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TOHONO CHUL TUCSON'S SECRET GARDEN

The saucer-size flower glows at the top of a collection of stems shriveled like dead sticks. Honey-scented, the flower blooms for one night. The next day it is gone. The plant is a night-blooming Peniocereus greggii, and its short-lived beauty deserves celebration.

Which is why each year Tucson's Tohono Chul Park throws a party for the "Queen of the Night." It's that kind of place.

Tohono Chul, like the Peniocereus plant, is often overlooked. From busy Ina Road, drivers see just another patch of undeveloped desert. But this 49-acre botanical park grows plants, not for-sale signs. And what it offers besides an in-depth look at plants of the Sonoran Desert is a soothing break from urban noise and bustle. In the language of the Tohono O'odham, Tohono Chul means "desert corner."

People visit Tohono Chul year-round to learn about things like the natural history of southern Arizona, how to attract hummingbirds to their yards, and xeriscape landscaping with minimal water use. Some bring picnic lunches and relax on shady benches surrounded by natural gardens.

Others browse the exhibits and gift shops or relax in the restaurant.

"It's a well-kept little secret," docent Karen Jonaitas says of Tohono Chul. "People say, 'I drove by it twice a day and never knew it was there.'" Many people eat at the Tea Room, a favorite Tucson brunch spot for years, before venturing out on the park's wandering paths. The Tea Room serves meals in and around an old adobe house. In spring, cactus wrens busily unravel the tassels on the umbrellas shading the tables, and hummingbirds zip from flame-red salvia to purplish penstemon. From there a mile of paths meanders through the lush growth of native Sonoran Desert plants of Arizona, northern Mexico, and the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas, and unique succulents from South America and South Africa. Nearly 350 docents work with a staff of 18 to be sure visitors enjoy the park.

Karen and her husband, Chuck, help a visitor distinguish between the blue paloverde tree and the foothills paloverde. Chuck points out unusual or interesting plants like the honey mesquite tree, which eons ago developed heavy thorns to fight off giant-sloths and mammoths. He crushes the leaf of a creosote bush and encourages the visitor to smell the aroma.

"When you say 'It smells like rain,' you are really smelling creosote bush. Scientists have found more than 700 different chemical compounds in the creosote bush's leaves and stems," Chuck explains. "Native Americans used it for salves and drank its tea to cure all kinds of things."

In the midst of the plant pathways, almost hidden by palms, olive trees, and mesquites, stands a 60-year-old house-turned-museum. Here visitors cross through quiet courtyards and open doors to exhibits celebrating people and nature in the Southwest - boots and saddles, baskets, even "bug art."

In the Spanish courtyard, shade speckles the ground. Gravel crunches underfoot as visitors stop to gaze at the Texas olive and its large white flowers. Beyond a roughhewn gate, whimsical statues and a fountain decorate the Children's Garden, on the site of the property's onetime swimming pool. Birdsong drifts down from the trees and washes against the stucco walls.

Birders take special delight in Tohono Chul. The profusion of plant life attracts both native and transient birds. The park's bird list names 98 species you are likely to see and many more that drop in occasionally.

A roadrunner streaks across the path. A Gambel's quail covey strolls from shade patch to shade patch, papa's feather topknot flying and the young rolling along like balls of gray dust. A cactus wren scolds from the mesquite tree where a gray fox used to lounge. The fox, apparently weary of camera-toting visitors, moved on months ago. The wren is protecting its nest in a nearby cholla, where hatchlings stretch mouths open wide and complain about feeding schedules.

Tohono Chul surprises first-time travelers to the desert who "come expecting camels and drifting dunes," says Karen. "Our mission is to give people an impression of what the Sonoran Desert really looks like."

The park also eases the newcomer's transition to desert gardening. As a new Tucsonan, Karen called Tohono Chul in desperation. A move to Arizona had confounded her gardening skills. "Everything was dying," she says.

transition to desert gardening. As a new Tucsonan, Karen called Tohono Chul in desperation. A move to Arizona had confounded her gardening skills. "Everything was dying," she says.

At demonstration gardens she learned about water-frugal plants. In the ethnobotanical garden she saw plants grown by Native Americans and early Spanish settlers. Date palms, figs, wolfberry, jojoba beans, corn, and herbs crowd a small garden patch. Fascinated by the coping mechanisms of desert plants, Karen came to learn more and stayed to teach others.

Bird-watchers arrive early in the morning, when mist still hangs on the Santa Catalina Mountains in the background. Visitors wander the paths, resting on shaded benches at midday, focused on the profusion of desert plants. At night the trill of cicadas drowns out nearby traffic sounds as people gather in the Performance Garden for a concert or lecture. Like the seekers of night-blooming flowers, visitors to Tohono Chul celebrate beauty in the Sonoran Desert.

WHEN YOU GO

To reach Tohono Chul Park from Interstate 10 in Tucson, exit at Ina Road and drive east about five miles to Paseo del Norte. Turn left (north) and follow the signs to the second driveway on the right. The grounds are open daily from 7 A.M. to sunset; the exhibits and gift shops are open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 A.M. to 5 P.M. and on Sunday from 11 A.M. to 5 P.M. The park is privately funded; there is no admission charge, but $2 donations are welcome.

The Tea Room, (520) 797-1222, is open daily from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea.

The night-blooming Peniocereus party depends on the time of the bloom, but generally occurs in mid-June. An information line, (520) 575-8468, provides recorded announcements of this and other events.

For a complete list of guided walks, exhibits, and performances, contact the park at 7366 N. Paseo del Norte, Tucson, AZ 85704; (520) 742-6455.