The botanical garden in Albuquerque is part of a larger environmental park called the Albuquerque Biological Park. The area consists of a Zoo, Aquarium, the Garden and Tingley Beach.
Of course for me the draw was the garden! And lest you’ve lost track of our Desert SW vacation travels it was October when we passed through Albuquerque, so don’t let the fall colors surprise you.
Naturally I loved the stylized Agave in the garden gate, unless it’s actually a Yucca…in which case I still love it.
So lush, not what I think of when I picture New Mexico.
Nor do I think of castles.
The castle and wall are part of the Children’s Fantasy Garden; I chose not to go there.
Several of my favorite plants were inside two very tall glass conservatories. There was a Desert side and a Mediterranean side; we started on the Mediterranean side….
More Callistemon citrinus ‘Little John’ for me to crush on, native to SE Australia.
Coast Banksia (Banksia integrifolia), from E. Australia.
I took this photo because of the small vertical succulent garden on the rocks; it was very well done and inspired me to make something similar.
Chilean Bellflower (Lapageria rosea), the national flower of Chile.
I was so excited to get to see Aloe blooms!
Looking down from the walkway that connected the two sections of the conservatory…
We had to go down to ground level to enter the Desert conservatory and I can’t remember if this Agave scabra X Agave victoria-reginae (according to the sign) was inside or outside.
But we are definitely inside now…an Agave victoria-reginae dying post bloom.
But another lives on.
Agave Ocahui
Love the look of the grass mingling with the Agaves.
Tall branched Yucca rostrata
I regret not being able to get the name of these beautiful Agaves. Can anyone i.d. them?
Bunny Ears (Opuntia microdsys)
Gotta be a Whales Tongue (Agave ovatifolia) with perhaps a Nolina?
And an overall shot back at the “Desert” before we step outside…
Where we spotted a Roadrunner!
The only one we saw on the entire vacation.
Is this not a sexy plant? Sexy!
Ah, more sexy....
Agave felgeri
Cactus as building materials, a Saguaro upright and Ocotillo roofing.
Have you ever wondered what a smashed Opuntia fruit looks like?
Wonder no more…
Wow, an even more magnificent grass and spiky combo!
Another Agave ovatifolia?
Chokecherry (Prunus virginana) showing off some fall color.
I can’t believe I’ve forgotten the name of this plant. It was EVERYWHERE in New Mexico. Sometimes looking lovely, other times not so much. The flowers have a very distinctive odor.
It’s easier to say where the Horsetail is not, than where it is.
And now for something completely different, the Sasebo Japanese Garden…
Complete with Koi…
Hungry Koi that is.
And with that we’ve reached the end of the garden and we back track out…noticing a bit of desert art as we go (I think they lit up at night?)…
And planning to find a cool place in the shade to enjoy a beverage and reflect on all that we’ve seen.
Wow!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great set of photos to share Loree.
I am a bit a speechless and I think that I will have another good look at them again later.
I really like the grass and spiky combo, I think that they do go very well together. Mind you I am slightly biased as I have lots of grasses in my garden as I like their shape and form and they seem to like my climate as well.
Gotta love the grasses, especially when they do well in your garden!
DeleteThis garden looks absolutely wonderful! I adore the idea of a "biological" park - it's all part of the same connected world. I'm knocked out by that Agave scabra X Agave victoria-reginae - what a fabulous mixture in one plant! And despite my love of simple forms and limited ornamentation, I love those steel arbors with their delicately incised struts! Okay, that's more than enough gushing and exclamation points for now...this is one for my future travel plans, for sure.
ReplyDeleteGlad you appreciate the Agave scabra X Agave victoria-reginae, it certainly has a chunky presence doesn't it? Looking at it again I think it was indoors, which had me wondering what caused the scaring on it, looks almost like the after-effect of a hail storm.
DeleteLovely, lovely. Thanks for the virtual "visit". Quite a dramatic difference between a Japanese style garden and the desert!
ReplyDeleteIs the "another ovatifolia?" a 'Sharkskin'?
Dramatic difference indeed! It was a bit whiplash inducing actually.
DeleteI think the leaves were way to thin on that Agave to be a 'Sharkskin,' at least in my experience the leaves on a 'Sharkskin' are very thick.
Great tour with commentary, especially enjoyed the focus on combinations.
ReplyDeleteThe vertical succulent garden on the rocks is inspiring. I need to make a point of doing something similar.
I bet you could come up with a great vertical succulent garden, I look forward to seeing it!
DeleteNext time I'm here, I need to stop by!!! Love the shots of the roadrunner!
ReplyDeleteI wish we had seen more of them, you know actually running along side the road!
DeleteFantastic visit. I do like the gate (i think its an Agave too, rather than a yucca!)
ReplyDeleteThe glass house is really good too, I do like the arrangement, has a real naturalistic look to it.
I dream of replacing our chain-link gate with a metal agave cut out. Someday!
DeleteMeep meep... I think I've seen that place before! Hopefully, you got your Opuntia, Yucca and sunshine fix.
ReplyDeleteWas that Mr. Danger walking in front of you, under the rose garden arbor? (I designed the original rose garden, with beefier ramadas and a mix of lush vines and desert plants...but that was negated...still cool spaces).
I'll forward this to my curator friends there, Jon and Dave. Maybe they'll help you with plant I.D.?
Yes that was Mr. Danger...and no he doesn't naturally have a white spot on the back of his head!
DeleteWas your design implemented and then eventually negated?
Thanks for the offer to forward, always nice to have proper I.D.!
I saved this blog post for the end of the work day because I needed something to look forward to. And I'm glad I did. What a spectacular place. How did you ever tear yourself away from there?
ReplyDeleteGlad to give you a treat at the end of a long work day!
DeleteActually I think we closed the place down, or mighty close. We were there with family and little ones so we actually started in the aquarium. The garden is a huge HUGE space with lots of land to cover (some areas better than others, naturally) so we were pretty wiped out by the time we were done.
Holy spiky plants! That was thoroughly enjoying. That must have been some great fun with the camera, excellent photos. I'm hoping to drive south this summer, it's been so long since I've been to a proper botanical garden.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed! Perhaps a trip to the bay area for you? Berkeley Botanical, SF Botanical in Golden Gate Park, Ruth Bancroft Garden...plus visits to Flora Grubb, Cactus Jungle, Annie's Annuals...oh my!
DeleteWhat an enjoyable tour, Loree! Thanks. What is the plant in the photo just above the chokecherry?
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing it's a Yucca, either Y. rostrata or Y. rigida.
DeleteLoree, than nameless agave with the slim leaves reminds me of a lophantha, but who knows. What a fabulous place, added to future road trips!
ReplyDeleteOh yes...I see that...you could be right!
DeleteWeve been through Albuquerque a number of times. I had no idea of this treasure.
ReplyDeleteGlad I could bring it to your attention!
DeleteJust a quick shout out to let you know that I've awarded you "Versatile Blogger" - yours is a wonderful blog :-)
ReplyDeleteChamisa (Golden Rabbitbrush) is the plant whose flowers have a "distinctive odor." It's an allergen and in the fall when it blooms, it permeates the air. The scent is very overpowering. You were kind in your description of the scent.
ReplyDeleteYes!!! I can't believe I'd forgotten that name, thank you. I thought I would be able to remember it by thinking of the old yellow chamois cloth my dad used to dry his car...but that didn't work.
DeleteJudging from the bi-directionality of the teeth, I'd have to say the mystery agave is an agave xylonacantha . The other plant a few pictures later that looks similar to a nolina is a dasylirion longissimum (Mexican Grass Tree). I had one survive a couple winters in the ground but it didn't survive last winter.
ReplyDeleteMy Dasylirion longissimum kicked the bucket it's first winter in the ground. I didn't select a very good spot for it. Thanks for the name on the Agave, I think you've got it...and I love it's common name "Saw Leaf Agave"
DeleteI sure hope my Dasylirion longissimum in the pipe planter doesn't kick the bucket! I love it so! I enjoyed all the pics of the garden. Lots of lovely agaves.
ReplyDeleteI bet yours is a much more suitable climate than mine was.
DeleteWonderful series. I've just started collecting grasses and I got some wonderful ideas for pairing from your pictures. How wonderful for you that you get to visit such gorgeous gardens.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, I am very lucky to live where I do and be able to travel a bit.
DeleteAnd yet again you provide our window on the world: a sunnier, warmer, drier world we can bask in when our own gets us down.
ReplyDeleteLike flying on a cloudy grey day when you get up above the clouds and realize the blue sky has been there all along!
DeleteWell the danger gardener must have been enthralled. Nothing sends me into zone envy like Aloe flowers (and maybe Bismark palms). Did they have to check you bag on the way out?
ReplyDeleteAs tempting as it was to grab and run I didn't have my gardening gloves with me...and everything I wanted was quite spiky!
DeleteWhat a wonderful place! Great cactus and succulents! I would like to visit that awesome place some day! Thanks for the tour and a real roadrunner siting! Beep beep!
ReplyDeleteThe roadrunner siting was all because of the husband, luckily it stayed put long enough for me to arrive with the camera.
DeleteLoree, I've been meaning to comment on your blog for some time now, I've really been enjoying your irreverent mix of photos and words that focus on both the plants and the hardscape details. This particular post on Albuquerque was particularly enjoyable to read. Keep up the good work, and have you ever considered moving to northern California, where your tastes in plant materials would be ever so much easier to accommodate? It has been fun to see Portland gardens and neighborhoods through your eyes, and I admire your dedication to keep posting so frequently!
ReplyDeleteThank you David! A move to the Bay Area almost happened back in the early 2000's but Portland happened instead (well actually marriage and a job transfer happened instead). We now talk about Tucson...maybe someday. I would be in plant heaven.
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