(upbeat music) - [Ike] This is a truly magical place from sunup to sundown.
Every day is a new experience.
- Something's always in bloom.
It doesn't matter what season.
You can see behind me the aloes are blooming right now and they will continue to bloom for the next few weeks.
There's always something to see here.
- [Ike] We're at Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, Arizona's largest and oldest botanical garden.
- It's hard to convey to people that the desert can be so beautiful.
And the setting that we have here is so stunning with Picketpost Mountain and the ridges.
We love it when people come here from all over the world, all over the country, and they say, "We had no idea."
- Here, there are more than two miles of scenic pathways surrounded by more than 6,000 species of plants from all over the world.
Today, I'm going to Australia, South Africa, and Asia, And I'm not even leaving Arizona.
(gentle music) (names swooshes in) (upbeat music) - [Promoter] Trail Mix'd is made possible in part by a gift from Sue and Bill Ahearn.
Additional support provided by... - [Promoter] SRP is staying ahead of the valley's growing energy needs.
We're investing in one of the country's largest solar battery storage projects to deliver power that as reliable as it is sustainable.
- [Promoter] Albertsons, Safeway pharmacies and valley nonprofit Mission of Mercy are proud to support cancer awareness.
They encourage you to talk to your doctor, get recommended screenings and don't forget your flu vaccine.
More information at albertsons or safeway.com.
- [Promoter] Whitfill Nursery proud to support Eight Arizona PBS, a valley tradition since 1946.
Over 200 acres of Arizona grown tree, citrus and palms.
Complete custom design and installation and Whitfill Nursery still does the digging.
whitfieldnursery.com - [Promoter] And by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.
Thank you.
(upbeat music) - [Ike] Just about an hour outside of the valley, you can find yourself a world away.
We're here at Boyce Thompson Arboretum in the town of Superior.
This world-class arboretum showcases gardens and deserts of the world.
- William Boyce Thompson, back in the 1920s started collecting plants.
And also, built his winter home here in Superior.
- [Ike] Boyce Thompson founded Magma Copper Mine and was a copper baron throughout the West.
He also loved plants, and believed in their power to feed the world.
- He thought that not enough attention had been paid to desert plants.
He happened to be traveling to Russia right after the revolution as part of a Red Cross team and he saw the famine that people were experiencing there and really came to understand how important plants are to our wellbeing.
He wanted to collect and display desert plants from around the world and also investigate whether they could be used for food.
He started the collection and we've been adding to it ever since the 1920s.
- [Ike] In general, an arboretum is a botanical garden devoted to trees, but BTA is much, much more.
It was actually, Arizona's first nonprofit research organization dedicated to barren life plants of the world.
- The Sonoran Desert is one of the most biodiverse in the world, because we have two rainy seasons.
It's actually really stunning biodiversity.
A lot of people think of deserts as being sand and a few cacti, and it's not like that at all.
There's actually lushness to the desert as you can see here.
- This eucalyptus forest is probably the oldest collection.
There are 103 species of eucalyptus trees that have been collected from different sources, including trips to Australia.
It is truly my pleasure to introduce you to Mr. Big.
And guess what?
He turns 100 years old this year.
Happy birthday, big guy.
Not only the oldest, but like the name suggest, Mr. Big is the biggest in the eucalyptus collection, standing at 117 feet high with a circumference of more than 22 feet.
Mr. Big is a red gum eucalyptus and the largest known tree of its species in the country.
Because of this area's biodiversity, you never know what you're going to find around the next bed.
You'll see a vibrant children's garden, walk through a tunnel created by a canopy of trees.
Check out this cool suspension bridge.
(feet stomping) The BTA encourages you to have fun and learn about the world's plants.
They also want you to come often, because the gardens are always changing.
Something different is always in bloom.
The Arboretum is truly a garden for all seasons.
- It's great to show people the beauty of Arizona and this area.
We're in the Wallace Garden at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.
All of these plants and trees were transplanted here, in last five years.
- All of all of them?
- All of them.
- Oh wow, okay.
- Every single one.
Everything that you're looking at it was an incredible effort.
It took a long time, but what's wonderful about this garden is it looks like it has always been here.
- The deserts of our world pretty much in our own backyard.
(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - The collection came from Scottsdale.
Over the course of five years, these plants were moved, they were boxed.
the large plants were boxed, and we had a 92% survival rate from the move, which was quite extraordinary.
So, we got new 5,800 plants actually removed and put into the new garden.
It added 13 acres of gardens to the original garden.
So now, we're up to 105 acres that are actually in gardens.
- [Ike] The collection includes 1,200 different species, dozens of which are endangered.
- About 30% of the plants that we have here in the gardens are endangered or rare.
So, part of our job is to keep them alive.
These are cycads.
- [Ike] Cycads, you said.
- [Lynne] Cycads, Yes - [Ike] Okay, just make sure I said it correctly.
- And believe it or not, these date from the time of the dinosaurs, - Really?
- Yeah, not these particular plants, but these survived from the Jurassic period.
- Whoa.
- And are very rare.
These particular plants here from Mexico originally, but every single cycad that's still alive in the world is very rare and very endangered.
- [Ike] There're also winding trails so you can immerse yourself in the garden.
- [Lynne] This is called a ghost gum.
The story behind why it's called a ghost gum I think is really cool.
The Aborigines in Australia, all these trees came from Australia, the gums and the eucalyptus.
And the aborigines would see these in the mist, because they start, they almost like glow early in the morning.
- [Ike] They glow?
- They glow, it looks like they glow early in the morning.
And so, they thought it was the ghosts of their ancestors in the trees.
So, that's why they were called the ghost gums.
Oh, and here's my plant.
- Oh, this is your tree.
- My tree.
- This is your plant- - My tree.
- right here, okay.
- My tree.
This is called a bookleaf mallee.
And it's a kind of eucalyptus.
And if you look closely, it's the same eucalyptus that they use for flower arrangements.
And I had never seen it in tree form.
And people love it.
They stop and they go, "Oh my God, that's the flower arrangement plant.
And it is, look at it, and it smells wonderful.
- [Ike] Okay.
- And yeah, and see the color that this is this sage color.
You're gonna see a lot of this in desert plants.
This sage color reflects the UV rays back into the atmosphere so that the plant does not get sunburned.
- All right, wait, natural sunscreen for the plant?
- Natural sunscreen for the plant.
You're gonna see that in the desert.
It's really fascinating.
People think that desert plants can withstand to the sun.
Well, the reason why they can is because they've adapted to it.
And it's so unusual looking.
It's a typical Australian plant.
- What do you mean typical Austral... What makes it typical Australian plant?
- It's kind of odd.
- It's kinda odd.
- It's different.
- Hey, don't hurt it's feelings.
- It's different.
- [Ike] What do you mean- it's kinda odd.
- And look at it, it's shedding its bark right now.
This is called a senna, I believe.
- Senna, okay.
- And over here we have yucca.
Here we have another eucalyptus tree.
- The variety just never ends.
Truly, it's cool.
- Oh, it don't.
Absolutely, absolutely.
So the yuccas, we transplanted 381 yuccas, - 380?
- 381 yuccas.
- That's a lot of yucca.
- Yeah, it's the collection was just magnificent.
And so, we're thrilled to have it here.
Every plant has associated wildlife to it and associated pollinators, butterflies, birds, that kind of thing.
So, the more we have, the more support we're giving to wildlife.
- All about helping the environment.
- Yeah, yeah, it's all about that.
The ecological balance is really, really important.
(gentle music) (gentle music continues) - Good.
Nice, let's see what feels good to your body here today.
And then when you're ready, change that direction.
I'm feeling that movement in the ribcage.
- Surrounded by a canopy of trees and the calming sounds of nature.
- Good, inhale, lift, exhale, release.
- Morning yoga here in Woodland Garden at Boyce Thompson Arboretum is an immersive experience, a chance to connect with nature through mind, body, and spirit.
- And then you just have that further connection to the earth.
And the space around you here, it just really makes it all a very special experience.
- And the surroundings will have you catching your breath.
- People have a sense of grounding here, a sense of beauty.
It just develops that calm, restorative experience.
- [Ike] Every Thursday, Boyce Thompson Arboretum opens its gardens for you to free your mind.
- Bringing that gentle and mindful movement into their body.
I find this to be the most special environment that I teach in.
I think it has the most opportunity for people to feel restored.
- Yoga is all about finding balance.
And its weekly class helps students strike harmony between themselves and the serenity of the gardens.
- There's just something extra playful.
Even with being outside, I think it makes people feel a little more free.
- Practicing yoga here, it's more than finding your inner peace.
It actually enhances your health.
Forest bathing, also known as Shinrin-yoku, it's all about feeling a heightened awareness of your surroundings, which improves your wellness.
- This arboretum is a really special place.
It's a nurturing quality that develops here.
Being with your breath, and connecting on your mat to all the things around you.
Thank you all so much for joining me today and sharing your beautiful practices and then lowering the head towards the heart as we bow to our practice, to each other and to ourselves.
Namaste.
(gentle music) - Yoga at the arboretum.
I'm a runner.
I'm a little stiff, so I do a lot of yoga.
I haven't done yoga like this before.
You have a trickling stream right there.
You have the sun just kissing you, just feelings making you feel so nice and warm.
You hear the wind through the leaves and trees.
Just again, I could talk about it, but you gotta come out here and experience it for yourself.
I'm feeling good.
I'm feeling energized.
Let's go see what else is out there.
Come with me.
(playful music) - The thing about a desert is it's defined by the lack of water or the scarcity of water, but not the scarcity of life.
Boyce Thompson Arboretum is in the uplands of the Sonoran Desert.
We have beautiful topography behind me.
And then also, we are at the confluence of two waterways.
So, we have just an incredible diversity of what the Sonoran Desert has to offer.
You'll see everything from the mesquite trees, the palo verdes, ironwoods, to our bushes, the brittle bush, and creosote, our succulents, our cacti, are also quite prevalent here.
And of course, the iconic saguaro.
- [Ike] The desert is not only beautiful it has the power to heal.
Here in the Sonoran Desert exhibit this special medicinal trail.
Filled with plants we see probably every day we hike around our state, but may not know about their healing properties.
- This trail in particular focuses on some of the medicinal plants of the Sonoran Desert.
I also think it's just a wonderful opportunity to see the kind of native habitat around here, because this is such a bountiful piece of Arizona.
A well-known one is the jojoba that we have here.
- [Ike] Say it again, the jojoba.
- [Mary] The jojoba.
- [Ike] Okay.
- A lot of people know it's oils that you use for skin and hair care.
It's actually not an oil, it's a shelf stable wax.
- Oh okay, that's cool.
- And the important thing about the jojoba is that that's a male and it had the pollen that was set on it, but the plant that you're gonna wanna harvest from are the females, and they'll have that nut, that has all those wonderful properties.
- Okay, when you say medicinal, what does that mean exactly?
- Well, it's can either be ingested or topical.
For instance, the jojoba nut is edible.
- [Ike] Oh.
- It kind of tastes a little bit like an almond, but it's not something you can eat a vast quantity of.
It's a diet suppressant.
- Oh, okay.
- Yeah.
So it's really good if you're like on a hike and you just need like a little pick-me-up.
But you can't do that all day, every day.
There are so many other medicinal plants out here.
For instance, this is the brittle bush.
It's a very common plant that you see especially on roadsides.
It has the long stalks with the yellow flowers kinda look like sunflowers.
The flowers themselves, you can brew down into a tea that you can apply topically for like a skin irritant.
And the leaves you can actually dry out brew as well, and use for arthritis.
- How does the tea taste?
You gotta tell me.
- I don't know how the tea tastes.
I don't have arthritis.
- You're good, I'm good.
We should just keep walking.
'cause we don't have arthritis.
Let's celebrate that and do some more learning.
I'm about it.
- All right.
All right, and over here, Ike, I'd like to show you.
This is one of the iconic plants of the Sonoran Desert.
This is the creosote, which you're probably familiar with.
The smell of rain in the desert.
- That smells good.
I like that.
- Yeah, it has a lot of volatile oils so that when the rain hits it, that scent just releases.
But the plant itself has so many properties.
It's antifungal, antimicrobial, and an antioxidant.
But this is also another plant where you really have to be concerned about how you're ingesting it, because it can affect the liver.
And it's a caution for pregnant women.
For me, I just like to have a little bit on my stove top and just have that lovely scent in my house.
And that's medicinal enough.
- I should just grab these plants and start to make stuff myself, right.
No, that's a no-no?
- That's a no-no.
I would definitely consult with professionals and fully understand the dosage that you're taking and why you're taking it.
Because there can be some cross effects.
Like for a plant like this that has so many wonderful anti-properties, there's a lot there to juggle.
And so a professional will know what's right for you.
- Well, Mary, thank you so much for teaching me about all these medicinal plants.
It's a beautiful day.
You wanna continue our hike?
- Yeah, let's go.
- Oh man, this is great, right?
Whao.
- Very nice day.
(gentle music) - While Mr. Big is turning 100 this year, next year, the BTA will celebrate its own century mark, along with events and exhibits here at the arboretum.
They're also going to plant 100 trees in the communities of the Copper Corridor.
And we'll make sure folks know how to care for them so they can thrive.
- Botanical gardens and arboreta are, because of the our very nature, we're conserving plants.
And so, we wanna be a good example.
- The BTA is in the business of conservation and education.
And while that learning may start here in the gardens.
It's all like some cool clay pots back there.
- Yeah, yeah.
Those are called oyas, and it's an indigenous way of watering.
So, you might have seen similar kinds of things in garden stores, but it's a great example here particularly in the desert, to use a clay pot, pour it with, fill it with water and then the water seeps out just a very gradually.
- It's a great way of watering When you don't have a lot of water - [Ike] They do hope that you take some of that practical knowledge home with you.
- If you want to be relaxed Its a lovely place to just get If you want a little bit of education you can read our interpretive signs and, you know teach yourself something new.
You could also just have a nice walk with your dog.
- You can actually take a piece of the arboretum back to your own garden.
Every March, you can choose between thousands and thousands of desert plants during their annual plant sale.
They offer Sonoran desert natives as well as drought adaptive plants from around the world that you can use in your own landscaping.
Not sure what to choose?
Master gardeners can help you make the right choice so you can be stewards in your own yard.
Remember, if you want to unwind and connect with nature.
marvel at the Dr. Seuss-like trees in Boojum Cove, stroll through a eucalyptus forest, take a mini vacation to South Asia or South Africa, or take in Queen Creek during our desert's two rainy seasons.
You can find this mix of trails just an hour outside of Phoenix.
Hope to see you on them.
(playful music) (upbeat music) - [Promoter] Trail Mix'd is made possible in part by a gift from Sue and Bill Ahearn.
(upbeat music continues) Additional support provided by... - SRP is staying ahead of the valley's growing energy needs.
We're investing in one of the country's largest solar battery storage projects to deliver power that is reliable as it is sustainable.
- Albertsons, Safeway pharmacies and valley nonprofit Mission of Mercy are proud to support cancer awareness.
They encourage you to talk to your doctor, get recommended screenings, and don't forget your flu vaccine.
More information at albertsons or safeway.com.
- [Promoter] Whitfill Nursery proud to support Eight Arizona PBS a valley tradition since 1946.
Over 200 acres of Arizona grown tree, citrus and palms, complete custom design and installation and Whitfill Nursery still does the digging.
Whitfillnursery.com.
- [Promoter] And by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.
Thank you.
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