the world's first cactarium

I have a secret to reveal that some might be shocked to hear: I am not completely in love with the desert.

I want to be, and I don't know exactly why I am not, but the times I've been haven't proved as magical or transformative or drop everything relaxing as I imagined or read about.

But this place got me pretty close to that feeling. Moorten Botanical Garden's tagline, a living museum of desert love. You can walk around and explore different types of deserts and see spikes and colors of cactus you've probably never seen before. I loved the wooden handmade signs and everything about the place has the feel of hardwork, oddity and love.




We went here after a stay at The Ace ( which might be one of my actual main problems) and a long hike at Indian Canyons-I was feeling kind of out of touch, too many boozy gross people around the pool, and the grounds at Indian Canyons scream the 80s meets Jurassic Park, which is awesome in it's own way but I was looking for something a little different.

Back to the good stuff. And then you get to a greenhouse packed with cactus, yes, it exists, the world's first cactarium. I felt like I was walking into my own brain, the part that's soothed by lots and lots of potted things.




It's weird, it's small, it wasn't crowded and I bought a plant that I've never seen at any other nursery. Their actual house, located on the property, is named Cactus Castle. If I was rich and lived in the desert, I would create something like this too, but for now I have my own little growing patio and a commitment to find more places in the desert to love.

Update: After Fashion Intel's recent trip, I have a new desert guide that looks pretty amazing.