Wallace Desert Garden

1,387 boxed plants planted

283 understory plants planted

It should be common knowledge by now that Boyce Thompson Arboretum has acquired the plant collection of the Wallace Desert Garden estate. The last of the plants were salvaged and brought to BTA at the end of October 2017. Planting of the boxed specimens began in earnest on February 9, 2018 after many planning meetings. It took several weeks to get a real rhythm going; as you can imagine, working in such a large area is a bit like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Coordinating manpower, several pieces of very large equipment, staking according to the plans laid out by Logan Simpson, landscape architects, staff approval, and planting is no small feat; making sure to not get boxed in at the end of the day is especially difficult (no pun intended). Several spaces were hard dig areas in solid rock; looking at the piles of rubble, it was hard to imagine that any plant could survive in such a situation. But as everything gets put in the ground, it is as if the plants are breathing a sigh of relief at being freed from their fetters. For some, it has been almost two years since being boxed up.

To enter the trail area, one has to walk by the Wallace roses. The flowers are a nice greeting before encountering the Wallace Gateway Garden, which offers a fabulous view of Picketpost Mountain after turning the corner. As planting has progressed, Native Resources International (NRI), the salvage contractor, has moved across Queen Creek and up the hill, another hard dig area, to plant the three yucca forests: Chihuahua, Mojave and Sonora. The Chihuahuan Yucca Forest is the most impressive, containing the largest and most numerous yucca specimens. As one stands amid these striking trees, one can’t help but feel dwarfed. As you move up the hill

into the Sonoran Yucca Forest, you encounter spectacular views of the west end of the Arboretum. Coming back down and turning east, visitors will ascend a mild hill toward the top of a ridge. From here, the trail goes steeply uphill for the African loop trail. Planting this section took some finessing from the equipment operator, as it would have been very easy to tip the machine over while digging into the rock. My hair stood on end sometimes, as I watched him go up and down the hill each day while working that area. After Africa was done, NRI worked plants into the bottom of the hill and along the trail up to the ridge. They finally started down the hill to the east of the rock outcropping planting the new Baja/Cactus and Succulent Gallery. One of the plants that staff were excited to see go in was the large 54” boxed Pachycormus discolor (Elephant Tree). At the bottom of this section of trail, NRI then moved into the “grotto” area, where the rock wall screamed out for a seep. A water tank and filter were installed with a solar feature for activation. NRI is now in the last phase of planting – the Desert Plant Gallery, which includes the Ephedra collection – and will be connecting that area back in to the Chihuahua Yucca Forest.

As of this writing, 1,387 boxes have been installed along with 283 understory plants. All planting and irrigation should be completed by the end of the year. There is still much to be done: benches need to be installed; shade structures need to be funded and constructed; signage and interpretation need to be finalized; a pedestrian bridge needs to be funded and constructed; and a pavilion needs to be funded and built to house the specimens that need protection from sun and cold. A grand opening of the entire trail is slated for fall 2019.