Something New Under the Sun

It’s hard to feel pity for something with four-inch spikes, but even an Echinocereus fendleri deserves a break from the sun. It’s a fearsome thing, the Sonoran hedgehog cactus, but also a thing of beauty, which is why Desert Botanical Garden wants to keep fendleri and friends comfortable and resplendent in their brand-new digs: the Sybil B. Harrington Cactus and Succulent Galleries.

A collaboration between landscape architect Steve Martino and landscape designer Scott C. Scarfone, the canopied Harrington Galleries offer screened shelter for the plants and candy for the eyes, with design elements intended to enhance the natural attributes of the specimens while maintaining unobstructed views of the surroundings.