities, a nursery, and pet sulcata tortoises.  As you walk along the winding paths and go inside the greenhouse, you will see some strange kinky plants! Oh sorry, this is a family blog here, but I really do mean a legitimate definition of kinky, as in “closely twisted or curled”.

It’s really a cool garden. Okay, well, it’s often not COOL there; we know it’s mostly blasting hot, but you know what I mean. But hey, if you go right now, it actually is cool and a fabulous time to visit.  I keep Palm Springs weather showing in my phone, and today it says the high is only 77 degrees. Next week it’ll be in the 60s. A perfect time to see a few members of a family of plants that inhabit our wonderful planet.

For a fascinating history, go to http://www.moortenbotanicalgarden.com to learn how this garden was started, had ties to Hollywood, and how it continues to be a family run business. Have fun!