Signature Borrego Springs Plant: Fouquieria splendens

You will see these plants in other deserts, but I have never seen them in such great clusters or splendor than in Borrego Springs and Anza Borrego Desert State Park. In various places here are absolute forests of these gorgeous desert plants.
Desert Gardens in the State Park is just one example ...and, if you see it after a rain, you will be enchanted by the fiery bloom and rich green leaves! Hell Hole Canyon is another site to see a great aggregation of these plants.

During the dry season these statuesque plants exhibit no leaves...instead reaching for the sky with twisted brown spiny arms, leaving shadow patterns on the sand. You might even surmise they have died...but upon receiving just a small amount of moisture change into a rather tropical lush looking plant...and, now is the time to tell you a secret: We have many ocotillos in our garden. When we expect guests, we sprinkle the plants about two weeks before their arrival date. The shallow extended roots of the plant quickly take in the moisture, the canes even seem to absorb it...and our visitors always comment on their beauty!

It is said that living fences were once made here...by early native inhabitants, by Spanish explorers and by the early cowboys. Perhaps that is why today there is such an abundance of these interesting plants in this region.

Ocotillo are now in bloom. I hope you have a chance to see them. The next post will talk about ocotillos in your own garden. We were curious as to the condition of ocotillos in the Desert Garden region of Coyote Canyon...WOW! Though still a forest of flaming bloom, we quickly noted many uprooted specimens. We happened to meet the Park Ranger, who was checking the area. We mentioned the large numbers of downed plants and he told us that many were toppled in the recent windstorm, adding that 90 M.P.H. wind gusts had been recorded in the canyon. The plants had not leafed out as had ours, giving us a clue that we must have must have received more rain here, in our garden. As always, nature randomly leaves her mark, favoring some while denying others!