Landscaping in the Southwest with Tina from The Desert Botanical Garden

Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care

Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness

Education, How To, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Home & Garden, Leisure

4.8 • 883 Ratings

🗓️ 21 February 2023

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Many of us might think of deserts as barren wastelands, but in reality, the desert is a planty oasis within itself! There are towering saguaros, rosette aloes and agaves, and pollinators flitting between prickly pear flowers. To walk us through this underrated environment, we have a very special guest: Tina Wilson, the Director of Horticulture at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. We take a closer look at the amazing vegetation that thrives in the desert, and how you can create your own thriving desert landscape. Tina also shares her expertise on how to cultivate a lush desert landscape that is heat-tolerant and drought-resistant, perfect for those living in the Southwest garden zones.

In this episode, we learn:

[04:58] How Tina Wilson became Director of Horticulture at Desert Botanical Garden
[06:13] Tina's duties as Director of Horticulture
[08:04] Unique vegetation in Arizona
[10:02] What is desert landscaping? (and its 3 characteristics!)
[13:08] Gardening zones in the Southwest
[14:06] Key factors to consider when landscaping in the desert
[14:42] Right plant at the right location!
[15:51] What are the plants recommended for desert landscapes?
[16:46] The impact of the southwestern sun on plants
[18:17] Protecting plants from sunburn with shade cloth
[19:16] What is a plant palette?
[21:08] Where to find the best bamboo bedding for health and comfort?
[23:36] Want to grow fresh berries in your own garden?
[25:09] The importance of water conservation and irrigation in the desert
[26:22] Why reduce grass/turf in desert landscapes?
[29:24] The process of renovating a yard: soil profiling and testing
[31:07] Why are native desert plants so well-suited to desert conditions?
[33:34] An overview of desert plants' root systems
[34:17] How a Saguaro cactus stays upright despite its shallow root system
[35:53] Exploring water harvesting techniques
[37:02] What are some of the drought-tolerant plants?
[40:20] Tina's favorite pollinator-attracting plants
[42:04] Maria's experience at the New York Botanical Garden
[42:39] Join Desert Landscape School now for an exceptional learning experience.
[45:26] Is there a season for growing food in the desert?

Mentioned in our conversation:

For an in-depth read on desert plants and water conservation practices,

check out the full show notes and blog here!

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

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Get 10% off by visiting territorialseed.com/growingjoy - discount applied at checkout.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	When you think about the desert, plants aren't necessarily the first thing that come to mind.
0:04.1	For me, it's the epic expansive stretches of sand, the hot, hot heat, and frankly,
0:09.8	I get thirsty just thinking about desert life.
0:12.5	Every time I used to tour in Arizona
0:14.9	or more desert conditions, I'd always just be thirsty
0:17.7	and stressed about water.
0:19.2	But then, when you stop and really think about the desert,
0:22.1	the very specific vegetation hardy enough
0:24.8	to survive pops into mind. The towering sowaros, the rosette aloes and agavas, the
0:30.6	pollinators flitting between prickly pear flowers. The desert is a
0:34.6	planty vibe within itself and requires a specific set of skills and knowledge to
0:39.3	tend to your landscape that us non-desert dwelling folk just don't understand and never have to think about.
0:45.4	So today's episode is dedicated to all of our desert dwellers or desert dreamers as we dive into
0:51.6	how to have a thriving desert landscape of your dreams.
0:56.1	Welcome to the Growing Joy Podcast where we not only learn how to care for plants successfully,
1:01.6	but how to simply and affordably use our plant babies to cultivate
1:05.1	more joy in our lives.
1:07.0	I'm Maria, author of Growing Joy, The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness,
1:11.2	speaker, podcaster, and most importantly, an epic plant killer turned
1:15.4	happy plant lady.
1:17.2	On growing joy, you'll find conversations about plant care, plant community, and wellness
1:21.7	through the lens of plants.
	...

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