Nature Wonders PETRIFIED FOREST U.S.A.

Posted by admin on Nov 8, 2009 under Arizona Desert Landscaping


NWG-DVD-109 – An extensive, scant desert landscape surrounds the Petrified Forest National Park east of Arizona. In the middle of the desert-like Badlands is one of the U.S.A.’s most
remarkable geological treasures, the Petrified Forest. Two million years ago this region was a swampland inhabited by various species of dinosaur. The Forest covers an area of approximately three hundred and seventy-eight square kilometres and the outstanding petrifactions can be found throughout.

Numerous fossilised sections of trees lie scattered across the desert and date back to prehistoric times when the surrounding highlands were covered with dense forest.

Powerful torrential rivers carried the broken, dead tree trunks into a vast swampland where
they sank deep into the morass and became hermetically sealed while additional layers of sediment built up on the trunks. Thus normal decomposition was halted and the wood retained various minerals.

Duration : 0:1:38

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Stanford Cactus Garden

Posted by admin on Nov 3, 2009 under Arizona Landscape Design


The Stanford Cactus Garden (30,000 square feet), also known as the Arizona Cactus Garden, is a botanical garden specializing in cactus and succulents. It is located on the campus of Stanford University (within the Stanford University Arboretum, and near the Stanford Family Mausoleum and the Angel of Grief), Palo Alto, California, USA, and open to the public daily without charge

The garden was first planted between 1880 and 1883 for Jane and Leland Stanford to a design by landscape architect Rudolph Ulrich. It was planned to be adjacent to their new residence, and part of the larger gardens for the Stanford estate. However, the home was never built. The garden was regularly maintained until the 1920s after which it fell into great disrepair.

Volunteer restoration work began in 1997 and is ongoing. Notwithstanding decades of neglect, some of the original plants remain. The garden now contains approximately 500 cacti and succulents in 58 beds, broadly divided into two major sections. The Eastern Hemisphere section is planted with aloes, jade plants and other succulents from Europe, Asia, and Africa, and the Western Hemisphere section holds cacti native to the Americas. Historic plants, comprising some 10-15% of the plantings, have been left in their original locations. As of July 2006, the plants were not labeled.
(From Wikipedia)

Duration : 0:3:34

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1 Minute Vacation – Monument Valley and the Road to Vegas

Posted by admin on Oct 23, 2009 under Arizona Desert Landscaping

Been at the computer too long? Need a little break? Take this 1-minute vacation. Look, listen and imagine yourself in the amazing desert landscape of Arizona and Utah. Then you can get back to work.

Duration : 0:1:12

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Chihuly @ the DBG

Posted by admin on Oct 17, 2009 under Arizona Desert Landscaping

The Nature of Glass, Chihuly’s unmistakeable glass-works parallels that of the Sonoran desert landscape in this exhibition which is presented at the Desert Botanical Garden.( Phoenix, Az) This 5 minute video highlights some of his works in the manner that I was able to portray it with my point and shoot. I’ve also included other notable shots that I thought helped set the feeling of the beauty in nature that abounds here at the DBG. You saw it in FB, Now see it on YT ! I believe you’ll enjoy this as well.

Duration : 0:4:45

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