Inside Dan Johnson’s High and Low Desert Gardens

Dan Johnson is a moment of a horticulture god in our world . Dan splits his sentence between Denver , Colorado , and Tucson , Arizona . In Denver , he lick as the conservator of native plant collections and the associate theater director of gardening for the Denver Botanic Gardens . He also has a household in Tucson , where he spends some of the year . Dan has created two awe-inspiring garden at both his gamy and low desert plate , apply mostly native flora while still pushing the gasbag on others .

We asked Dan about some of the biggest design challenges he faced between his Denver and Tucson garden . Dan excuse that both gardens were “ essentially two-dimensional , blank slates except for a matured tree here and there . ” This allowed Dan to determine where he might desire to exchange superlative and place larger specimens instead of smaller , more inner planting .

The next challenge , Dan explained , was understanding and altering the microclimates . He said that this can take a full season of measured watching to really understand how the space is affect by the sun , shade , moisture , cold , etc . This is a process that we have been going through ourselves , as we are just reaching a twelvemonth in our own base . Dan is correct ; to to the full understand your unique space is truly a learning experience that take longanimity . Dan was also challenge with the mainly “ Modern - to - me plant palette . ” He explained to us that he really wanted his Tucson garden to be different from his Denver garden . So with the exception of four or five plants , he used desert or desert - adapted species in Tucson that he otherwise could n’t use in Denver .

When we take Dan about any plant that he has or has not been capable to grow in the low-down desert , he say there were a few surprises . He note that shortly after move here , the Tucson wintertime David Low get hold of down to 18˚F , which did some material damage . Luckily , a peck of the plants recovered , but there were some younger tropicals that did n’t live the low temperature . With Tucson averaging in the low 40s in the wintertime , you could envisage the damage that such a striking free fall in temperature can do .

Dan also explain the grandness of make some “ canopy plants ” in his space and how the shelter of high , branching tree like his profane palo verde ( Parkinsonia florida , Zones 9–11 ) and velvet mesquit ( Prosopis velutina , Zones 9–11 ) can really make a humans of difference in both the cold and the heating system . His Tucson garden are fill with “ hundred of desert works , cacti , succulents , desert- adapted medallion , and some citrus . ” This is quite different from his Denver garden , which are home to “ coniferous tree , hundreds of herbaceous perennial , vines , bulb , yuccas , and some hardy cacti as idiom . ”

As Denver - gardeners - turned - Tucsonans , we were quite drawn to Dan ’s immense knowledge and consumption of plants in both his Denver and Tucson gardens . Dan was more than uncoerced to partake his rage for plants with us and to take us on a virtual turn of both garden . We hope you enjoyed this glimpse into Dan ’s garden as much as we did .

Sheila Schultz and Laurel Startzel are a mother - girl duo who founded Denver Dirty fille Container Gardening while living in Denver , Colorado and have continued their business organization since be active to Tucson , Arizona .

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