 Welcome to the Website of Mary Irish Horticultural Information and Communications Services Consulting | Speaking | Horticultural Writing | Teaching Gardening on the Dry Side Gardening in the Southwest is a delight to me and I want to share my enthusiasm for all the great plants, native and otherwise, that can be grown in Southwestern gardens. For 25 years, I lived, worked and gardened in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The building of that garden and all the lessons learned there are the subject of my book Intertwined Lives (in press, University of Arizona Press). Arizona and that garden, as well the gardens of good friends there, gave me a strong appreciation for how many exquisite plants there are that are tough enough to thrive with the twin challenges of drought and heat. In late 2011, I moved to San Antonio, Texas at the tail end of the greatest drought Texas had ever recorded. This part of Texas marks the eastern end of what I have long considered the warm, low elevation portion of the Southwest; a region that extends from the southern California to Central and South Texas. While the western end, where I lived for many years, is drier and hotter than the eastern edge where I now live, the entire region shares a wide array of species that thrive in gardens and landscapes in the region. For years, I have worked with horticulturalists, designers, nursery owners and gardeners throughout this region, and three of my books were written for use throughout the entire area. I strive to provide through my writing, teaching and consulting work quality information on the plants that thrive where it is hot and dry, from the deserts of California and Arizona to the hills and plains of central and south Texas. I hope you enjoy the site and visit often. An Interview with Mary Mary talks about her book Trees and Shrubs for the Southwest at KLRU, Austin Texas More about Mary |
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