And Now For Something Completely Different, The Hillside Desert Botanical Garden

We live in an area that I love for so many reasons, one if which is that by driving for an hour or two  in one direction or another , we can be in the mountains, at the Pacific coastline, in a rainforest, or in the desert.  Most of the gardens I tour are on the western side of the state which is lush green year round.  However last weekend we drove to Yakima in the central part of the state where the scenery is very different.





My friend, Loree, posted about Hillside Desert Botanical Gardens in 2012 here.  I was delighted when the Northwest Perennial Alliance once again included open gardens in Yakima and HDBC was one of them.  Loree visited on a rare rainy day in June when the garden was in full bloom.   I, on the other hand, visited on a sunny 90 degree day, a bit of cooling between days with temperatures in the triple digits, in late July.

"Hillside Desert Botanical Gardens is the product of more than 25 years of testing and experimenting with certain species to find which will be the most reliable in tolerating the growing conditions here in the Pacific Northwest.  Many varieties have been tried and through trial and error, a surprisingly large number have been successful."


The luminescent white spines of this Cholla are gorgeous.  Of course the golden spines behind it are pretty swell too.












"What started as a hobby in 1981 has expanded to cover 1/2 acre with more than 20 gardens developed into a magnificent showplace."




"We are located in central Washington state in the low desert area in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountain range. Annual precipitation seldom exceeds 6" per year.  Summertime highs are in the 90 - 100 degree range while wintertime lows can reach 0 degrees and occasionally lower.  These conditions have proven to be an excellent opportunity to test for hardiness and optimum  growth.