This desert garden is one of the largest and oldest displays of cacti and succulent on the entire planet at 10 acres and 100 years old and with a collection of 2000 species. Waxy, thorny, spiny, woolly, big, small, fat and thin, the variety of cacti is mindblowing. The Golden Barrel Cactus has golden ribs like an accoridian, but when it expands and contracts it has a more practical purpose than creating music. 60 foot tall Yucca filifera with their pointy leaves dominate the lower gardens, but they aren’t even the biggest. That title belongs to the Cereus Xanthocarpus, a twenty ton giant that is more tree than the typical cactus that comes to mind. The bromeliads hailing from Chile bloom with stunning turquoise and cartreuse flowers come springtime.

When suffering a hot, red, painful burn from spending a little too long basking in the sun, you may have come across the magical soothing properties of aloe vera when searching for a remedy. 200 of the world’s 300 species of aloe resides here, easily distinguished by their rosette shape. Ever heard of the new health trend Agave Syrup, famed for its low GI that help keep blood sugar levels down? Well this garden boasts a huge collection of these tasty and sweet succulents.

A greenhouse in the upper end of the garden houses 3000 fragile succulents that require well maintained, precisely controlled conditions to survive, and this garden is indeed dedicated to their preservation. Come on down to learn how to tell a cactus from a succulent (hint: the answer lies in the flowers!), what plant lives a thousand years with only two leaves, and the difference between a male and female welwitschias.