I spotted a sotol convention while I was in Marfa in far West Texas last week. The spherical, toothy plants — I think these are Texas sotol (Dasylirion texanum) — are growing in a long grid in front of the Chinati Foundation’s John Chamberlain Building on the main street through town.

We passed by numerous times, and each time I exclaimed over the bristling plants and their skinny, tall-as-a-flagpole bloom spikes.

After dinner one evening, we walked over and meandered among the sotols.

The building’s warm, sandy stucco makes a pretty backdrop to the architectural plants, including this ocotillo.

Golden-tipped sotol bloom spikes leaned over our heads in every direction.

Striking yuccas also show off their spiky geometry in front of the building’s stepped roofline.

Desert plants always look fantastic against a wall.

Hair-like filaments are ready to catch the light.

Some of the big old sotols were lying down, resting their trunks on the ground and splaying their strappy leaves like a peacock’s tail.

My friend Cat posed here with her beautiful cactus bag, which a friend of hers hand stitched.

Sotol spikes with the Marfa water tower in the distance

Sotol is a lovely, desert-tough plant, made even more striking through a grid planting of dozens of them.

Up next: A visit to a garden designed for spiritual healing in Alpine, Texas. For a look back at my sightseeing of buildings and landscapes in Marfa, click here.

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Digging Deeper

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