A Trip to the Desert

For our 25th wedding anniversary, in October 2006, Nigel and I went to Las Vegas -- or "Lost Wages" as my father used to call it. I spent several days sitting around, reading, drinking lattes and other frozen drinks, or sitting by the pool while Nigel played blackjack or poker. In the evening we ate or went to a show.

A few days into the vacation, we rented a car and went to the Ethel M Chocolates Botanical Cactus Garden, where I encountered something that, at the time, I barely considered a garden. It was full of Cacti and Agaves (tagged as Century Plant), which I had never heard of before. I probably thought they were some strange variant of Yuccas. We were living in Massachusetts then, and no one grew Agaves there. You either had a vegetable garden, or a cottage garden, or a mixed perennial garden. I wish now that I'd had a better appreciation for what I was seeing. I might have taken better, and more, pictures.

Now that I'm starting to get a handle on Agaves, I'm really looking forward to buying and seeing more of them in others' gardens, like the Ruth Bancroft Garden in San Francisco, which we'll be visiting on the Garden Bloggers Fling (check out the preliminary Fling itinerary here). I haven't given up on them, but they are a challenge. Actually, I think I haven't given up on them BECAUSE they area  challenge. But I fear when I cut back those mushy arms on mine that they will look like crap. I do still have two that have minimal damage -- a large J.C. Raulston and a Whale's Tongue.

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you the pictures that I took on our Vegas vacation.

The little tag says "Desert Milkweed."

These kind of look like an alien mother and child, dancing.

Rabbit Ears

Afterward, we drove out to Red Rock Canyon, to see what the desert really looks like. I know my own words can't convey the austere beauty of the place, so I'll be silent.

 I hope you enjoyed going back in time with me!