There are over 20 different gardens located in Balboa Park San Diego. I knew I wanted to visit the Botanical building. I looked over the list of gardens and put the Desert Garden high on the list of must-see other gardens.

I could already tell that San Diego was an excellent location for growing cactus and succulents. I was seeing large specimens of succulents in gardens as I drove or walked around the town. The Desert Garden is located across from the footbridge over Park Boulevard near the Natural History Museum. The garden was planted in 1976 and has matured well. Many of the plants were in bloom.

The garden reminded me a lot of South Africa. Many of the plants were succulents and many were from South Africa – Aloes and Euphorbias. There were not as many cactus as I expected.

Here are a few of the wonderful plants that can be found in the Desert Garden.

Euphorbia candelabrum

Idria columnaris

Dracaena draco

Close up of Dracaena draco

Aloe Barberae – Tree Aloe

Euphorbia grandicornis

Pair of doves

Aloe ferox

Aloe dichotoma – Quiver tree that we saw in South Africa