Arboretum
and
Desert Arboretum
Park at Arizona State University: Facilities Management/Department Grounds,
Tempe, AZ 85287-3305 (602)965-8467.
- The Arboretum on the 700 acre ASU campus, an oasis in
the desert, displays over 300 species from diverse geographic regions as
well as the Sonoran Desert. Special collections include date palms, conifers
of the desert Southwest and native southwestern plants. Featured are a wide
array of plants useful to humans, those most appropriate for general
landscape purposes in the arid Southwest, and rare plants of the world. The
Desert Arboretum Park, located between Sun Devil Stadium and Packard
Stadium, is a botanical refuge for desert plants.
Arboretum at Flagstaff:
4001 S. Woody Mountain Road (Off Route 66),
Flagstaff,
AZ 86001-8776 (520)774-1442.
- 200 acres of ponderosa pine forest (at 7,150 feet in
elevation) are home to a variety of gardens, including an herb garden, a
shade garden, a butterfly garden and a wildflower meadow. Nature trails
includes "benches of solitude" and a babbling brook.
Arizona Cactus Botanical Garden: 8 South Cactus
Lane,
Bisbee, AZ 85603 (520)432-7040.
- The Garden displays 800 varieties of high desert plant
life. The greenhouses and shade frames are study centers testing the
suitability of plants for desert landscape use. The Garden demonstrates how
colorful desert plants can be and the rich variety of plants that thrive in
even the harshest climates.
Arizona Historical Society Century House and
Gardens: 240 South Madison Avenue,
Yuma, AZ 85364-1421 (520)782-1841.
- Arizona
Historical Society Century House, built in the 1870s, is an Arizona
Historical Society museum with period rooms and exhibits giving the flavor
of life in turn of the century Yuma County. Its shady gardens were built
with aviaries that display exotic and talking birds -- or is it the birds
which display themselves?
Arizona-Sonora Desert
Museum: 2021 N. Kinney Road,
Tucson, AZ 85743-8918
(520)883-1380.
- A zoo, natural history museum, and botanical garden all in
one wonderful 21 acre park, the Museum's interpretive displays showcase
living animals and plants native to the Sonoran Desert. Features seen along
the two miles of paths include a riparian corridor, a desert garden,
pollination gardens, a cactus garden, a cat canyon, a desert grassland,
mountain woodlands and a cave. Wildlife, including ocelots, otters, snakes,
bighorn sheep, hummingbirds, tortoises, wolves and more, is featured in its
natural desert settings.
Bell
Recreation Center Memorial Garden: 99th Avenue and Bell Road,
Sun City, AZ (602)876-3000.
- This garden displays roses originally grown in the White
House Rose Garden as well as replicas of the Liberty Bell and copies of
historical documents.
Biblical Garden:
Paradise Valley United Methodist Church, 4455 East Lincoln Drive,
Paradise
Valley, Arizona 85253 (602) 840-8360.
- The similarity of Arizona's climate to that of Palestine
was the inspiration for this garden, which features 2300 plants, 100 of
which are mentioned in the Bible. The plantings provide a vivid glimpse into
the law, medicine, agriculture, commerce, and religion of Biblical times.
Biosphere 2 Center: Highway
77 and Mile Marker 96.5, P.O. Box 689,
Oracle, AZ
85623; (800)828-2462.
- The remarkable seven million cubic foot glass structure
houses seven wilderness ecosystems - desert, savanna, rainforest, ocean,
marsh, agro-forestry and human habitat. View the web page video for a peak.
Boyce Thompson
Arboretum State Park: 37615 U.S. 60,
Superior, AZ
85273-5100 (520)689-2723.
- Founded in the 1920s by mining magnate Boyce Thompson
to give people an appreciation of plants, the Arboretum displays native
Sonoran Desert vegetation alongside plants from many other varied deserts
and dry lands. Special areas include the Cactus Garden, the Taylor Family
Legume Garden, the Wing Memorial (herb) Garden, the (drought tolerant plant)
Demonstration Garden, and the High Trail.
Desert Botanical Garden:
1201 N. Galvin Parkway,
Phoenix, AZ 85008 (602)941-1225.
- The purpose of the Desert Botanical Garden is to exhibit,
conserve, study and disseminate knowledge of arid-land plants of the world,
with a particular emphasis on succulents and the native flora of the
Southwestern United States. The Cactus house, the Succulent House, the
Desert House and four desert trails, display over 20,000 plants representing
3,886 taxa, one of the world's foremost collections of desert plants. In the
desert climate, you may need air conditioning
repair in Peoria AZ.
Heritage Rose Garden: Maricopa County
Cooperative Extension Office, 4341 E. Broadway Road,
Phoenix,
AZ.
- The Heritage Rose Garden Association maintains a
demonstration garden with old fashioned rose varieties.
Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix - Ro Ho En: 1125 N. 3rd Avenue,
Phoenix, AZ 85003 (602)256-3204.
-
This 3.5 acre traditional strolling garden, created in partnership with Phoenix's Sister City of Himeji, Japan, is a
place of medidation and contemplation. Features include a tea house, tea garden, 1500 tons of hand-picked rocks, a flowing stream,
12 foot waterfall, and over 300 colorful Koi fish (which you may feed).
Mesa
Community College/Mesa-East Valley Rose Society Rose Garden : 1833 West
Southern Avenue,
Mesa, AZ 85202 (602)462-7407.
- This extensive garden, maintained by the
Mesa-East Valley Rose Society,
displays over 2,000 rose bushes, making it one of the largest rose gardens
in the Southwest.
Mormon
Temple (Arizona Temple) Gardens: 525 E. Main Street,
Mesa,
AZ 85203-8740 (602)964-7164.
- This impressive temple situated on 20 acres with a large
reflection pool is graced by beds of colorful flowers.
Navajo National
Zoological and Botanical Park: P.O. Box 9000,
Window Rock,
AZ 86515 (928)871-6573 or (928)871-6574.
- The Zoo, located at Window Rock (the capitol of the Navajo
Nation), contains a variety of native species including bears, lions,
wolves, and coyotes.
Organ
Pipe Cactus National Monument: Route 1, Box 100,
Ajo,
AZ 85321 (520)387-6849 or (520)387-7661.
- Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument was established to
protect the rare Organ Pipe Cactus, unique to the area, and 26 other cacti
species, as well as more than 200 species of birds and other animals. Watch
out for Roadrunner and other desert creatures!
The Phoenix Zoo: Papago
Park, 455 N. Galvin Parkway,
Phoenix, AZ 85008-3431
(602)273-1341.
- The private zoo, active in efforts to save endangered
species, is divided into four areas. The Arizona Trail, the Africa Trail,
and the Tropics Trail each feature its native creatures and ecosystems, and
the Discovery Trail features domestic animals and plants, including a
butterfly garden.
Picacho
Peak State Park: 35 Miles North of Tucson on Interstate 10,
Eloy, AZ 85231(520)466-3183.
- A trail at the base of this 1,500 foot peak provides
lovely views of wildflowers in the spring.
Reid
Park Rose Test Garden (scroll down): 22nd Street and Country Club,
Tucson,
AZ 85711 (520)791-4873.
- Co-sponsored by the Rose Society of Tucson and
All-America Rose Selections, Inc. (AARS), this lovely garden features more
than 160 rose varieties.
Reid Park Zoo: 1100 S.
Randolph Way,
Tucson, AZ 85716-5835 (520)791-4022.
- The Zoo displays over 500 exotic animals in naturalistic
settings on 17 acres and runs captive breeding programs for giant anteaters,
Siberian tigers, white rhinoceri, and many other animals. A formal rose
garden also graces the grounds (see above).
Saguaro National Park East:
3693 South Old Spanish Trail,
Tucson, AZ 85730-5601
(520)733-5153.
Saguaro
National Park West: 2700 North Kinney Road,
Tucson,
AZ 85743 (520)733-5158.
- The Park is dedicated to the preservation of the cacti,
desert trees and shrubs and animals of the Sonoran Desert, especially the
stately Saguaro cactus. Walking trails afford interesting views of this
complex and fascinating wildlife community.
Sahuaro
Ranch Park: 9802 North 59th Avenue (at Mountain View Road),
Glendale, AZ 85302 (603)931-5321.
- This historical ranch, now a regional park, features a
rose garden with over 1,000 bushes of 110 varieties. Over 50 peacocks roam
the lovely grounds.
Sanguinetti House Museum and Gardens: 240 South Madison (off Interstate 8's Giss Parkway exit at Madison
Avenue),
Yuma, AZ (928)782-1841.
- This pioneer merchant's home is now a museum of
territorial times, and displays Italian-style gardens and aviaries.
Sharlot Hall Museum 415
W. Gurley Street,
Prescott, AZ 86301 (520)445-3122.
- The Museum is dedicated to promoting educational
adventures in human and natural history and sponsors the annual Folk Arts
Fair, Cowboy Poets Gathering, Folk Music Festival, and Prescott Indian Art
Market. Among the several historic buildings at the Museum complex are a
rose garden, an herb garden, an ethnobotanical garden and a kitchen garden.
Tohono Chul Park:
7366 N. Paseo del Norte,
Tucson, AZ 85704
(520)742-6455.
- This 49-acre, non-profit desert preserve is dedicated to
enriching people's lives by providing them the opportunity to find peace and
inspiration in a place of beauty, to experience the wonders of the Sonoran
Desert, and to gain knowledge of the natural and cultural heritage of this
region.
Tucson Botanical Gardens:
2150 N. Alvernon Way,
Tucson, AZ 85712 (520)326-9686.
- This 5 acre former estate houses a host of lovely
gardens: an iris garden, a tropical greenhouse, an herb garden, a spring
wildflower garden, a Native American crops garden, a reception garden, a
sensory garden; a cactus and succulent garden; a backyard bird garden; a
tropical exhibit, a xeriscape garden, a butterfly garden and a barrio
garden.
Tubac
Presidio State Historic Park: Off I-19,
Tubac, AZ
85646 (510)398-2252.
- The Park highlights archeological work on the earliest
European settlement in Arizona which became a Spanish fort. In addition to
the Museum, Historic Schoolhouse and Social Hall, visitors may take nature
walks to glimpse the 180 different kinds of birds in the area and enjoy the
medicinal and kitchen gardens.
University of Arizona Campus Arboretum:
University Avenue,
Tucson, AZ (520)621-7074.
Valley Garden Center: 1809 North 15th Avenue,
Phoenix, AZ 85007 (602)461-7055 or(602)967-7001.
- This All America Rose Selections garden displays over
1,200 roses.
Yuma
Conservation Garden: 32nd Street,
Yuma, AZ 85364
(520)317-1935.
- The Yuma Conservation Garden, a celebration of the
fascinating Sonoran Desert, combines a botanical garden, outdoor laboratory,
animal refuge and farm equipment museum.