Zann Wilson
Join The Gardeners Exchange of SaddleBrooke Ranch on Tuesday, October 27, at 1:00 p.m. to hear Greg Starr of Starr Nursery Mix It Up! Plants from Greg’s Nursery and books will be for sale in La Hacienda Club, La Mesa Room. Come early for the best selection.
Greg Starr will encourage the home gardener to expand the plant palette by the mixing of shrubs and perennials with cacti and other succulents in a natural, drought tolerant landscape. See pictures of a variety of cacti and succulents as well as a bevy of perennials and shrubs that are culturally compatible with those succulents. Take a walk in the desert, and wherever you see cacti or succulents you will almost always see one or two types of shrubs growing alongside them. If you hike in the spring, there are frequently wildflowers associated with succulent plants.
Greg was born and raised in Tucson, but it took 30 years before he came to appreciate the beauty of the desert environment. His travels to Mexico helped to expand his plant interest and fueled his desire to see the southwestern landscape plant palette increase beyond the “traditional” that were grown in southern California nurseries and foisted upon the unsuspecting public. Greg quickly realized that the Chihuahuan Desert held untold numbers of potentially useful, drought tolerant landscape plants just waiting to take southern Arizona by storm. After graduating from the University of Arizona with an MS degree in horticulture/botany, Greg opened Starr Nursery in 1985, specializing in new and unusual drought tolerant plants. Over the course of 20 years he wrote Cool Plants for Hot Gardens to help homeowners and landscapers in the desert southwest select appropriate plants for their landscapes. Unfortunately it is out of print, but Greg is in the process of revamping the book.
The Gardeners Exchange is dedicated to providing horticultural information for desert gardeners. Bring your questions, bring your answers, bring your garden challenges, bring your excess plants to share. All are welcome. Open seating. No registration is required. For more information please contact Zann Wilson at [email protected] or 219-263-3261.