The other day our Argentinian friend Flavia mentioned that the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix offers free admission every second Tuesday of every month – normally the fee is $22. Today at 7:00 a.m. I took the opportunity before the heat and visited the botanical garden for a little photo tour – it is certainly worth a visit – the variety of desert plants is just amazing. I probably will revisit the garden since it is only 2 miles away from where we live.

The Desert Botanical Garden is a 140 acres (57 ha) botanical garden located in Papago Park, at 1201 N. Galvin Parkway in Phoenix, central Arizona.
Founded by the Arizona Cactus and Native Flora Society in 1937 and established at this site in 1939, the garden now has more than 21,000 plants, in more than 4000 taxa, one-third of which are native to the area, including 139 species which are rare, threatened or endangered.
Of special note are the rich collections of agave (176 taxa) and cacti (10,350 plants in 1,350 taxa), especially the Opuntia sub-family. Plants from less extreme climate conditions are protected under shadehouses. It focuses on plants adapted to desert conditions, including an Australian collection, a Baja California collection and a South American collection. Several ecosystems are represented: a mesquite bosque, semidesert grassland, and upland chaparral.
The Desert Botanical Garden has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride.
Source: Wikipedia