This is really pushing “rambles” to the limit, since we walked further from our parking spot then we did inside the garden, but I still think it qualifies.

The Arizona Garden is a stunning collection of cacti and succulents with dusty walking trails woven throughout. The garden was planted between 1881-1883 and actually predates Stanford, which first welcomed students in 1891. The garden was originally intended to stand next to a stately home belonging to the Stanfords, before they decided instead to commission a university in honor of their deceased son.

I am not knowledgeable about cacti or plants in general, and there were no signs or labels with which to educate myself, but most sources claim there are over 500 species of cacti and succulents and they are located in the garden by native land (Africa, Europe, and Asia vs. the Americas). There is an official map of the garden here, but it is not particularly detailed.

The kids really enjoyed seeing all the cacti, but I had to repeat “Don’t touch!” so many times I’ll probably be saying it in my sleep.

During our visit many of the cacti had mature buds and I expect they will be flowering within the next month. I’m hoping to come back in a couple weeks and see them in bloom!