I’m going to switch up gears for a bit, lest this blog turn into Veg Seeds Only (TM). In October we took to the skies and headed to Santa Fe for our 10 year anniversary (Yay Us!). As usual, we made a point to stop by the area Botanical Garden.
The Santa Fe Botanical Garden is only a few years old and, for a botanical garden, is quite small (but lovely!). It is about 5 years old and sits on 14 acres, though much of that is intentionally not landscaped and set aside to preserve the natural habitat. However, it is perfectly lovely and sits within the surrounding landscapes beautifully.
The rock work was really exceptional and blended the more formal areas of the garden into the wilder areas seamlessly. Those stone walls are the stuff of dreams! Of course, with it being October, much of the blooms were well past done, but a few were hanging on to put a show on for us.
What a beautiful color combination- and a perfect example of why gardening commandments like “never put pink and yellow together” are utter hogwash.
The garden has also partnered with a local artist and art gallery to have an installation of bronze wildlife art throughout the space. They were truly lovely and a special addition to the plants. I would have given my left arm to be able to take one home with us (particularly the Barn Owl and the Eagle)
The bright red bridge that leads to the auditorium and educational area is a fun exclamation point in a landscape that can tend towards monotonous colors.
As one would expect, their agave collection was spectacular and in beautiful form.
We don’t often think of arid/desert gardens having great fall color, but it is pretty impressive how a few well-placed specimens (in this case Crabapple trees) can up the fall factor and give the garden a second-wind come October and November.
I’d certainly recommend a visit here if you are in the area- I would imagine Spring to be a particularly lovely time before it gets too hot!
Box & Bay 
as usual, I’m not disappointed in your pictures or stories. I find your blog interesting and makes me yearn for springtime and drinks on the patio.
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I lived there 40 years ago, before I was the gardener I am now. I still love the Southwestern landscapes and wish I could grow a lot of those plants in the Midwest.
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Denise- I too love so many of the plants they grow there, and with a full sun and sandy soil garden I wish there were more I could grow too. I do have some yuccas, but seeing how many and how well their roses were doing gave me a bit of faith to try them… Botanical Gardens are half inspiration and half confidence boosters!
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Judy and I were in Santa Fe for part of our honeymoon. This was in 1985, so this garden did not yet exist. We loved the area, though. If we ever get back, I would put this on the itinerary. Love the red bridge!
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I loved that red bridge too! The beautiful thing about the garden’s location is that it is within walking distance of two other fantastic museums on Museum Hill.
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I don’t remember a museum hill. That may all be new since we were there.
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