Desert Gardening 101
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  • Hello! I’m AZ Plant Lady®

    Let me help you create a beautiful garden that will thrive in a hot, dry climate.

    Check Out My Classes

noelle-johnson-az-plant-lady

Welcome to Your Resource for Gardening in a Hot, Dry Climate!

Hello! I’m Noelle Johnson – horticulturist, landscape consultant, and garden writer and I help people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful landscapes that thrive in a hot, arid climate.

Does the thought of creating a garden in a dry climate, where rain is scarce and sizzling hot, summer temperatures are the norm leave you feeling overwhelmed? Perhaps you feel that rocks and cactus are all that you can have in your garden given our challenging conditions.

If you find yourself longing for lush green plants and a colorful garden, you have come to the right place!

Believe it or not, you can have an outdoor space filled with beautiful plants that shrug off our dry heat.

Learn How I Can Help You

Sign-Up For My FREE Guide to Gardening in the Desert!

 

You’ll receive helpful tips from me into your inbox. I write these myself, with you in mind, to help you succeed in the desert garden. I will never share your information with anyone else. Of course, you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Achieve The Garden Of Your Dreams That Shrugs Off the Heat

You have to unlearn most of what you know about gardening other climates and learn how to garden in a hot, arid climate. The good news is that the new rules aren’t hard to learn and I’m here to teach them to you. Believe me when I say, that I know exactly how you feel because I had to learn myself how to garden in a hot, arid climate and there is a long trail of plants in my wake that has taught me what NOT to do.

Wherever I go, I am passionate about communicating with others about how much you can grow in a hot, arid climate including flowering shrubs and ground covers, edible gardening, roses, succulents, cactus and so much more!

As a horticulturist and landscape consultant, I get so much satisfaction seeing a client’s face transform with joy as they learn what is possible to achieve in the desert garden – often with much less work than you would imagine.

Check Out My Consultation Services
colorful shrubs and tree in garden
Desert-Gardening-101-online-class

Check Out My Desert Gardening Online Classes!

There IS a way to equip yourself with the tools and knowledge to achieve your goal of a garden that will thrive in the desert WITHOUT a lot of fuss. I know because I’ve done it and I have been helping people like you do it for over 20 years!

I have two popular programs to help you learn how to create, grow, and maintain a beautiful desert garden.

Desert Gardening 101 is my popular online class where I teach you what you need to know to garden successfully in the desert and enjoy doing it!

Through the Garden Gate is my membership site with valuable monthly content, LIVE group coaching, and a great community of fellow gardeners.

Check out my online classes!

My NEWEST Book is Available Now! The Water-Smart Garden

The Water-Smart Garden Book

In her newest book, horticulturist Noelle Johnson, also known as AZ Plant Lady, shares how to utilize water wisely in your landscape, whether you live in a dry climate or in more temperate regions.

If you have ever faced water-use restrictions and worried about how you can still grow a beautiful, productive landscape? Let The Water-Smart Garden show you how!

As freshwater shortages increasingly strike regions around the globe, it’s more important than ever to employ water-conserving practices in the garden. Whether your landscape is filled with shrubs and perennials or fruits and vegetables, in The Water-Smart Garden, you’ll learn dozens of techniques to limit water use while growing a gorgeous and thriving garden. Not only will you learn how to make smart plant choices and improve the water-holding capacity of your soil, you’ll learn xeriscaping techniques, drought-tolerant growing tips, and plant care advice to make the most of low-water situations.

Also includes information on:

– Harvesting and redistributing rainwater in cisterns and rain barrels

– Employing methods like ollas and drip irrigation to target water directly to plant roots

– Being more water-efficient in the vegetable garden by using mulches and targeted irrigation

– Planting containers that require less frequent watering

– Replacing a lawn with more drought-resilient plants

– Building swales and berms to redirect water to where it’s needed

Order Your Copy Today!

My Award-Winning Book, Dry Climate Gardening

In my first book,  Dry Climate Gardening, I show you what you need to know to grow a breathtaking, colorful, and vibrant garden in low-water conditions.

Gardening in an arid climate doesn’t have to mean a yard full of rocks with a few cacti plunked in. With careful plant selection and thoughtful design, you can create a low-water landscape that’s an oasis for humans and wildlife alike. There are hundreds of plants well-suited to xeric conditions, and with the proper care, they create a living desert landscape that will stop passersby in their tracks. Let Dry Climate Gardening be your guide to crafting a climate-appropriate outdoor living space that’s the envy of the neighborhood, whether you live in the American Southwest, the Mediterranean region, or any other arid climate.

Inside you’ll find:

  • The best arid-adapted plants to feature in your landscape
  • Information on which plants struggle in dry climates and how to avoid them
  • The five “desert seasons” and which are best for planting
  • How to handle desert soils
  • Plant care techniques specific to dry climates, including pruning, fertilizing, and more 
  • How to design a planting for maximum impact and minimal water needs
  • Plant profiles and charts for every category, from trees and shrubs to groundcovers, vines, succulents, and perennials
  • Sample garden designs and plant lists you can adapt to your own space 

With water restrictions and the number of gardeners dealing with drought conditions on the rise, we all need to get more creative in the way we grow. Water-wise landscaping is a must for millions of gardeners. In Dry Climate Gardening, you’ll learn how to do it with care and style.

Order Dry Climate Gardening Now
noelle-johnson-az-plant-lady

Let’s Make Your Dreams Come True!

Wherever you are in your arid climate journey you have come to the right place!

I am SO glad you are here!!!

   -Noelle Johnson ‘AZ Plant Lady’

Latest From the Blog

Alyssum, Marigold

‘Friendly’ Plants in the Vegetable Garden

desert, Vegetable Gardening
Read more
April 6, 2011
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6 Comments
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Companion-Plants-VG.jpg 586 640 arizonaplantlady@gmail.com https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AZ-Plant-Lady-Logo-small.jpg arizonaplantlady@gmail.com2011-04-06 12:23:002021-02-15 08:06:39‘Friendly’ Plants in the Vegetable Garden
Sonoran Desert

Journey Into My Backyard – The Sonoran Desert…

California
Read more
April 1, 2011
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24 Comments
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/DSC_0012.jpg 426 640 arizonaplantlady@gmail.com https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AZ-Plant-Lady-Logo-small.jpg arizonaplantlady@gmail.com2011-04-01 12:52:002021-02-15 08:21:17Journey Into My Backyard – The Sonoran Desert…
improper planting

How to Plant a Tree – Part 1

Trees
Read more
March 30, 2011
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6 Comments
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Flowering-Blue-PV-2.jpg 480 640 arizonaplantlady@gmail.com https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AZ-Plant-Lady-Logo-small.jpg arizonaplantlady@gmail.com2011-03-30 12:12:002021-02-15 08:28:58How to Plant a Tree – Part 1
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Contact Noelle Today

Please reach out to me for information on booking me as a speaker, hiring me as a landscape consultant, or purchasing my online classes.  I usually respond in a few hours, but it can take up to 2 business days to get a response. You can email me at info@azplantlady.com.

Happy Gardening!

I promise not to sell or share your email with anyone ever!

*I’m unable to answer individual gardening questions (there aren’t enough hours in the day), but I am available for consultations, or you can join my garden membership, or take one of my classes.

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Popular Classes and Membership Club

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Shop for My Recommended Garden Products:

Sign-Up For My Free Guide to Gardening in the Desert!

I promise not to sell or share your email with anyone ever!

*Please note that I cannot answer individual gardening questions.

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Order My Newest Book!

The Water-Smart Garden Book

My Award-Winning Book!

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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