Plant/ Educate/ SustainFor decades, the Desert Botanical Garden has responded to our community's needs for knowledge about our desert habitat and resources for living responsibly in it. Over the years, the Garden has become nationally recognized as a champion of plant conservation, a pioneer of the care and display of desert plants, a respected leader in Sonoran Desert research, and an innovator in lifelong education.Supporting the Garden's mission to advance excellence in education, research, exhibition, and conservation of desert plants of the world with emphasis on the southwestern United States is the goal of the Desert Landscape School. We accomplish this by promoting environmental sustainability through demonstrating and teaching best practices in desert plant horticulture; providing education programs with emphasis on science literacy; and exploring and sharing the myriad relationships among plants, people, nature, and the arts.The School offers an exceptional opportunity for professional development and this Guide can be used as a self-directed learning tool for those wishing to learn how to create beautiful, livable, and sustainable outdoor spaces in a desert environment.

Tips and techniques for gardening success in arid climates with a chapter on growing wildflowers.

Provides information on how to start and maintain a desert landscape, addressing concerns such as irrigation, planting wildflowers, and palm tree care; and features an almanac that offers month-by-month maintenance tips.

This survey of twenty-one gardens by Steve Martino, whose work blends colorful, man-made elements with native plants to reflect the sun-drenched beauty of the desert, is sure to inspire gardeners, landscapers, and admirers of California and the Southwest. For more than thirty years, Steve Martino has been committed to the development and advancement of landscape architecture in the Southwest. His pioneering work with native plant material and the development of a desert-derived design aesthetic is widely recognized. A recurring theme of his work is the dramatic juxtaposition of man-made elements with ecological processes of the region. His love for the desert--the interplay of light and shadow, the colors, plants, and wildlife--inspires his work. As Martino explains, "Gardens consist of two worlds, the man-made and the natural one. I've described my design style as 'Weeds and Walls'--nature and man. I use native plants to make the transition from a building to the adjacent natural desert." Though Martino's work is deeply connected to the natural world, he also has a flair for the dramatic, which is apparent from his lively color selections, sculptural use of plants, and keen attention to lighting, shadows, and reflections. Boldly colored stucco walls frame compelling views of the desert and sky, expanding the outdoor living area while solving common site problems such as lack of privacy or shade. Interspersed are custom structures molded in translucent fiberglass in vivid hues--colorful arbors, outdoor showers, and internally lit benches.

This book provides an understanding of desert environments, their climatic conditions, and unique physical beauty - using the five American deserts of the southwestern United States as an example. Through considerable research, sensitivity, and practical experience, the author provides insight into how built environments are designed and installed in order to cope with the harsh, unforgiving physiographic area. Bridging the gap between professional jargon and common sense, Desert Landscape Architecture displays detailed information for every facet of landscape design, environmental concerns, water issues, cultural issues, and plant material use. This unique, thorough book: Provides information applicable to any desert region of the world Supplies a plant compendium with extensive plant lists comprising more than 750 species Examines desert flora and fauna as well as the fragile ecosystems they occupy Reviews human use areas Investigates grading from an aesthetic and practical standpoint Explains the significance of adequate site drainage Discusses schematic, preliminary, and working drawing plans Lists types of site furnishings and their specific purposes Describes how various hardscape elements are drawn and specified Explains plant growth in detail Discusses the dynamics of plant communities and their function in larger ecosystems Reviews the factors affecting plant selection in the design process Identifies desert planning zones Emphasizes the critical nature of irrigation design in the desert landscape architecture - explaining it as an environmental necessity, not a technical issue Outlines the basic principles of hydrology related to system design Discusses water conservation and presents alternatives for reducing water consumption Examines types of light and sun

A guide to xeriscaping for eco-conscious gardeners living in desert climates. For gardeners who want to conserve water, the color, fragrance, shade, and lush vegetation of a traditional garden may seem like a mirage in the desert. But such gardens can flourish when native plants grow in them. In this book, Judy Mielke, an expert on Southwestern gardening, offers the most comprehensive guide available to landscaping with native plants. Writing simply enough for beginning gardeners, while also providing ample information for landscape professionals, she presents over three hundred trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, groundcovers, wildflowers, cacti, and other native plants suited to arid landscapes. The heart of the book lies in the complete descriptions and beautiful color photographs of plants native to the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan desert regions of the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Mielke characterizes each plant and gives detailed information on its natural habitat, its water, soil, light, temperature, and pruning requirements, and its possible uses in landscape design. In addition, Mielke includes informative discussions of desert ecology, growing instructions for native plants and wildflowers, and “how-to” ideas for revegetation of disturbed desert areas using native plants. She concludes the book with an extensive list of plants by type, including those that have specific features such as shade or fragrance. She also supplies a list of public gardens that showcase native plants.

A practical palette for visualizing, designing, and building innovative green schoolyard environments.