Forever Ranch and Gardens
Forever Ranch and Gardens, 40 acres (160,000 m2), is a new desert botanical garden located approximately 17 miles (27 km) from Yucca, Arizona, and 45 miles (72 km) south of Kingman, Arizona. Forever Ranch and Gardens lies in the southeast region of the Sacramento Valley.
The garden is in mid-elevation desert in the western foothills of the Hualapai Mountains, altitude 3,000 feet (910 m), USDA zone 9B, with a temperature range of about 22 °F (−6 °C) to 110 °F (43 °C). Rainfall averages about 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm) per annum. Its property was purchased in 1998, and site work began in 1999. The garden's mission is to educate people as to the beauty and diversity of xeric plants, and to employ renewable energy technology as well as low-impact construction techniques. The garden will incorporate plants from desert biomes around the world.
At present, about 165 species of native and naturalized exotic plants have been observed in the garden. The local area includes the following species counts at a minimum:
- cactus (16 species)
- yucca, agave, and nolina (7)
- bulbs (4)
- trees (12)
- woody shrubs (50)
- perennial herbaceous wildflowers (30)
- annual wildflowers (50)
- lichens (20)
- mosses (5)
- ferns (3)
- liverworts (1)
In addition, over 2000 cacti, succulents, shrubs, and small trees have been planted to date, primarily ocotillos (Fouquieria splendens), Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia), barrel cactus, hedgehog cactus, and organ pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi). Other plantings include saguaros (Carnegiea gigantea), golden barrels (Echinocactus grusonii), red barrel cactus (Ferocactus acanthodes), Cyphostemma juttae, Mexican cardon (Pachycereus pringlei), ironwood (Olneya tesota), and Mojave yuccas (Yucca schidigera). As many as 20,000 to 30,000 may be planted eventually.