 A Things Green Adventure with Nick Federoff Sometimes the best discoveries happen completely by accident. That’s exactly what went down when a road trip through Palm Springs led to a spontaneous stop at a big, fancy sign that read “Moorten Botanical Garden.” What unfolded next was one of the most fascinating horticultural conversations you’ll ever watch — and you can catch the whole thing right now on the Things Green YouTube channel. Click here now! 87 Years in the Making — And Still Growing
Moorten Botanical Garden isn’t just old — it’s legendary. Founded in Palm Springs in 1938, the garden has been a labor of love for nearly nine decades. The man walking the grounds today is Clark Moorten, whose father started raising cacti all the way back in 1932. His dad was a landscaper to the stars, a visionary who took a flat piece of land in the mid-1950s — mostly creosote bushes and little else — and turned it into a living, breathing desert masterpiece with 2,500 to 3,000 plant species. Clark jokes he’s still underpaid and overworked. After seventy-plus years, he’s earned that joke. A Desert Garden Like No Other The garden is laid out in geographic desert habitats — sections representing the Colorado Desert, Baja California, South America, Africa, and beyond. Walking through it feels like taking a slow, spiny world tour. Giant saguaro-type cacti reach toward the sky, some of them 80 to 90 years old and capable of living another century or two. Prickly pears stretch out in hundreds of species. Barrel cacti sit stoically in the sun, quietly debunking the old cartoon myth that you can crack one open for a refreshing drink of water (spoiler: you cannot — and you’ll regret trying). One of the more surprising revelations from the visit: almost all of that cactus fruit is edible. The prickly pear pads? Also edible — if you’re brave enough to scrape the spines off. And those innocent-looking little fuzzy nubs on the prickly pear fruit? Clark calls them “can’t-see-’ems.” You can’t see them. You absolutely can feel them. Consider yourself warned. A Bird Sanctuary, a Cactarium, and a Lot of PersonalityBeyond the plants, Moorten is an official bird sanctuary hosting four to five dozen species, including hummingbirds — twelve nests and counting this year alone — plus doves, Cedar Waxwings, and the wonderfully named Phainopepla (don’t worry, it was pointed out that this sounds like a naughty word, but it’s actually a beautiful bird). The crown jewel of the indoor experience is the Cactarium — a word Clark’s mother coined back in the 1940s. Think of it as a terrarium, but for cacti. Cooled by an evaporative system, the Cactarium houses a remarkable collection of rare and exotic specimens: a snake-like cactus from South America that blooms for a single night; an Uncarina from Namibia with brilliant yellow flowers and purple throats; a Hoya with blooms so stunning they stop you in your tracks. Clark even keeps one cactus growing upside-down, just because someone once mentioned it and the idea was too good to pass up. The Philosophy Behind the Thorns Clark’s mother believed cacti were among the highest forms of plant life — adaptable, resilient, capable of surviving just about anything. She wasn’t wrong. These plants store moisture in their very cell structure, drawing it up during wet periods and surviving on it through droughts. By the end of a scorching Southern California summer, they may look a little rough around the edges. But give them a good rain, and they plump right back up like a sponge. Clark manages water carefully with both an automatic irrigation system and good old-fashioned hand watering, sometimes running a sprinkler for three to four hours on the hottest days. This year, the garden has gotten under two inches of rain — a reminder of just how dry Southern California can be, and how remarkable these plants truly are. Plan Your Visit Moorten Botanical Garden is open daily from 10 AM to 4 PM, closed on Wednesdays — a tradition that started in the 1990s and stuck around out of sheer habit. If you’re anywhere near Palm Springs, this is not a stop to skip. The garden is cooler inside than out on the street, the paths are beautifully manicured, and the sheer diversity of life packed into the space is genuinely awe-inspiring. Watch the Full Video on Things Green This blog post only scratches the surface. The full video captures the beauty of the garden, Clark’s sharp wit, and up-close looks at some of the most unusual plants you’ve ever seen. It’s the kind of content that makes you genuinely fall in love with the plant world — even if cacti aren’t usually your thing. Click here to watch the video. Head over to YouTube.com/@NickFederoff to watch the full Moorten Botanical Garden episode — and while you’re there, hit Subscribe. Nick Federoff and Things Green are out here every week solving expensive gardening and landscape problems before they get worse, and bringing you the best of the plant world, one adventure at a time. Your garden IQ will thank you. “I help busy homeowners grow a great-looking yard using low-maintenance, climate-specific gardening systems—without weekend-long yard work. When you call 1-800-405-NICK, you’re not buying anything.” Nick Federoff, ThingsGreen.com Subscribe…it's FREE https://www.youtube.com/@NickFederoff
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