Ultimate Guide to Desert Gardens, Nurseries & Plant Hotspots in Greater Palm Springs
Greater Palm Springs is a haven for plant enthusiasts, offering exceptional opportunities for horticultural exploration in the desert landscape. We've curated expert recommendations for the top destinations.
Moorten Botanical Garden
Moorten Botanical Garden in Palm Springs is an ideal starting point for your desert plant adventure. Founded in 1939 by Patricia and Chester “Cactus Slim” Moorten—renowned landscape designers for Hollywood celebrities—the garden now welcomes public tours and sells plants from its nursery. Home to thousands of cacti and other species, it boasts the world’s first “Cactarium,” a greenhouse showcasing rare cactus specimens.
While The Living Desert in Palm Desert is famous as a zoo, it's also a premier desert botanical garden featuring over 1,400 plant species. Pioneering “immersion” gardening, it recreates specific geographic regions like the Upper Colorado Desert (local Colorado Desert at 1,500–3,000 feet), Mojave, and more. Highlights include the Cahuilla Garden illustrating Native American plant relationships, plus hummingbird and butterfly gardens with pollinator-favored flora.
Mariscal Cactus & Succulents
Greater Palm Springs boasts exceptional nurseries with vast selections of cacti, succulents, palms, and desert-adapted plants. Our top picks: Mariscal Cactus & Succulents in Desert Hot Springs, Moller’s Garden Center in Palm Desert, Macias Nursery in Thousand Palms, Bob Williams Nursery in Indio, and Vintage Nursery in Bermuda Dunes.
A bit farther in Morongo Valley, Cactus Mart offers an extensive array of cacti, succulents, desert plants, pots, and garden gifts.
Shields Date Garden
Shields Date Garden, a desert icon since 1924, spans 17 acres of date and citrus groves. Enjoy their shop's vast date selection, signature date shakes, fresh juices, and café. Watch the free film The Romance and Sex Life of the Date for insights into date cultivation, then stroll the garden path through the farm.
Sunnylands Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage complements the historic Annenberg Estate—a retreat for global leaders. Spanning nine acres, its gardens draw from Impressionist art inspirations, featuring twin reflecting pools, a stone labyrinth, and 70 native/arid-adapted species from the Americas, Africa, and Mediterranean. Free access to the center and gardens; estate tours are ticketed with reservations. Grounds include olive trees, cacti, and a rose garden.
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park covers 790,636 acres, including 429,690 wilderness acres across Mojave and Colorado Deserts. Iconic Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) dominate the Mojave, while the Colorado side features Cholla cacti, Yucca, Creosote, Ocotillo, and California Fan Palms in five year-round oases. Visit the Oasis of Mara Visitor Center nature trail for unique oasis plants, or the 0.25-mile Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail 12 miles south of the north entrance. Enjoy hiking, rock climbing, and camping.
In Landers, Gubler’s Orchids specializes in diverse orchids and carnivorous plants, offering free Monday–Saturday tours and a fall Orchid Festival.
Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert, Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden
For plant and art lovers, the Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert features the Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden. Sculptures by Donald Judd, Betty Gold, and others blend with palms, cacti, desert blooms, and water features along a winding path. Open year-round, free admission; download a self-guided tour here.
Escape desert flora at Mount San Jacinto State Park, with pines, cedars, and oaks at higher, cooler elevations. Ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway for panoramic views or drive in. Nearby, Tahquitz Canyon and Indian Canyons on the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Reservation offer paid hiking and horseback trails, including a seasonal 60-foot waterfall and the world’s largest California Fan Palm oasis in Palm Canyon.
The BackYard at The Shops at Thirteen Forty Five
The BackYard at The Shops at Thirteen Forty Five in Palm Springs curates cacti, succulents, desert plants, pots (including vintage Gainey ceramics), gifts, and books. On-site potting and landscape design services available.
Riverside County residents can join the Master Gardener Training Program at UC Riverside’s Palm Desert campus—over 50 hours of expert instruction to enhance gardening and community landscapes.
The Desert Horticultural Society of the Coachella Valley provides resources and events like the annual Desert Garden Tour.
Happy plant hunting!
