Moorten Botanical Garden in Palm Springs

This weekend I'll be travelling to Palm Springs to attend the blogging conference Alt Summit. This will be my third time attending Alt Summit in Palm Springs and I can't wait. While the conference itself is jam packed full of fun activities and workshops, and amazing keynotes and panels, there is always plenty of time available for a little exploring around Palm Springs.

In past years I've headed out with friends on a colorful door tour (Palm Springs has the BEST mid-century architecture and loads of colorful doors), a hike through a slot canyon, and most recently a visit to the Moorten Botanical Garden - which I'm sharing here today.

If you're a nature lover, gardener or even just intrigued by desert life, Moorten Botanical Garden is a must see in Palm Springs. This iconic garden may be tiny, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in the sheer number of stunning cacti and desert plants on display. I've never visited a spikier garden!

Now, you may be thinking that a botanical garden in the desert may not have an awful lot to offer, but trust me, you won't believe just how many types of cacti, succulents, agave, palms and other desert plants there are before you see Moorten! There are so many amazing plants to see here. The shapes, the colors, the sizes... there's so much variety here. And so much more green than you would expect in a desert.

As you would expect of a botanical garden, much of Moorten is outside, landscaped beautifully to show off each and every plant from towering trees and cacti to tiny ball cacti covered in "fluff" - the  kind of fluff you don't want to touch as you know it's masses of tiny spines! This is definitely a place where "look, but don't touch" is important to keep in mind! Meandering pathways lead visitors through the garden with seating dotted throughout.

One of the most popular places in Moorten is the glasshouse where hundreds (maybe thousands) of potted cacti grow. The walkways are quite narrow and it can get a little crowded in here on busy days, so it's important to make sure that you're aware of your surroundings to avoid damaging the plants - or spiking yourself. Most of the cacti are nicely tucked into the raised garden bed areas, but there are some that overhang the walkways and even a few bursting through the ceiling!

Back outside, there are plenty of places to escape the desert heat with tall trees and cacti providing shade. It really is an oasis in an otherwise harsh landscape!

If visiting Moorten inspires you to grow your own cactus garden, you're in luck as there's a nursery onsite with many specimens for sale. I would've loved to have brought home a little of Palm Springs with me in the form of some amazing desert plants, but flying and potted plants don't go hand in hand. Pots and other garden decor are also available taking home a plant is not possible.

If you're visiting with kids they're sure to find the many different varieties of cacti throughout the gardens fascinating. They're also sure to love the resident tortoise housed by the nursery. My kids were not with me on this trip, but there were plenty of other kids at the gardens during my visit and the tortoise was definitely a hit with them.

Moorten Botanical Garden is located at 1701 S Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs.

The garden is open from 10am - 4pm daily (closed Wednesdays) during Fall, Winter and Spring. During the Summer season the garden is open from 9am - 1pm (closed Wednesdays). Check the website for Summer dates.

Entry is $5 for adults and seniors and $2 for children ages 5 - 15. Children under 5 are admitted free of charge.

For more information visit http://moortenbotanicalgarden.com/

Thanks to my friend Jessica from Hej Doll for the photos of me in this post!

 7f00ac56317d109d975fa14c1c846186290e493f121ae60c4d