Huntington Desert Garden: A World-Class Collection of Desert Plants

The desert landscape is full of rich beauty that can be found in the wide variety of plant life that thrives in such conditions. Located on the grounds of The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, the Huntington Desert Garden is home to one of the world’s largest collections of desert landscaping, including succulents, cacti, wildflowers, and trees.

About the Huntington Desert Garden

The Huntington Desert garden was established in the early 1900s, between the year 1907 and 1908. It was first populated by plants provided by Henry E. Huntington and William Hertrich, who traveled throughout the Americas to acquire various specimens. Today, the garden contains more than 5,000 species of desert plants and covers 10 acres of land; it has been called “the most extraordinary garden in the world” and requires very meticulous care, as at least 3,000 of the species in the garden are from extreme environments and have very narrow tolerances for sun, water, and weather.

About the Collection

The Huntington Desert Garden’s collection contains primarily desert-based plants from throughout North, South, and Central America. Some of the most prominent species include agave, aloe, yucca, terrestrial bromeliads, and cacti; the collection also contains pebble plants, Boojum trees, and puyas. The Huntington Desert Garden is well known for its stunning collection of Golden Barrel cacti, some of which are more than 85 years old; the garden’s most massive plant, a Cereus xanthocarpus, is famous for its age of more than 125 years old.

The Huntington Desert Garden is the perfect place to find inspiration for your own desert-style landscaping and yard. You can also view more amazing landscape ideas when you visit Santa Rita Landscaping on the web and click through our online gallery of past projects. If you’re ready to cultivate a beautiful desert landscape of your own, call us at (520) 623-0421 to begin working with an experienced landscape designer in Tucson.