Plant Selection

When I began to gradually transform my Mediterranean landscaped yard to a desert landscaped yard, the booklet "Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert" was my bible.  As I would debate over what plant to put where, this guide was indispensable.  It allowed me to see at a glance what plants could take reflected heat from the swimming pool, which ones were low-water use, what season they are in bloom, how wide and tall they would grow,  and what wildlife they may attract!  Now there is an online version that has even MORE information!  See www.amwua.org/plants/

The city of Chandler has an awesome interactive landscaping tool online that also makes it easy and fun to plan changes to your landscape.  See http://www.chandler.watersavingplants.com/


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Other excellent desert plant selection and care guides include:



The Arizona Low Desert Flower Garden - A Seasonal Guide to Bloom, Height, Color, and Texture by Kirti Mathura - The Arizona Low Desert Flower Garden features easy-to-use tri-cut flip pages that make it a snap to compare height, color, and growing season of hundreds of low desert plants. At-a-glance symbols indicate water requirements, along with whether the plants attract birds, butterflies, or caterpillars.

Pruning Planting and Care
by Eric Johnson

Pruning Planting and Care by Eric Johnson

Virtual Library of Phoenix Landscape Plants


Desert Botanical Gardens Gardening Guides

Also see Mountain States Wholesale Nursery Mswn.com  The plant care guides at this site are the ones posted at Desert Botanical Garden's bi-annual plant sales alongside each plant.

Upcoming Plant Sales:

Boyce Thompson Arboretum Spring Plant Sale 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. March 10 - 25 - A fundraising sale of trees, shrubs, herbs, flowers, cacti and succulents. Need planting and landscaping advice? Arboretum staff are joined by helpful volunteers from Pinal County's Superstition Mountain Master Gardeners program, there to advise and assist buyers with suggestions for trees and smaller plants ideal for a wide range of landscaping projects.  Special events during the March plant sale include lectures, guided tours and weekend wildflower walks; most are included with daily admission of $12.50.

Desert Botanical Garden Spring Plant Sale  Saturday, March 17 | 7 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday, March 18 | 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. Prepare your garden for the season at the annual Spring Plant Sale. Choose from more than 30,000 plants, including cactus, succulents, trees, shrubs, groundcover, herbs, veggies, perennials and other oddities.

AZRFG Spring Plant Sale  on Saturday, March 31 at 8 AM - 12 PM Hosted by Arizona Rare Fruit Growers - at The Rose Garden at Mesa Community College, 1833 W Southern Ave, Mesa, Arizona 85202

Upcoming Master Gardener Training - Master Gardener Initial Training classes are taught by University of Arizona Cooperative Extension faculty, industry professionals and other horticulture experts. The program teaches the fundamentals of selecting, installing, and maintaining healthy, appropriate landscapes and gardens for the Arizona low desert.The cost of the 17-week training is $275.00.  University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85040  THE APPLICATION FOR THE FALL 2018 EVENING SESSION IS NOW AVAILABLE!
APPLY HERE: MASTER GARDENER FALL 2018 APPLICATION