A GRACIOUS PLENTY

Spring II - Spring at the Desert Botanical Garden

"And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest."
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Sensitive Plant, 1820

The Arizona Daily Sun recently ran an article about the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, and Ron and I decided to take a day trip down to enjoy the blooms.

Our dogs are way too naughty to be left home alone for the day, so we took them to Day Camp at Canyon Pet Resort. They've been once before, and though I wouldn't say they exactly enjoyed it, they did well enough to try it again.

You're recently acquainted with how the drive down looks...I'll only include our mandatory snack stop, this time at Wendy's in Camp Verde. Love that 99 cent menu!

In a past life, about 25 years ago, Ron and I lived only a few miles from the Garden, and most likely visited it once, though neither of us had any specific recollections. We were poor at the time and it wouldn't have been something we'd spend money on more than once. Driving on familiar streets to get there, we saw only two stores we recognized. The street we used to live on was accessible to the main street by an alley in the past..now it's got a stoplight. We chose not to do a drive-by of our old apartment. It looked like it might not be there anymore.

Whatever the Garden looked like lo-those-many-years ago, it's eye-popping now. Besides native plants beyond imagining, they regularly have several exhibits of large sculptural works.

Here's a brief introduction to the Garden:

For more than 70 years, the Desert Botanical Garden has been teaching and inspiring visitors from the local community and around the world, providing research, exhibits and more designed to help us understand, protect and preserve the desert’s natural beauty. Today, the Garden features:

145 acres
65 acres under cultivation
50,000+ plant displays showcased in beautiful outdoor exhibits
1 of only 24 botanical gardens accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (formerly American Association of Museums)
1,140 volunteers
82,740 volunteer hours
104 staff members
640,529 attendees each year
26,065 member households
46,158 school children on guided field trips

Now, the tour.

The first set of sculptures are before the main entrance. All of the sculptures are integrated with the landscaping. Imagine what a task it is to both place and remove such large pieces!

The sculptures are light green and appeared to be made of glass. They are part of the "Chihuly in the Garden" exhibit by Dale Chiluly.