Roses in the Sonoran Desert?

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You can grow roses in the Sonoran Desert.

A local nursery specializes in thousands of plants.

I love to garden.  When we moved to Arizona from Virgina, I left behind a four season garden full of roses, iris, tulips, hyacinth, daffodils, peonies, asters, and daylilies to name a few.  Something bloomed just about every month with the exception of December and January.  Crocus were the first to courageously poke their buds out of the cold earth in winter.  Tiny iris reticulata, sparkling with vibrant yellows, purples, and blues followed, kicking off Spring.  By Easter, I had daffodils and narcissus in yellow, pink, orange, and white;  I love their fresh scent.  Perennial and species tulips rose among the daffodils, adding flashier splashes of color to the holiday mix.  Peonies and lilacs topped off the spring blooms, offering fragrance and pastel tones to my old English cottage garden.  Summer saw bearded iris and daylilies in a rainbow of colors, including purples so dark they looked black.  Foxglove, columbine, Shasta daisies, and lillium joined the extravaganza of scents, textures, and tints.  Echinacea, asters and roses rounded out the garden season, spreading their cheer until the first hard frost in late Fall.

The number of roses, the colors, the delightful scents are almost too much to take in when

Mesquite Valley Growers opens its rose gallery in April.

I wasn't sure what to expect of gardening in the Sonoran Desert.  I pictured being able to grow only a small variety of plants and flowers, and I certainly didn't think I could grow many from my Virginia gardens.  Was I ever pleasantly surprised!  Virtually everything I grew in the Old Dominion can be grown in Arizona zone 8b.  Plus, I discovered a host of new flowers and plants I'd never even seen before!  I didn't waste any time getting my garden growing.  An irrigation system was my first project--it is so critical that most newer homes are equipped with core systems upon construction.  Then, I frequented local nurseries, soaking up as much information as I could to identify the best garden candidates for my area.  At 3,400 feet, we're a bit cooler than downtown Tucson, and I learned by heartbreaking experience to avoid anything that won't tolerate temperatures below 15 degrees F.   I also factored in heat since our summers can bring days with searing 120 degree F highs.

Roses have always been a favorite of mine, but I avoid the fussy Hybrid Teas.  My true love is for the huge, full, cabbage-like blooms of old roses, especially the new David Austin old English roses.  I found a wonderful variety at  Mesquite Valley Growers, a downtown Tucson nursery that actually grows what it sells.  The nursery occupies several acres and offers just about every species and variety of plant and flower imaginable.  Visiting the nursery is a sensual pleasure. 

Elaine and I stopped by Mesquite Growers this past Monday.  I wanted to buy one of the new Eyeconic roses for my garden, and she was looking for perennials and shrubs.  I knew that Mesquite specializes in roses, but I was not prepared for the thousands of blooming rose bushes that greeted me.  The nursery holds a rose festival every spring, and we'd stumbled on post-festival displays.  I have never seen so many roses!  What an absolutely beautiful vision!