Desert Botanical Garden

The Desert Botanical Garden is located in Phoeniz, AZ.  The entrance alone blew me away with it's beautiful Chihuly Glass display.  I would love to have a Dale Chihuly glass display in my garden, he is so talented.  When I first saw the display I thought it was some gorgeous plant that was reflecting the sun's rays.  It wasn't until it got closer that I realized the plant was really made out of glass.  The garden had a beautiful display of cacti, and volunteers were close at hand to answer any questions you may have.  It is one of 33 landmarks that make up the Phoenix Points of Pride.

Chihuly Glass display at entrance to garden

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Photo Opp in the Garden

Bird nest in Saguaro Cactus

St. Earth Walking, sculpture by Robert Wick

Sun Dial

Gigantic Organ Pipe Cactus

Barrel cactus

Crested Saguaro Cactus

Blooming Yucca

Cactus Bloom

Agave and Barrel Cactus

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a botanical garden/zoo located in the Sonoran Desert in Tucson, AZ.  The landscape surrounding this area is desert and hills as far as you can see, all spotted by giant Saguaro cactus.  One of the greatest parts of the museum, to me, was their hummingbird house.  You walk into this enclosure to find yourself surrounded by hummingbirds.  They buzz past your head on the way to grab a drink or go back to their nests.  I saw at least 6 different nests with tiny little hummingbird beaks sticking out.  If visiting Arizona, I would definitely put this on your list of places to see.

Entrance to the Hummingbird House

Hummingbird Nest

While you are in Tucson, and not far from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, make sure to stop by Arid Lands Greenhouse.  Bob, Toni, and Susan are incredibly friendly and have a wealth of knowledge about cactus.

Desert blooms

My friend, Gina, loves cactus

Barrel and Totem Cactus

Cactus Blooms

Yucca in background with huge flower stalk starting

Cactus

Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Planting Display

Sonoran Desert

Hosta of the Day - 'Ginsu Knife'

I promised I would still present you with at least one hosta this week.  Today's hosta has great twisting leaves.  Hosta 'Ginsu Knife' has a mounding habit with twisting leaves of green with white borders.  Some say it has fragrant flowers, but for some reason the flowers on mine seem to have no smell to them whatsoever.  I thought that mine was not showing off it's true beauty being planted in the ground.  It just seemed to lay on top of itself too much.  So this past summer I decided to find a container to plant it in.  I wanted something so that the leaves could cascade over the sides.  In fall I move the container to the north side of my house where it will receive the least amount on sun.  I then lay the container on it's side and face the opening towards my house, so that the least amount of moisture can get into the container.  This helps protect it from the freezing and thawing that often happens over a Midwest winter.  Then in spring I move the container back out into the sun and enjoy it all summer long.

Hosta 'Ginsu Knife' 2009

Hosta 'Ginsu Knife' 2011

Hosta 'Ginsu Knife' right after being replanted into a container

Grand Canyon National Park

The Grand Canyon has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember.  I can't tell you how many times I have been so close to the Grand Canyon, only to find out it was closed for the season (North Entrance).  So I can't tell you how excited I was to find out that the South Entrance was open all year!  It was a 4 hour drive from Phoenix, but so worth all the time spent in the car.  For me winter is the perfect time to visit the Grand Canyon.  It was 49 degrees the day we were there, which to me as a Wisconsinite meant all I needed was a jeans and a jacket.  There were no long lines, you could drive up to all of the stops along the road, and because it wasn't crowded you could get all the great photo shots you wanted.  I think the Grand Canyon is a must see for everyone.

Colorado River cutting through the Grand Canyon

Playing around in the Grand Canyon

Another view of Colorado River

Look how far back it just keeps going

Love all the rock formations

Even ran into some snow while there, as a reminder of home.

Sedona, Arizona

This week I will be taking you with me as I travel through the state of Arizona.  I will be visiting Sedona, the Grand Canyon, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson.  Don't worry, I still left one day for a hosta posting!

Today's stop is Sedona, AZ known for it's beautiful red, sandstone formations in the Sonoran Desert.  We made a quick stop in Sedona on our way to the Grand Canyon and it did not disappoint!  The red rocks of Sedona are absolutely beautiful!

Chapel of the Holy Cross built into the red rocks of Sedona

Hosta of the Day - 'Golden Meadows'

The final hosta in this week's series is hosta 'Golden Meadows'.  'Golden Meadows' has a very unique leaf structure.  The edges of the hosta are very ruffled, almost puckered looking.  The center of 'Golden Meadows' is light green, while the margins have a blue/green coloring.  As 'Golden Meadows' matures there is also a third color, which is a medium green that show up between the center and the margin.  I can't think of another hosta that even looks anything like this one.  I have mine paired with Heuchera 'Green Spice'.  It would also look well paired with a gold colored hosta.

Hosta of the Day - 'Golden Tiara'

Hosta 'Golden Tiara' is a small to medium hosta, and part of a tiara family of hostas ('Diamond Tiara', 'Emerald Tiara', 'Grand Tiara', etc).  It has small heart shaped leaves that are medium to light green in color with gold edges.  Like a lot of the other hostas featured this week, it makes a great front of the border hosta because of it's size.  It's a very easy to grow variety of hosta, and pairs well with hostas that are green or blue in color.

Hosta 'Golden Tiara' 2009

Hosta 'Golden Tiara' 2011