Growing the Southwest Garden Regional Ornamental Gardening

Plant selection and garden style are deeply influenced by where we are gardening. To successfully grow a range of beautiful ornamental plants, every gardener has to know the specifics of the region’s climate, soil, and geography.

Growing the Southwest Garden, by New Mexico-based garden designer Judith Phillips, is a practical and beautiful handbook for ornamental gardening in a region known for its low rainfall and high temperatures. With more than thirty years of experience gardening in the Southwest, Phillips has created an essential guide, featuring regionally specific advice on zones, microclimates, soil, pests, and maintenance. Profiles of the best plants for the region include complete information on growth and care.

Judith Phillips has spent more than forty years gardening in the Southwest and is still adapting. She is the owner of Judith Phillips Design Oasis, an ecosystem-inspired garden design and consulting service. She has designed thousands of residential gardens in New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona, and has also been involved in public projects from habitat gardens at wildlife refuges and parks, to healing gardens at hospitals, courtyard gardens for townhomes and an historic inn, and outdoor classrooms for elementary schools. As a part-time faculty member in the Landscape Architecture Department at the University of New Mexico her class focuses on native and climate-adapted plants for arid landscapes, hopefully inspiring a new generation of ecodesigners.