Best Nursery 2008

and We're Betting It's a Green Spring

By Charlotte Jusinski
1
Santa Fe Greenhouses
2904 Rufina St.

505-473-2700

A plant nursery in the desert seems counterintuitive; for Santa Fe Greenhouses, it has been a blessing. As the nation’s leading xeriscape experts, SFG and offshoot company High Country Gardens have made a lifestyle of being water-wise—as well as lush, flowery and beautiful. President and Chief Horticulturist David Salman is nationally renowned for breeding beautiful and exotic low-water plants that are also cold-hardy to survive those nasty Santa Fe winters. “We don’t believe in mowing, blowing and spraying your way to success,” Ava Salman, vice president of marketing, says.

But aside from awards from the American Horticulture Society and national fame, what makes SFG special is the beautiful oasis it provides for shoppers. “Sometimes people come here just to be close to nature,” Ava says of  the store’s 22-year-old Western Cottage Garden. She lists SFG’s beneficial contributions to the community, including educational programs and xeriscape consultations, concluding, “We’re good for Santa Fe and good for the earth.”

2
Plants of the Southwest
3095 Agua Fria

505-438-8888

3
Newman’s Nursery
7501 Cerrillos Road

505-471-8642

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