Local Tourist: B&B Cactus Farm Tour
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For years before cactus became the hot trend they are today, I’ve been admiring our prickly friends – does that make me a hipster for cactus? Either way, there are tons of unique, amazing, beautiful and weird cactus out there. One of my favorite places to peruse and also shop for cactus and other desert friendly plants is B&B Cactus Farm on the east side of Tucson. If you haven’t been there yet, or if you aren’t a local yourself, come along with me on a B&B Cactus Farm Tour – more cactus and plants and fun stuff than you can shake a stick at.
The Tour Commences
I love to stroll through nurseries when the weather is nice and Tucson’s weather is nearly as good as it gets right now. B&B is really big and open and so I packed up our Peanut and headed over just after they opened for the day.
I always like to start by walking through a small display garden just to the left of the entrance. It has a great variety of popular options and is a nice way to see some of the available inventory in a more natural setting. It’s a little plain at the moment (no cactus blooming now), but still a nice stroll.
Flashy Beginnings
From there, I always head one of my favorite spots – the wildly impressive echinopsis or trichocereus, known most often as Torch Cactus or Easter Lily Cactus. B&B has a huge collection of these, and while none are blooming at the moment, they are impressive to behold in such numbers. I have one at home that has been such a great easy option – low care and huge payoff with gorgeous supernaturally pink flowers. If you are interested in Echinopsis, one of my favorite sites is Echinopsis.com – it’s a great resource for beginners too!
Landscape Cactus
Alongside the flowering cactus area is a section of cactus that I loosely group together as landscape cactus – those unique but statuesque options that make a big statement in a yard. That’s the Totem Poles, Mexican Fencepost (which you can see in my personal garden tour as well) and a variety of agave seen here. There are also barrel cactus and lots of other cactus that can command your attention thanks to their size or unique shape.
Soothing Symmetry
Next on our B&B Cactus Farm tour is not a particular species of cactus but a unique look. So much a nature has a lovely symmetrical or fractal-like effect to it. I love to look at the neat and sharp agave and aloe, especially in large groupings – they really are interesting in the way they predictably spiral outward. There are a ton of great ones to choose from and if you like this look, check out my free phone wallpapers. They feature some of the same photos seen below:
Just Plain Weird
I’ll be the first to say the some of the cactus out there is best described as bizarre. This is not to say that I don’t love it – look at these fluffy prickly pear! But I will say they are the type of cactus I pretty much only see any the nursery. It would be a fun challenge to integrate them into your landscaping.
Succulents and Stunners
If cactus are popular, then succulents have achieved full-on stardom. I’m not immune to their siren song but more often than not, I’m happier admiring them rather than bringing them home. Along with the succulents, there are a ton of gorgeous Adenium or Desert Rose specimens to be seen on a B&B Cactus Farm tour. If you haven’t seen them before, feast your eyes – beautiful pale trunks (or caudex) and spectacular flowers.
B&B Cactus Farm is one of my favorite places to waste an hour – I’ve found their staff to be helpful and friendly, and you can’t beat the variety and quality of cactus and plants they offer. And no, this isn’t sponsored! I just like to share places that I like with you and I hope you can enjoy it too. Have you made it out to B&B? Do you have a favorite cactus or succulent? Let me know in the comments below – I’d love to hear from you!
