Desert Garden

A paved path in a garden planted with cacti and succulents.

A Celebration of Succulents

The Huntington Desert Garden is one of the world’s largest and oldest displays of cacti and other succulents. It has grown considerably since 1907, when Henry E. Huntington’s first superintendent of grounds, William Hertrich, began acquiring specimens from local nurseries, private residences, public parks, and collection trips to the Southwest and Mexico. Today these plants, adapted to arid regions around the world, comprise one of The Huntington’s core collections, and are a group of plants that are of special conservation concern and Huntington historical significance.

The Desert Garden encompasses 60 landscaped beds that feature more than 2,000 species of succulents and desert plants. They are labeled with their scientific names and the geographical ranges where they naturally grow. Succulents have developed many adaptations that help them to cope with drought and defend against thirsty and hungry animals. Most retain water in their leaves, stems, or roots. Many protect themselves with sharp spines or thorns, and some have waxy or woolly protective coverings to reflect sunlight and minimize water loss.

Unlike the plants in the main Desert Garden, the succulents housed in the Desert Garden Conservatory have special environmental needs. Some are sensitive to temperature extremes, and others have specific watering requirements.

A composite image depicting a large tree in a desert garden landscape. On the left is a historical black-and-white photo. On the left is a contemporary, full-color photo.

A small succulent with green leaves and yellow flowers, in a small brown ceramic pot.

A composite image depicting a large tree in a desert landscape. On the left is a historical black-and-white photo. On the right is a contemporary full-color photo.

A close-up view of a plant with thick leaves that blend from light green to dusty pink on ruffled edges.

Two red star-shaped flowers covered in little white hairs, resting against a spiky plant and the dirt floor.

A light green plant with tiny plantlets along the edge of the leaf.

A composite image, on left a towering tree with spiky foliage against a blue sky, on right a closeup of a cluster of white flowers.

A composite image. On the left is a cluster of large trees in a desert landscape. On the right is a close-up view of the branches and leaves.

A dense grouping of tall narrow plants in a desert garden.

The Oldest Desert Garden Specimen

The large dragon tree, Dracaena draco, in the lower garden across from the Lily Ponds, is the oldest specimen in the Desert Garden. Native to the Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa, the species is well suited to Southern California’s mediterranean climate. Its red sap, known as dragon’s blood, was a commodity in antiquity, used primarily as a preservative. Stradivarius violins were treated with dragon’s blood.

The Oldest Plant in the Conservatory

This Pachypodium horombense, which was collected in Madagascar in 1928, may be the oldest plant in the Desert Garden Conservatory. Most of the other plants of this species are less than 15 years old because they were started from cuttings of new growth.

Early Plantings

Commonly known as bottle palms or ponytail palms, beaucarneas are not palms but members of the agave family. The Huntington’s collections include some of the oldest specimens in cultivation, which were among the earliest plantings in the Desert Garden.

Pastel Leaves

The Crassula family consists of unarmed leaf succulents found mostly in Mexico and Africa. Cool autumn brings out pastel leaf colors in Aeonium, Echeveria, Kalanchoe, Pachyphytum, and Sedum. Most bedding succulents are in the Crassulaceae family.

Stinky Flowers

Stapeliads are among the many plants that are pollinated by flies. These African succulents produce striking flowers that mimic carrion with their fleshy textures, hairy surfaces, and a foul odor.

Mother of Thousands

Kalanchoe laetivirens earns its common name “Mother of Thousands” from the many tiny plantlets that form on the edges of its leaves. These baby plants are clones of the mother plant. Several species of Kalanchoe have this adaptation.

| The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Flowering Giants

Mature specimens of Yucca filifera dominate the lower portion of the Desert Garden, with some reaching 60 feet in height. Also known as Mexican Tree Yucca, this species is native to the dry Chihuahuan Desert and is as hardy as it is attractive.

Fantastical Trees

When botanist Godfrey Sykes first saw the Fouquieria columnaris, he was reminded of the fantasy creature from Lewis Carroll’s poem “The Hunting of the Snark” and dubbed it the “Boojum” tree. After it rains, this Baja California native sprouts small leaves that are soon lost if the weather turns dry.

Succulent Convergence

Some of the columnar plants in the African section of the upper garden are succulent spurges (Euphorbia). The species most represented in the garden are native to southern and eastern Africa. Though they resemble cacti, they are not related, demonstrating the phenomenon known as convergence.