Louise Speaks: Desert Botanical Garden is a 140-acre garden located in Papago Park. It is just across from the Phoenix Zoo. This whole complex has many points of interest, all within eye’s view, The Zoo, The first Governors Tomb, Hole in the Rock, a Sports Complex and of course the Gardens.
The Garden now has more than 50,000 plants in more than 4,000 taxa, one-third of which are native to the area, including 379 species which are rare, threatened or endangered.
Of special note there are 13,973 cacti plants in 1,320 taxa. Plants from less extreme climate conditions are protected under shade houses. It focuses on plants adapted to desert conditions, including an Australian collection, a Baja California collection and a South American collection. 
May is generally not the best time to see cactus in bloom, but desert plants are just beautiful by nature. Seeing the gardens in May helps to avoid the temperatures of the summer and still catch the desert plants in their glory. People may not think that cactus and the desert are beautiful, but seeing them all in one place is breathtaking. What makes the Botanical Gardens special is that you can come here several times a year and feel like you’re in a different place each time…the plants change that often.
Wild Woman Wandering 