Garth’s Boulder Gardens

Near Joshua Tree, California

When I moved from the midwest to the west coast and its desert environment, I noticed that a lot of homes had no lawns. Water is in limited supply and it costs a lot to move it to the desert. Many people plant cactus and add rocks — the more rocks, the better the rock garden. It’s one thing to move rocks to your garden though; it’s another to move your garden to the rocks.

In Yucca, California, that’s what one man did. Instead of building a rock garden, he moved into a boulder garden to be closer to nature. Six hundred and forty acres of desert land became Garth’s Boulder Gardens in 1981. Using permaculture he reformatted his land into an agricultural ecosystem intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient.

When Garth first moved to the property, he had to bring in his water. Now he has springs, several ponds to supply his water needs, plus a small rock pool next to a sauna that he constructed.

Garth also has a teepee made of cement, but for the most part he lives in an open air living room and kitchen. He spends his time enjoying what nature has given him, improving what he can to support a natural way of life. He says he tries to improve the world one rock at time. There’s a collection of rocks from all over the world which you can see as you explore his garden.

 

Garth welcomes all visitors, donations help keep the place going.

Garth’s Boulder Gardens ( GPS 34.212562, -116.562350 ) is a great place to kick back and relax in nature, and watch your problems fade away.

Video About Garth's Boulder Gardens

Update 7 22 2023

Garth has crossed the rainbow bridge. He died peacefully at dawn on July 22nd, 2023. The grand celebration of his life will take place on October 28th, 2023.

 

The Desert Environment
The North American Deserts
Desert Geological Terms