Meet Noelle Johnson, aka the Arizona Plant Lady

Learn some tips and tricks for desert gardening from the one and only Arizona Plant Lady.

When Noelle Johnson moved from southern California to central Phoenix in the late ‘80s, her ranch home came with some beautiful rose bushes. A year later, they had all died.

 “I really was frustrated because I didn’t know how the heck do you garden,” she says.

So, she got to work on researching how to make a garden thrive in Arizona. In those pre-Internet days, she joined the library and started to have some success using books and other resources from the library. She loved what she was doing so much that she enrolled as a student at Arizona State University. Johnson earned a degree in plant biology with a concentration in urban horticulture. After graduating, she got a job at a company that owned golf courses. She oversaw all of the plant life, with the exception of the grass.

“I learned a lot. It’s like a big, giant playground,” she says.

Following her golf course gig, she worked as a landscape designer. When the recession hit and that work dried up, she took a whole year off. Next, she decided to start a blog. 

“I’ll just start writing about it so I can help people. I didn’t want people to struggle like I did,” says Johnson. “And there’s a lot of unreliable information out there or a lot of information that doesn’t pertain to how to garden here, which is so different than other places.” 

After about a year of blogging about how to successfully garden in the Grand Canyon State, she started to garner the attention of national publications that wanted her to write for them. She says she didn’t think of herself as being a writer, at least at first, but she has some serious writing chops. She currently pens a column for Phoenix Home & Garden magazine, and she has written for Home Depot, too.

Last year, she released a book called “Dry Climate Gardening.” Her second book, “Water Saving Garden,” is slated to be published in December. She also runs an online newsletter and teaches online classes. Johnson teaches in-person classes at both Desert Botanical Garden and Tucson Botanical Gardens and does consulting work for clients, too.

“The residents who lived along the golf courses would hire me after work to come and help them with their gardens, give them advice and things like that,” she says. “So while I was writing the blog, I also decided, You know what, I’m just going to start doing consultations and helping people. I’ve done that. I still do it, and it’s really rewarding because I meet people from all different walks.”

How climate change has affected her work

In the three decades since she’s resided in Phoenix, she’s seen the temperature increase drastically.

“It’s been just an amazing, rewarding place to be because you really get to help people,” she says. “And with our hotter summers, plants that we used to grow that used to be just fine with our heat now aren’t. Lots of them are not. So we’re having to be a resource for people, telling them, ‘OK, this is what does work.’”

To help deal with climate change, she advises people to not plant in the summer or spring. If you want to add new plants, plant them in the fall or winter due the cooler temps during those time periods. 

Be mindful of watering needs 

You’ve no doubt heard of the lack of water in the West. Since water is scarce here, it’s important to be mindful of its consumption.  

“We need to change our watering needs seasonally. Plants need a lot more water in the summer than they do in the winter. Most people over water,” she says. 

She recommends visiting the Water – Use It Wisely website for specific guidelines.

Photo courtesy of Noelle Johnson.

Combating common misconceptions about desert gardening

The key to creating a garden that thrives in an arid place like Arizona is to purchase and care for plants that will actually grow here.

 “There’s countless plants that will grow here. Some mistakes people make are they, especially if they come from other regions, they will take plants that they love from where they’re from, like hydrangeas or something, and say, ‘OK, I want to grow those here.’ Well, they’re not going to grow here. Believe me, I would grow hydrangea if I could because I think they’re beautiful,” she says. “People need to embrace the plants that will grow here. Really a good source of information is going to a local nursery.” 

Don’t think an Arizona garden can only have just cacti and rocks, either.

“You can have something flowering in your garden 12 months out of the year,” she says. “You don’t have to be limited.”

Making her own garden grow

 We had to know what her own personal garden looked like.

 “My garden, it has a lot of color, has lots of flowering shrubs,” she says. “It took a long time to get it to where I wanted it, but I’m really proud of it and where it is today.”

Her garden also features cacti, succulents, mounds, boulders and trees. She estimates she spends just 15 minutes per day tending to her garden. She does have others who come and take care of her garden in the fall and spring.

Photo courtesy of Noelle Johnson.

Beginner gardening tips from Arizona Plant Lady

1. Do your research

Before you purchase a plant, do your homework to ensure it can handle the climate.

“Reading the label of a plant or researching the plant online,” she says. “Full sun on the plant label does not necessarily mean it can handle full sun here.”

2. Be sure to search for “Phoenix” in Google

If you’re searching online for potential plants, be sure to type the plant’s name plus the word “Phoenix” into the search bar. That will help ensure that you’re picking plants that can tolerate the heat.

“If you do not see results from our area, chances are it does not grow well here,” says Johnson. “We want to focus on using plants that are adapted to our climate, and those are some that are either native to the Southwest or from regions that have a similar climate.”

3. Pick plants that grow in metro Phoenix

Johnson told us that plants like aloe tend to flourish in the desert. Here are the other plants she recommended: Yellow blues is a large shrub that attracts hummingbirds; Texas sage is a flowering purple shrub; and Pink muhly is a type of ornamental grass that grows well.

4. Be observant of other gardens

If you see a plant that appears to be thriving, take a photo of it. If you’re having trouble identifying it, show the picture to a staff member of your local nursery. Chances are high that that plant will succeed in your garden. Bush and gold lantanas can also thrive and add color to a garden.

5. Note the mature size of the plant

Be sure you have enough room for the plant to grow in the space you have allotted for it. 

6. When pruning, avoid balls, squares, and cupcake shapes

“Don’t prune your shrubs into balls, squares, or cupcake shapes. It’s very unhealthy for them,” she says. 

7. Here’s how to garden in the summertime

Don’t prune your plants in the summer.

If your plants are yellowing or experiencing sunburn, you can put a shade cloth on them through the end of September. She advises a 50 percent shade cloth.

Don’t fertilize your plants.

8. Herbs do wonderfully in the desert

If you want to try out gardening, you can try growing an herb garden.

“Herbs are very easy to grow here,” she says. Specifically, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary and parsley.

We just had to ask why Johnson has devoted a significant portion of her life to educating others about how to garden effectively in the desert. She told us that this is her passion, but that she also loves seeing others learn from her.

“It continues to be to dispel the myth that desert gardens are cactus and rock, and you can’t grow anything. Because there is so much you can do in this beautiful place with a beautiful plant palette that we can embrace,” she says. “And I get so much joy when people come up to me and tell me what a difference I’ve made.” 

For more tips, follow the Arizona Plant Lady on Instagram.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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