This Californian garden holds one of the world’s rarest plant collections

Hertrich’s Railroad Car Expeditions Created America’s Premier Desert Garden

In 1907, German botanist William Hertrich pulled off the plant world’s most unlikely sales job.

He talked railroad tycoon Henry Huntington into starting a cactus garden, even though Huntington hated the prickly plants from his railroad-building days.

Hertrich wasted no time, first adding 300 cacti, then hauling entire railroad cars of giant saguaros from Arizona and Mexico.

The garden grew thanks to skilled Mexican workers who fled revolution back home between 1910-1930. Later, famed USDA scientist Dr.

Joseph Rose sent over 700 rare specimens, turning the garden into a world-class collection.

The Huntington Desert Garden in California now spans 10 acres with 5,000 species, where you can still see many of Hertrich’s original plants along the Heritage Walk.

Cacti Made Henry Huntington Cringe

Henry Huntington hated cacti. The railroad big shot got stuck one too many times while building his Southern Pacific Railroad.

When his German-trained plant expert William Hertrich wanted to use a rocky half-acre slope for a desert garden in 1907, Huntington wasn’t happy. The empty patch seemed good for nothing else, though.

Hertrich, stubborn and crazy about desert plants, kept pushing until his boss gave in with a grudging nod.

Hertrich Filled The Garden Overnight

Once Hertrich got the green light, he moved fast. He brought in 300 cacti right away for the small half-acre plot.

His German training gave him a careful way of sorting plants by science, not just looks. Hertrich ran the garden like a living museum from the start.

He put labels on each plant and grouped them by family and where they came from. He kept good notes on each plant’s home, growth, and care needs.

Three Railcars Of Saguaros Rolled In From Arizona

Hertrich took a big plant-hunting trip to Arizona in 1908. He came back with three train cars full of tall saguaro cacti.

Moving these huge plants, some weighing tons and standing over 20 feet tall, took special tools and lots of muscle.

The team wrapped the roots in burlap and built wooden frames to keep the giants standing during the rough trip. Hertrich created new ways to move these desert giants.

Mexico’s Deserts Yielded Botanical Treasures

Hertrich went even farther in 1912, crossing into Mexico on his boldest collecting trip yet. He came back with two more train cars stuffed with rare plants.

Huntington’s private train track came in handy, letting the team unload massive barrel cacti, agaves, and other spiny finds right next to the garden.

The trip brought back many plants never before grown in California, including rare ones from remote areas few plant experts had seen.

Mexican Workers Brought Desert Knowledge

The garden grew thanks to Mexican workers who came to Los Angeles during the fighting years of the Mexican Revolution from 1910 to 1930. These workers didn’t speak much English but knew a lot about desert plants.

They taught Hertrich how to handle the sharp spines of barrel cacti and showed him old ways to move agaves. Their farming know-how helped move and plant thousands of fragile desert plants in their new California home.

Clever Water Systems Kept Desert Plants Happy

The Mexican workers built smart watering systems throughout the garden. They made small dams to catch rain and special drainage for different plant areas.

The team built lily ponds that also stored water for dry times. They dug channels to send water to thirsty plants while keeping others dry.

Their knowledge helped create small climate zones throughout the garden, putting each plant exactly where it would grow best.

The Garden Grew Five Times Larger

By the 1920s, the half-acre test plot had spread across five full acres. Huntington, who once hated cacti, now showed off his desert garden to guests.

The collection grew to thousands of plants from around the world.

Hertrich added rare plants from South America, Africa, and Australia to go with the North American ones.

The garden became a hot spot for visiting plant experts who loved seeing so many desert plants thriving in one place.

A Famous Cactus Scientist Joined The Team

The garden got much better in 1932 when Dr. Joseph Nelson Rose started working with Hertrich.

Rose wasn’t just any plant guy, he wrote "The Cactaceae," the top book on cacti from 1920. He named 972 cactus types during his work with the USDA.

Rose saw the Huntington garden as the perfect place to keep rare plants and study them. His science smarts mixed well with Hertrich’s hands-on know-how.

Federal Plant Collections Found A New Home

Between 1932 and 1942, more than 700 plants moved from the U. S.

Acclimatization Garden in La Jolla to the Huntington. Dr.

Rose set up these moves, sending many plants from his own research collection. These plants included rare and dying-out types gathered from government trips across the Americas.

Some came from homes already wiped out by building or farming. The garden turned into a living seed bank, saving plant types that might have died out forever.

The Garden Saved Plants From Extinction

The Huntington team started one of America’s first planned plant saving programs. They focused on desert plants mostly ignored by other garden groups at that time.

Hertrich and Rose created special growing methods for hard-to-grow types. They made seed banks and wrote down growing needs for hundreds of rare succulents.

The garden staff watched as wild plant numbers dropped and worked to keep genetic variety in the garden.

A Desert Oasis Thrived In Pasadena

By 1942, the once-tiny cactus patch covered ten acres and housed over 5,000 species. The Huntington Desert Garden ranked among the world’s premier succulent collections.

What began as Hertrich’s pet project against his boss’s wishes transformed into a botanical treasure.

The garden preserved countless rare plants through the combined efforts of a German botanist, Mexican laborers, and American scientists.

Their work created a living museum that still stands today, teaching visitors about the surprising beauty and diversity of desert ecosystems.

Visiting Huntington Library Desert Garden, California

The Huntington Desert Garden at 1151 Oxford Road in San Marino showcases botanist William Hertrich’s pioneering work from 1907-1942. You can explore 10 acres with over 2,000 desert species across 60 landscaped beds.

Admission costs $29 weekends, $25 weekdays, or free the first Thursday monthly. The garden opens Wednesday-Monday from 10am-5pm.

Join free daily tours at 10:30, 11, and 11:30am, or take the special Centennial Family Tour about Hertrich’s conservation efforts.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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