The Plants Around the House: A Garden Field Guide

The lot is landscaped with thousands of desert plants, and half the pleasure of a slow morning is actually looking at them. You don't need to be a botanist — here's a friendly, non-expert guide to what you're walking past.

The cast, roughly

Desert gardens like this one typically mix cacti of many kinds, spiky agaves, sculptural yuccas and, of course, the twisting Joshua trees the region is named for. We won't pretend to name every species on the lot — a good plant-ID app on your phone is more reliable than a guess, and half the fun is looking closely. What matters is that it's a real, living collection that took years to establish.

How to enjoy it

• Walk the gravel paths slowly, especially at golden hour, when the low light catches the spines and edges.
• Look for the small stuff — the textures, the geometry, the way an agave spirals.
• Photograph freely; the golden-hour guide has the best angles.

Respect the spines

Cactus spines are no joke — they find fingers, ankles and dog paws with ease. Keep to the paths, watch where you sit, and keep an eye on kids and pets around the plants. And please leave everything as you found it: no cuttings, no rearranging the rocks. The garden is part of what makes this place what it is, and it's here for the next guests too.