Marty Eberhardt, Tucson Botanical Gardens
"Entertains as it instructs. Reading this book is like talking with an expert friend rather than following a gardening recipe."


Jane Evans, Plants for the Southwest nursery
"Irish turns landscape gardening into an adventure."


Book Description
Newcomers to the Southwest usually find that their favorite landscape plants aren't suited to the hot, dry climate. Many books offer advice on adapting plants to the desert; this one tells how gardeners can better adapt themselves to the challenge. In this entertaining and informative guide, Mary Irish encourages readers who may be new to the desert--or desert dwellers who may be new to gardening--to stop struggling against heat, aridity, and poor soils and instead learn to use and appreciate the wonderful and well-adapted plants native to the desert. She shares information and anecdotes about trees, shrubs, perennials, agaves, cacti, and other plants that make gardening in the Southwest a unique experience, and provides further information about plants from other desert regions that will easily adapt to the Southwest. In addition to descriptions of plants, Irish also offers tips on planting, watering, pruning, and propagation.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Newcomers to the Southwest usually find that their favorite landscape plants aren't suited to the hot, dry climate. Many authors offer advice on adapting plants to the desert; now Mary Irish tells how gardeners can better adapt themselves to the challenge.

Drawing on her experience with public horticulture in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Irish explores the vexations and delights of desert gardening. She offers practical advice on plants and gardening practices for anyone who lives in the Southwest, from El Paso to Palm Springs, Tucson to Las Vegas.

Irish encourages readers who may be new to the desert--or desert dwellers who may be new to gardening--to stop struggling against heat, aridity, and poor soils and instead learn to use and appreciate the wonderful and well-adapted plants native to the desert. She shares information and anecdotes about trees, shrubs, perennials, agaves, cacti, and other plants that make gardening in the Southwest a unique experience, and provides further information about plants from other desert regions that will easily adapt to the Southwest. In addition to descriptions of plants, Irish also offers tips on planting, watering, pruning, and propagation.