Wordless Las Vegas Area 'Arrangements'

Colorful mixed planting at the hotel

Buxus sempervirens and Cyclamen persicum

Ferocactus cylindraceus at Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area

Pelargonium × hortorum and Viola × wittrockiana

Senna artemisioides at Valley of Fire State Park

Mixed planting along 'The Strip'

Yucca schidigera and desert view at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

'Flowers' on the Sphere

Nevada Highlights: Plant Treasures at Springs Preserve Botanical Garden

We're recently back from a trip to Nevada, where we enjoyed both exploring natural areas and sightseeing in urban Las Vegas. One highlight was a visit to the Botanical Garden at Springs Preserve. As always, I could have spent many more hours exploring the plant collections, but our brief visit was educational and fun.



One plant that really caught my eye, was the four-colored Opal Flower (Lachenalia aloides var. quadricolor). I think I've seen this plant before; perhaps during travels to other warm climates, or on another blogger's post. In any case, it's certainly colorful and fascinating. It's native to southern Africa.

The botanical garden has an amazing collection of cacti and desert succulents, both around the various trails and in its Cactus Alley display. A few examples:



California Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus)



Thistle Cholla (Cylindropuntia tunicata)



Argentine Giant (Echinopsis candicans)



Silver Torch (Cleistocactus strausii)



Cottontop Cactus (Echinocactus polycephalus var. polycephalus)

Pincushion Cactus (Mammillaria pseudoperbella)

Parry's Agave (Agave parryi var. parryi)



Springs Preserve's water system is designed to be self-sustaining--collecting gray water for treatment and recycling for plant irrigation.



The Palm Garden offers shade and a welcoming resting spot.



During our visit, the botanical garden also had sweet displays of common garden plants, including potted Pansies (Viola spp.) and Kale (Brassica oleracea).



Daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus)



Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus)

Other interesting plants of note:



Upright Myrtle Spurge (Euphorbia rigida), popular with the bees, ants, and other pollinators.



Peach blossoms (Prunus persica), with their lovely, delicate beauty.



Texas Virgin's Bower (Clematis drummondii), native to the Southwestern U.S.



'Spring Bouquet' Viburnum (V. tinus), delicate and fresh, and also popular with the pollinators.

And Desert Bluebells (Phacelia campanularia): Who can resist that bright, true blue?

It was a lovely afternoon visit. If I'm ever in the Las Vegas area again, I'll make sure to stop by this fabulous botanical garden for more exploration.

Dreaming of Sedona Sunshine

If you only have one day or a few hours to explore Sedona, Arizona, it won't be enough. But do it anyway: The memories will warm your soul on a cold winter's day.



Red Rock Country is visually stunning and other-worldy. Apparently the rocks are red because of the area's hematite (iron oxide) that stained the sandstone. The rock formations were formed over millions of years, through water flows, erosion, wind, and other forces, and they're always changing.



There's a story behind this sprawling estate surrounded by picturesque rock formations. Some think it's fabulous, while others consider it an eyesore.

By Matthew P. Del Buono (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Wikimedia Commons contributors, "File:Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona, AZ.jpg," Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.phptitle=File:Chapel_of_the_Holy_Cross,_Sedona,_AZ.jpg&oldid=123792338 (accessed January 14, 2018).

When we were in Sedona, we spent a good portion of the day at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. You can see photos of the inside of the church here. It's on the National Register of Historic Places.

I didn't take any photos of the church, but I snapped several of the surrounding landscape, plants, wildlife, and the more modest features of the property.

This little angel statue is part of a garden display, along the trail leading up to the chapel. It's very peaceful.

One of the featured plants: a Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora).

I love this St. Francis fountain--a calming presence, surrounded by plants and moving water.

Other fountains and simple structures decorate the area adjacent to the chapel.

Large planters are filled with colorful annuals.

I also noticed other plants in the more naturalized areas of the property:

Silverleaf Nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium) is a North American native--from North Carolina and Florida, through the central Midwest and west to the Pacific states.

These Opuntias and Yuccas form an attractive border near the parking lot.

Large Opuntia cactuses are common in the Sedona area.

They grow in cracks and crevices with grasses along the ridges and indentations of the rock formations.

It's incredible how opportunistic little cactuses can be--putting down roots in very shallow indentations in the rock.

A Gambel's quail poses for candids.

Lizards scurry to and fro.

The path up to the chapel features an impressive stand of cactuses.

Cholla cactuses (Cylindropuntia spp.) in flower are dramatic.

Many of the local famous Sedona rock formations are visible from the Chapel of the Holy Cross, but the angles are different than the traditional views more commonly photographed.

Bell Rock

You can see the strata of rock along many of the ridges.

These look like chimneys to me.

The color of the rock is striking and changeable, depending on the sun's angle at various points in the day.

Cathedral Rock

Ah, Sedona, I remember you well. Until we meet again...