Botanic Garden

Opened in 1996, the Botanic Garden has grown to 32 acres of exhibits, and showcases plants from the American Southwest and around the world.

The Botanic Garden’s BUGarium is one of the most elaborate exhibits dedicated to bugs and arthropods in the country.

The Travel Channel cites ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden as one of the top 12 in the country!

Seasonal Update:

Learn more about featured seasonal plants!

Cardoon, featured 6/24/26: Guests and bees have noticed the dramatic spiky violet flowers on tall, thick stalks that are dominating the landscape in the Lebanon & Beyond garden right now! Standing up to six feet tall and surrounded by attractive silvery foliage, these beauties are called cardoon or Cynara cardunculus. This edible Mediterranean native is a member of the thistle family and the wild origin species of the globe artichoke (C. cardunclus var. scolymus) that has been domesticated for food and has larger buds. Another cultivar, C. cardunculus var. altilis, is grown for their edible leaf stems and the wild species can also be harvested as a vegetable for their celery-like stalks, but it’s usually planted as an ornamental and/or used for cut flowers. One thing is for sure, the vibrant flower heads are highly attractive to pollinators! Walking by right now, during their summer blooming season, you’ll likely see anywhere from three to ten bees gathered together on a single flower.

These plants do need a lot of space, three to four feet apart, and will develop a large, deep tap root from which they can return after disappearing above-ground over winter. While they are becoming established they need even moisture in well-drained fertile soil, but will tolerate short dry spells once mature. They need six hours of full sun to thrive, but may go dormant in more extreme heat. Needing more water, space and a cooler summer climate than a desert native, cardoons may not be the best match for a more casual gardener, but are without doubt a spectacular addition to many different landscape themes.

Tecoma, featured 6/3/26: The bright blooms of Tecoma stans and the other six species of the small genus Tecoma, accentuate parts of the Americas during the summer. T. stans can be found in the southern United States, including New Mexico, through Central America, the Antilles, and down the Andes mountain range to northern Argentina. Tecoma species are sometimes called trumpetflowers or trumpetbush, and T. stans is also known as yellow bells due to their natural yellow color. Cultivars like the pictured ‘Pomegranate’, can come in shades of reds and oranges, too! It has been introduced in other parts of the world and in old Pakistani medicine, a paste made from the leaves was found to be a potent topical treatment for cobra bites, binding with the enzymes and inhibiting the venom. Tecoma is a ruderal species, which means they will be one of the first to colonize lands disturbed by fire or even human activities as they are resilient enough to flourish in rocky or sandy soil.  

As always, New Mexico natives make for water-wise additions to your own landscaping. T. stans will need a warm micro climate outdoors for our winters, or can be planted in a container that’s at least 12 inches across and moved indoors when the temperature drops. It is a semi-evergreen shrub or small tree that is typically between 3 to 6 feet tall and the flowers bloom continuously from spring to fall. In winter, long, thin seed pods dangle like Christmas ornaments. Not only does the long blooming season make it a great stable food source for pollinators, but the plant also serves as the larval host for the plebeian sphinx moth. They’ll have the best flower production in full sun and need well-drained soil, enough to dry out between waterings. Though it can tolerate harsher soil, it will benefit from organically rich soil or added fertilizer. Tecoma in any shade can make a vibrant, beginner-friendly addition to your home garden!

Garden valerian, featured on 5/27/26: Valerian officinalis is the “type species” of the genus Valerian, which means it’s used as a permanent example to distinguish it from other genera. The species name “officinalis” is often used to denote species that historically had medicinal or culinary uses. Some now-extinct species of Valeriana, a name derived from Latin “to be strong,healthy”, have been discovered in the fossil record from the Late Miocene in southern Ukraine, and references to living species in traditional herbal medicine have been found as far back as ancient Greece and Rome, as well as medieval Sweden and 16th century Germany. Garden valerian can be grown as part of herb gardens, or ornamentally in naturalized or cottage aesthetic gardens that will attract bees and butterflies, often serving as food for butterfly and moth larvae. The fragrance released in the early evening attracts nighttime pollinators, too!

Garden valerian stands around three to five feet tall, with clusters of tiny flowers in white to pale pink that bloom in the summer. Too much shade will cause the stems to flop, and it will need more consistent moisture than other more desert-adapted plants. It also prefers loamy soils, as it’s naturally found in wet meadows, woodlands and marshes, but it can handle average garden soils. Using drip or bubbler irrigations will help keep its self-seeding tendencies under control. You can see it growing near the Winter fountain, pictured, and in the Curandera Garden at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden.

Star cactus, featured on 5/20/26: The Desert Conservatory is home to desert plants from near and far, including the star cactus species Astrophytum ornatum! This species is only found in the wild on the Central Plateau of Mexico, where habitat loss and illegal collection have left them listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. Their common name comes from their shape when viewed from above, something they share with some of the other six species in the genus Atrophytum, or “star plant”. A. ornatum is the largest of them and can grow up to an amazing six feet high in its native range, but they are slow growing and in cultivation they tend to be around 20 inches tall. The pale yellow flowers that bloom from the top center from late spring to early fall can be around five inches across, drawing your attention contrasted against the mottled dark green “body”. 

Species and cultivars of Astrophytum need at least 6 hours of sun and to be kept dry in winter, so they will do best here in a container of well-draining soil placed where they can have some protection from our most intense afternoon sun and then moved inside for the winter. In cultivation, they appreciate occasional water during the growing season but should be allowed to dry out completely in between. While their spines provide natural protection from deer and rabbits, small mammals and birds may eat their fruit and they are attractive to bees and butterflies. With over 100 cultivars of Astrophytum species, one of them is bound to be the perfect water-wise choice for your space!