For the second episode of the latest series of Great Gardens—now in editorial partnership with House & Garden magazine—London-based filmmakers Succulent Pictures capture cacti galore with a study of the Sunnylands Center and Gardens in Rancho Mirage, California. 

The gardens, designed by landscape artist James Burnett and built in 2012 along with the center—a 17,000-square-foot building—are an extension of the historic estate of American publisher and diplomat Walter Annenberg and his wife, businesswoman Leonore Annenberg. The philanthropic Annenbergs used the estate as their winter retreat from the late '60s, where they hosted guests including Queen Elizabeth II, Richard Nixon, Frank Sinatra and Truman Capote. The trust in their name ensures the gardens—commissioned by Mrs Annenberg before her death in 2009—are accessible to all. 

“Whether you're a publishing billionaire, a world leader, or a member of the general public, Sunnylands is a true desert oasis for everyone,” say the directors of the gardens that were designed as an ode to the Annenbergs’s extensive collection of impressionist artwork.

“We were mostly excited to visit Sunnylands as I have long loved cacti,” continues the director. “It's simultaneously alien and strangely human in appearance."