Gardening & Horticulture
Gardening in the desert southwest presents its own set of challenges and rewards. But at the Desert Botanical Garden, you’ll find expert staff, sound advice and the answers to all your desert landscaping questions with our one-stop resource designed to help and support you. Here, you’ll find everything you need from our gardening and horticulture specialists who are dedicated to:
- Supporting the Garden’s commitment to the community
- Conserving desert plants of the world with an emphasis on the Southwest
- Educating the community about good gardening practices
- Providing a resource that can help people tackle desert landscaping issues
Keep your desert landscaping looking healthy and vibrant all year long with resources from the Garden:
Gardening Tips from the Experts
Get gardening tips for every month of the year, read our most frequently asked questions and articles from our experts, learn how to grow desert plants with our gardening guides and get the latest info about our bi-annual plant sale.
Plant Hotline
Call our plant hotline at 480 481.8120 Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., to get immediate answers for your desert landscape questions, or email us with questions.
Gardening Books
Pick up a book from the Garden Shop to keep expert advice on hand.
Desert Landscaper School
Receive in-depth training and certification in horticultural techniques and landscaping.
What's In Bloom
Berlandiera lyrata (chocolate flower)- With a chocolate scent that attracts butterflies, this perennial wildflower blooms during the summer and into the fall. It also provides seed for birds like the towhee and lesser gold finch.
Mimosa dysocarpa (velvet-pod mimosa)- Best admired from afar, this shrub native to Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas has stunning pink flowers protected by sharp curved thorns scattered along the branches. It blooms all summer and is a favorite of native bees.
Jacquemontia pringlei (pringle’s clustervine)-Found in Southern Arizona to Central America, this perennial is a member of the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae). White-blue flowers bloom throughout the summer and into the fall.
Adenium hybrid (desert rose)-Prized by many succulent plant collectors for its beautiful flowers, desert rose is native to semi-arid, warmer regions across tropical Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is best kept in a container outdoors during the warm months, as it is extremely frost sensitive, and must be moved to a warm, dry location for the winter.
Passiflora mexicana (Mexican passion flower)- Native to southern Arizona, this oddity has truly exquisite flowers, as do all passion flowers. If you like butterflies, keep an eye out for the Gulf Fritillary caterpillars or adult females laying their eggs on the foliage.
Echinopsis hybrid (Easter lily cactus)-Native to South America, Easter lily cacti are in a genus of plants that are taxonomically poorly understood. A matter further confused by man-made hybrids being introduced into the nursery trade every year. The sweetly scented hybrid flowers open in the evening and blooms come in a spectrum of colors ranging from dazzling to muted pastels.
Harrisa pomanensis (midnight lady)- Native to South America, midnight lady has large, white fragrant flowers that open during the evening and close in the early morning hours. The flower grows in some of the trees at the Garden to help protect it from the sun.
Aloe tomentosa (hairy green aloe) – The green fuzzy flowers of the Aloe tomentosa bloom during the heat of the summer, unlike other aloes that bloom in fall and early spring. It is a solitary plant that can reach up to 2’ tall and 4’ wide and is native to the Arabian Peninsula.
Echinopsis huascha (red torch cactus) – This South American native grows in low clumps with large orange or yellow flowers that bloom during the day. To add a splash of color to your yard, plant the red torch cactus in filtered sunlight, which will help prevent its stems from yellowing during the summer.
