Tucson woman gives away 100 clippings of cactus damaged in monsoon microburst

A woman on the northwest side of Tucson is turning her storm damage into something beautiful. When the recent microburst took down a massive cactus in her yard, she knew throwing it away wasn't an option.

"It was definitely scary," Betty-Jo Salinas said. "I've never seen a storm like that here in Tucson."

Salinas is an avid gardener, and it's easy to see that based on the stunning greenery around her home, especially the giant, night blooming senitas -- or now, senita -- out front.

"I'm a plant lover," she explained. "They bring me joy every day, and so it was sad. Not to be emotional about it, but it was sad because it was just such a big part of our home."

When that recent microburst hit her neighborhood, the winds completely knocked over the bigger of the two senitas, which was a tough reality to swallow.

"We've been in this house since 2001," Salinas said. "And so we've watched it grow for 23 years."

They also lost a mesquite tree in the storm, which they had to pull out of their koi pond. Thankful the fish were all okay. Their pomegranate tree was also uprooted, but they're hoping to replant it.

But Salinas wasn't ready to give up on the senita.

"I felt like it was such a waste to throw such a beautiful thing away, and I knew that this thing would just grow," she said. "I didn't want to throw it away, I just wanted to give it a chance to get out there with other people who love plants."

So knowing you can replant and propagate cactuses, Salinas posted about it in a gardening Facebook group.

"The post just blew up. People were just really excited to get a piece of it," she explained. "And somebody shortly thereafter said you know what, I can come cut it apart for you if you let me take a few arms, and I'm like, 'that's amazing!'"

From there, Salinas posted again, inviting people to come take a piece of her beautiful plant.

"We had probably over 100 arms and over 100 pieces," Salinas said.

And one by one, dozens of total strangers started stopping by her home to get a clipping of their own. Each one taking a piece, sharing a smile, and giving Salinas' senita a chance to live on in neighborhoods all across town.

"It just makes me happy to know that this thing is probably going to be propagated in like 100 different places in Tucson," she said. "It's just a beautiful, beautiful plant."

The true silver lining of that storm became a sense of community, with a good person spreading beauty and joy to so many other people.

"I think they were the blessing for me," Salinas said. "And a lot of them brought me plants, which was really cute. So it was just a very sweet community time, and I'm very thankful for that."

Claire Graham is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9 . She grew up in Tucson and graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in musical theatre. Claire spent a decade in Washington state, where she worked in journalism, met her husband and welcomed their baby boy, before moving back home. Share your story ideas and important issues with Claire by emailing claire.graham@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.