Recommended Nurseries in Tucson
It’s nursery time. We are great fans of all the nurseries here in Tucson. Everyone has their favorite. Some travel to the other side of town to get to their favorite. I love just wandering through them, like the stacks of a good library, discovering new plants, pots and ideas.
Here is a list of recommended nurseries by region.
WESTSIDE
Eco-Gro Nursery
Exotic Plants and Hydroponics. Lots of interesting odd stuff. They will repot your plant for you if you bought it there. Interesting place.
On St. Mary’s just east of the Freeway on the southside.
657 W. Saint Mary’s Road Suite 100 Tucson, AZ 85701
Bach’s Cactus Nursery
One of the first nurseries that we went to looking for cactus. Bach’s is impressively huge, several greenhouses full of small to medium cactus for a reasonable price. Also specimen and specialty cactus large and small.
Located on Thornydale just north of Cortaro on the East side. Long driveway.
Silverbell Nursery
Convenient local westside nursery just north of Grant. Citrus trees, veggies, firewood, you name it. Stop in, pay for what you need and go. They also do water harvesting tanks.
Rillito Nursery
Roses, hibiscus, cactus, Well, ok. everybody’s got cactus. A good variety of desert adapted plants shrubs and vines. Good presentation. Located just south of Orange Grove on La Cholla, west side of the street.
Ponderosa Cactus
The first thing I noticed upon visiting this nursery, was the Claret Cup cactus. Perhaps it was because they were in full bloom and Claret is my favorite color for cactus blooms. They are tucked away on Wetmore just off Ruthrauff.
Desert Survivors
Specializing in native plants. They carry over 700 varieties. A non-profit organization supporting persons with disabilities.
1020 Starr Pass Blvd. Near Starr Pass and the Santa Cruz River. This year’s plant sales, July 20, 2019 and October 1-5.
EASTSIDE
B&B Cactus
2 acres of Greenhouses, cactus and pottery on the eastside at the end of Speedway. The eastside’s version of Bach’s.
Civano Nursery
On the Far, Far eastside. On Houghton just south of Irvington. Wonderful nursery. They have an assortment of plants, planters, and garden art. Well laid out. Fun to visit.
Mesquite Valley Growers
8005 E. Speedway. Apparently they have no website but they do have a Facebook page. Who needs one when you have word of mouth.
If you can’t find it anywhere else, go here. I mean, they have everything, well, except pachypodium. We drove by there the other day. They have a new indoor shop!
CENTRAL TUCSON
Plants for the SouthWest
Adenium, the Desert Rose; Pachypodium, other rare and unusual plants such as “Living Stones”, Very unusual Hand made pottery. If you want a specimen or unusual plant, this may be the one place.
Green Things Home and Garden Center
A very popular nursery located on River Rd. Heading east, turn on Allen just before it turns into Alvernon. You can also reach it from The Loop if you are on a bike or walking. Green Things has grown considerably since Jim and I arrived in Tucson some 15 years ago. Recently, I switched from buying bare root roses in January from mail order sites to waiting until March, and getting them at Green Things. For me, it’s working out better that way. Green Things does the hard work, you just dig the hole. Well, ok, that is hard work too. You have to make sure you get through the Caliche for planting anything with roots.
Spadefoot Nursery
This is the newest one that I know of. It appears to have cropped up during the pandemic. The website is a wonderful fount of information on desert dwellers and ecology. Join them on Facebook if you are a facebooker. Your will learn a bunch. All puns intended. Cons: they are only open Friday – Sunday from 10 – 5pm but you can order online and just drive up and pick it up.
Harlow Gardens
Fun, beautiful east midtown nursery. Everyone likes a nursery that shows its stuff well. They have a different event every Saturday. Just east of Craycroft on Pima.
ANNUAL PLANT SALES TO LOOK FORWARD TO
In Addition we would like to introduce you to some places that are not regular nurseries that have plant sales.
Desert Survivors has an annual plant sale.
Tohono Chul Park has a small nursery you can visit without paying a fee to get in or being a member. Occasionally they have a sale.
Tucson Botanical Garden has a popular Weird Plant Sale on an annual basis.
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum has an annual sale.
The Mission Garden has an annual sale where they sell heritage plants. These are plants that have a lineage that is hundreds of years old. Last fall I picked up some heritage grapes.
UA Master Gardener’s Demonstration Garden The UA Extension Center has a plant sale every March and October. Get there early. Stuff goes fast. You can also take a stroll through the demonstration garden featured here. Some of the Plant Clinics, Seminars and Tours may not yet be available yet again, but keep and eye out. This is a treasure. And it is all FREE. Well, except for the Plant Sale. But it is really good prices.
