Arizona Desert Botanical Gardens

The gardens were strangely empty.

Huh.

Do you think the weather had something to do with it? 

It was over 100 degrees on the weekend we were in Scottsdale and decided the gardens would be fun to see, as we had three hours to kill before catching our flight.  Maybe 100 plus isn’t ideal desert botanical garden viewing, but then again, it is the desert, you know. 

You might as well really FEEL it.

And feel it we did. 

 (These are Chihuly glass installations made to look like desert plants)

When we arrived at the Desert Botanical Gardens, there was only one other couple entering right after us, and no one else in sight.  The woman in the other couple was loud and super excited to be the “only ones in the gardens” and said that she had never seen it like that. She went on and on about it. 

It was an awkward moment, like on an airplane, when the person sits next to you before the plane takes off and immediately starts chatting. 

Now I like chatting with the best of them, but I do like to know I have an exit strategy.  

Luckily, in the gardens there were miles of trails and “exit strategies”.  We didn’t see that couple again, and nicely enough, there were very few other people in the gardens that day.   

Did I mention how hot it was?   

Yeah, that just might have had something to do with it…

Recently, we were on Kauai, the garden isle, and were so enamored with all the foliage.  I didn’t expect to see even more beautiful flowers in Arizona, being the desert and all.  Here’s a couple of shots of the Arizona Botanical Gardens.  I would recommend you go there, but go in the Spring, or the Fall or the Winter, but maybe Summer time ain’t the time.  

 The flower below was my all-time favorite and I have no idea of what it is called.  Anybody?

We were so hot when we were ready to go, we stopped and decided to eat brunch at “Gertrudes” restaurant on the botanical grounds.  The food was delicious, but not necessarily cheap.  

Somehow, that's not important when you are super hot and sweaty and need a beer!

  

I had a burger with deviled egg aioli (yum!) and a side salad of greens, Italian kale, pickled peaches, watermelon radishes and peach vinaigrette.  I think I have some blogging/recreating to do when I get home.

 Tons of cool cacti in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors

 This photo doesn't do justice to the pinkness of the cactus

 Spooky snake cacti

 It almost had movement...

 Meyer lemons looking a lot like limes... but hey, I try not to argue at botanical gardens.

 Pomegranates

 Artichoke's gone to flower, and the ones below not quite there.

Hummingbird right in the center if you look very carefully (below).

A spooky looking tree from the parking lot.