Southwestern Deserts
February, 2001
Regional Report
Shows & Events
Spring Landscaping Festival & Plant Sale
Start planning what you need for your landscape to be ready for the Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park's annual plant sale in Superior, Arizona. This event features a parking lot full of numerous varieties of landscape plants, wildflowers, cacti, and succulents, many of which are hard to find anyplace else. Gardeners in the know arrive early to snatch up the unusual finds.
The sale runs from Friday, March 16, to Sunday, April 1, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Volunteers and staff horticulturists will answer questions about plants on Saturdays and Sundays. There is no charge to attend the sale, but admission into the Arboretum is $5 for adults, $2 for children age 5-12; children under 5 are free. Contact the Web site for more information, Boyce Thompson Arboretum.
Books
Native Plants for Southwestern Landscapes
Native Plants for Southwestern Landscapes, by horticulturist Judy Mielke (University of Texas Press, 1993; $25), is a terrific reference book to check out before heading for any plant sale. It contains descriptions of over 300 landscape plants native to the Sonora, Mojave, and Chihuahua deserts that are appropriate for water-conservation gardens. Each plant description is accompanied by a color photo, as well as information on native distribution, growing requirements, and suggestions for use in the landscape. I've seen many people referring to this book as they peruse nursery plant sales.
