The Tale End
A mod cactus garden has sprouted behind The Shops at Thirteen Forty-Five in Uptown Palm Springs. Aptly called The BackYard, the minimalist space — part landscape design firm, part nursery — was the vision of hobbyist Bret Baughman, a transplant from New York who says he discovered his love for native plants upon relocating to the desert.
“Each one is a singular piece of sculpture,” Baughman says of the 40 or so plant varieties he stocks. Around the 1,500-square-foot yard, which was a barren swath of sand before Baughman moved in, prickly cactuses contort in various directions, succulents clutter tables in an orderly fashion, and linear lawn chairs juxtapose the soft curves of a new shale patio. A garden hugs the perimeter, its textured cabbage succulents and barrel cactuses framed by billowy shrubs that sway with the breeze.
The landscape-design firm, offering residential and commercial solutions throughout the valley, is a partnership with Erik Muñoz of EJM Landscape. The nursery offers specimen succulents and cactuses, paired with collectible pottery and artisan sculpture. Baughman will deliver and is able to custom plant overnight.
“It’s a bunch of modern, a bit of industrial, and a touch of rustic,” says Baughman, whose shop echoes his design aesthetic. “It’s an eclectic mix that I think is shaping our next generation of modernism.”
Bret Baughman
The BackYard
1345 N. Palm Canyon Drive
thebackyardps.com
Bret
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“Moorten Botanical Garden, to see some rare specimens, and a cocktail at Tropicale’s patio bar — it’s the best people- watching in town.”
