May Blooms at the Arboretum
Boyce Thompson Arboretum, an Arizona oasis, sits at the base of Picketpost Mountain just 30 minutes east on Highway 60 in Superior, Arizona. Plan a trip in May to Arizona’s oldest and largest botanical garden to see late spring blooms and enjoy temperatures an average of ten degrees cooler than in the Valley.
What’s Blooming
In early May, you can expect to see prickly pears (Opuntia sp.) blooming in all colors of the rainbow except indigo, and the pale-yellow blooms of the foothill palo verde (Parkinsonia microphylla). You’ll also see the native buckhorn cholla (Cylindroputina acanthocarpa) in colors ranging from yellow to orange to deep red among the 105 acres of gardens. A favorite of hummingbirds, the Karoo Boer-bean trees (Schotia afra) with their bright red flowers and the ever-popular Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri) with its giant white blooms with yellow centers are quite the show. You can also catch the rose blooms in the Heritage Rose Garden and Wallace Rose Garden before the intense summer heat sets in.
In mid to late May, the large white flowers of the saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) located throughout the Arboretum will be blooming, and the ironwoods (Olneya tesota) will be spectacular with their mauve flowers.
The “Crimson Star”
During your visit, be sure to stop in at the 3,600 square foot historic Smith Building. Constructed in 1925, this historic building houses the newly renovated Smith Greenhouses, which feature cacti and other succulents native to the Eastern Hemisphere in the East House and those native to the Western Hemisphere in the West House.
Many of the species housed in the greenhouses are unusual or rare including the “Crimson Star” a large Adenium and early popular hybrid that can trace its heritage to Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Dr. Mark Dimmit found an Adenium swazicum ‘Boyce Thompson’ in the Smith Display Greenhouses, and in 1985 used it as the pollen parent for ‘Crimson Star.’ The ‘Crimson Star’ Adenium along with its siblings have continued on to produce many modern red-flowered Adenium Hybrids. Adeniums or Desert Roses are beloved for their striking blooms, bonsai-like appearance, and swollen caudiciform roots, If you see a red-flowered Adenium, there’s a chance that its origin can be traced to Boyce Thompson Arboretum.
Don’t miss these striking May blooms and more! A visit to Boyce Thompson Arboretum at any time of the year can broaden one’s understanding and appreciation for the multitude of plants that have adapted to the world’s drylands and delight the senses with their floral diversity and colors.