READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: Mesquite Valley Growers, 8005 E. Speedway, grow their own stock right here in the Sonoran desert, so it's already adapted to our wicked climate. Even their bedding plants are tough. Choose from a mind-boggling array of mostly drought-tolerant plants, many of which you'll be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Look for special theme displays, such as how to attract hummingbirds to your garden. The Growers' staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and there's also a staff of nursery cats that'll keep your own little sprouts amused while you poke around. It's a bit of a pilgrimage east for many of us, but it's worth it.

STAFF PICK: "Glorious!" That's what you'll hear Peter Gierlach (a.k.a. Petey Mesquitey), the Desert Survivors Nursery manager, repeat over and over as he describes the Sonoran desert flora he sells. Desert Survivors is a shining star of a nursery run by people who are deeply rooted in their go-native planting philosophy. If you love the desert, here's the place you've been looking for to fill in your own oasis of perfectly adapted plants for your aesthetic, soil, and wildlife needs. Let Petey talk you into buying some leggy, one-gallon Sonoran transplant that'll transform itself with a minimum of effort once in the ground. You don't have anything to lose: True to their name, Desert Survivors offers a lifetime guarantee on all its Tucson transplants.

1998 Winner: Harlow's Nursery 1997 Winner: Harlow's Nursery 1995 Winner: Harlow's Nursery

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