Nevada’s Largest Botanical Cactus Garden at Ethel M Chocolates

Gardeners visiting Nevada can get their plant fix, at the same time satisfy their palate for chocolate, by visiting Ethel M® Chocolates in Henderson, southeast of nearby Las Vegas. Except for samples, the candy is not free but to see the gardens are. Sorry, no samples of plants are offered.

Said to have the largest botanical cactus garden of its kind in Nevada, the desert landscape was designed with sweeping raised beds and wide hardscape pathways, enabling visitors to easily navigate the gardens.

Ethel M® Chocolates Botanical Cactus Garden contains more than 300 plant species. Although it is planted primarily with cactus, the four-acre botanical display has other drought tolerant ornamental and succulent plants incorporated into the landscape.

Native Plant and Rockery Nevada Landscape

The Nevada native plant and rockery landscape at Ethel M® Chocolates holds approximately 15,000 cubic yards of sandy soil and 400 tons of Arizona moss rock, a type of sandstone, and Utah bali hai, a dark brown colored highly creviced rock.

Collections of native plants of the southwestern United States, South America and Australia fill the cactus garden. Acacia schaffneir, twisted Acacia, is a native tree to Mexico and Texas that has flattened pinnately formed leaves. The Cassia phyllodinea, silver Cassia, from Australia is right at home with the grayish colored leaves, characteristic of many drought resistant deciduous plants.

A popular shrub in southern Nevada is the Leucophyllum frutescens, Texas Sage. Texas sage grows 6′ tall and wide, often used as a background plant in desert garden landscapes. The tough evergreen shrub has arching branches that are densely covered with silver colored wooly leaves. A mass of bell shaped flowers of rose, purple or pink flourish during high humidity. The plant belongs in a full sun Nevada garden.

Also at Ethel M’s Botanical Cactus Garden is a dead but still towering saguaro cactus, Carnegiea gigantea. The skeletal remains of this iconic desert cactus provide a natural habitat for birds in the rockery; living saguaro cactus is a source of nectar for butterflies, bees or wasps and pollen and seeds for insects or birds.

Botanical Cactus Garden Species Collection

The chocolate factory’s botanical cactus and rockery garden has a collection of Cacti species. However, many are succulents in the Aloe, Agave and Yucca genus including the century plant and a medicinal aloe.

The purple pancake cactus, Opuntia virolaceae var. santanrita, has lemon yellow flowers, a native of southwestern United States and Mexico. As colorful as the pancake cactus is, its large spines have dangerous barbed tips.

Ferocactus cylindraceus, the barrel cactus also called miners compass or California barrel cactus, is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. The cylindrical older cacti specimens form columns covered in many long spines that when new are straight and red, but as they age become gray and curved. The yellow flowers have red and yellow centers growing on the plant’s side facing the sun.

Like animals, many plant species have an uncertain future in the wild. Cacti, which require unique undisturbed habitats to thrive, have many species on the IUCN Red List.

Recycling Water with Living Machine at Ethel M

Ethel M® Chocolates recycles approximately 32,000 gallons of water daily. The chocolate factory uses a system called the Living Machine® to clean the water.

The Living Machine® is a water recycling plant that replicates the process living wetlands would use. Its function is to clean the chocolate factory’s waste water, a chronic necessity and responsibility for public gardens in a desert environment.

Las Vegas Chocolate Factory with a Free Botanical Garden

Ethel M® Chocolates in Henderson, Nevada, is among the several botanical gardens in close proximity to Las Vegas that are free to visit. The chocolate factory, store and botanical cactus garden is open to the public Monday through Sunday, the factory’s self-guided tour is open Monday through Thursday. Started in 1981 by Forrest Mars, Sr., today Jin Caldwell is Pastry Chef and Chocolatier for the Nevada chocolate factory.

Other free public gardens to visit in southeastern Nevada include the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and the Acacia Demonstration Garden. Although there is an admission fee, the Springs Preserve is a public landscape of gardens, burrows, brush and wetlands on an unexpected oasis of 180 acres within the city of Las Vegas.

Many botanical conservatories, even in cold climates, protect cactus collections as a public trust. Gardeners interested in cactus plants may want to read about desert conservatories in the Mid – Atlantic States.