Cactus Ranch Nursery & Exceptional Landscape & Cactus

We have visited several places and none of them been set up so beautifully or been as helpful. Gilbert helped us select cactus that would thrive in the garden but not grow too big. He even told us the best way to plant them. We will be back and definitely be back!

I love unexpected surprises and that’s exactly what we got when we stopped at Cactus Ranch Nursery in Morristown, Arizona this afternoon. First off, let me say that I am a cactus/​succulent/​plant lover and I’ve visited many nurseries in California (we recently moved to Arizona) but none of those hold a candle to the experience of visiting Gilbert Duran’s little slice of heaven in Morristown. Secondly, I have a background in publishing (landscape/​gardening publications) so I’ve seen my share of beautiful landscape settings/​plans designed by some of the top landscape professionals in the United States. Good/​great design is something you know the minute you see it and from the moment we passed through the gate and into the nursery I was in awe. This is not just a nursery, it is an experience. Gilbert Duran’s passion for plant material and design draws you in with each and every step. Intertwined with his beautiful and very healthy plant inventory are islands, for lack of a better word, of his designs. Lichen-​covered Arizona surface boulders rise up like monuments and provide the perfect background for his planted specimens and the use of color in his designs is breathtaking. His natural ability to layer color and plant material is truly a gift (he’s been designing landscapes for 40 years). I saw cactus specimens that I’ve never seen before, even in photos. Seven acres of paradise and far more cactus plants than one of the largest nurseries in our area. And what makes it all even more special is Gilbert’s vision for the future. He hopes to eventually share his nursery with schoolchildren via field trips and he’s even contemplating a Halloween celebration, complete with haunted houses (the property has been there for years and there are many interesting buildings and structures). He has an overall plan to create even more walkways and perhaps even a space for wedding receptions and/​or garden club gatherings.
My husband and I spent a couple of hours there, drinking in the vibe of this hidden jewel of nursery that’s a lot more like a botanical garden than a business.
If you love plant material/​landscaping/​cacti you owe it to yourself to take your own field trip to Cactus Ranch Nursery. And if you are planning on a new landscape design for your home (or a redesign), Gilbert Duran can help you create your own paradise. His design abilities are right there for all to see and he’s been doing landscape design throughout the greater Phoenix area for many years.
I can’t wait to go back!