Driving up to my home in Riverside, you might be struck by the abundance of succulents and cacti in the front yard. My wife loves succulents, and years ago, we converted the yard from grass—which needed watering and mowing—to a succulent garden, which requires less care. Our youngest son and a friend did the digging and significant planting. They even installed a dry streambed with a bridge. Over the years, some cacti have grown quite tall and have been trimmed back numerous times.
We cannot claim to have the first Riverside cactus garden. Many others have transformed their yards into beautiful arrays of succulents. The oldest example of transplanting and creating such a garden was the one transplanted into the downtown Albert S. White Park.
Established in 1883, it was the first park in Riverside. Within the original mile square, it was initially called City Park. In 1899, City Park was renamed White Park in honor of Albert White, an early park commissioner who was instrumental in developing the park…