Altman Plants and Alta Vista Botanical Gardens Open Its Magical Ponytail Palm Maze

Altman Plants and Alta Vista Botanical Gardens have officially opened the Magical Ponytail Palm Maze with a ribbon-cutting ceremony organized by the Vista Chamber of Commerce. Born from the idea to create a plant-filled space where joy, wonder, and curiosity can blossom, representatives of several local elected leaders presented proclamations at its opening.

In 2025, Altman Plants celebrated 50 years of growing, breeding, and bringing plants to people. A deep love of plants has guided Altman Plants from its days as a backyard passion project to a world leader in horticulture. This new magical maze allows the company to connect that passion with its hometown on a person-to-person level.

“Vista has been our home for decades, and so much of who we are as a company grew right here. Our team poured their hearts into every mound of this maze, and we hope it becomes a place where families slow down, explore, and discover a passion for plants that lasts a lifetime,” says Justin Dautoff, Altman Plants‘ Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. “We’re grateful to Alta Vista Botanical Gardens for partnering with us to create something so joyful and rewarding.”

The Magical Ponytail Palm Maze is home to more than 250 plants, including dozens of its namesake ponytail palms, installed and maintained by Altman Plants team members. The ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) is a tree-sized succulent beloved for its thick, elephantine trunk and hairdo-like long foliage. Naomi Stein, the Vice President of the Alta Vista Botanical Gardens, designed the maze. Stein’s vision called for nine whimsically shaped mounds, each containing anywhere from a handful to nearly 20 plants.

Slopes rising from the maze are filled with flowering shrubs, succulents, bedding plants, palms, trees, and other vegetation. All the colorful blooms attract pollinators such as hummingbirds and butterflies. Even more plants adorn the tiered retaining wall. The entrance to the maze is lined with a 32-plant privet hedge. Plants are not the only residents of the garden. Two giant unicorns, created by Southern California metal sculpture artist Ricardo Breceda, protect a rainbow-colored footbridge built by local resident and friend of the gardens, Ken Abernathy.

In addition to plants, the Altman Plants team placed 100 cubic yards of soil (primarily for the mounds), 20 cubic yards of mulch, and 11 cubic yards of decomposed granite. From the architectural succulent plants and pollinator-magnet trumpet flowers to the fairytale-style decorative touches, the Magical Ponytail Palm Maze will appeal to seasoned plant lovers, moms, dads, and pint-sized budding botanists, planting the seed for a lifelong fascination with plants.

“For years, Alta Vista Botanical Gardens has had an unused area. As the Gardens’ Vice President and Landscape Designer, I wondered what type of creative garden would capture the imagination of our visitors, as well as being interactive and magical,” says Stein, a member of the Gardens’ board since 2010. “Amazingly, Altman contacted us to offer their assistance and materials to install a new garden. The result of our collaboration is the new Magical Ponytail Palm Maze. Please come and enjoy!“