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Harlow's Nursery 5620 E. Pima St. READERS' PICK: The tall, mesh gates are teal and violet, and with their pastel pomp recall childhood trips to the enchanted Fairy Tale Forest. In fact, Harlow's is a bit like an enchanted neverland--serpentine concrete paths wind through foliage both familiar and unfamiliar, rambling over small wooden footbridges dappled in shade. The sheer scale and abundance of color seems more Disney than desert: Flats of petunias smile in all colors of the rainbow, as do dozens of bougainvillea, misty blue butterfly flowers, hibiscus--far too many species to list. Visit the covered greenhouse, where the sweet musk of gardenias hangs heavy and hypnotic. Walking through Harlow's is like walking through a botanical garden where all, or rather most, of the plants are for sale. Harlow's does feature a potted garden of plants "for display only," perhaps to show what you can expect from your purchase with the passage of time, some TLC and a measure of luck. Conveniently located somewhere near the center of all this splendor is Harlow's kitschiest crowning achievement--the information kiosk. Like the oracle of Oz, the manager of the kiosk has answers to all your green questions. Harlow's even has info to go, available in the several artfully placed lavender mailboxes. Every detail of the patron's experience has been carefully addressed, which perhaps explains why Harlow's Nursery is our reader's first choice for plant purchases.
READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: Mesquite Valley Growers, 8005 East Speedway. Nestled into the ruralesque setting of East Speedway near Pantano Road lies Mesquite Valley Growers, a plant nursery extraordinaire and mini-vacation in one. Locally owned and operated, Mesquite Valley Growers is Tucson's closest approximation of Martha Stewart's cottage gardens, as well as a xeriscape theme park. When you pull in, be sure to walk the entire length of the parking blocks so you don't miss a bit of the beautiful sweet peas, larkspur, daylilies, lupines, Mexican primrose, zinnias and ranunculus that grow in the colorful beds along the fence. Walk on in and you'll be greeted by friendly staff whose eyes light up as they assess your description of your planting areas and steer you toward the appropriate plants. In addition to trees, desert plants, landscape plants, flowers, gardening supplies and beautiful garden furniture, Mesquite Valley Growers stocks seasonal vegetables and herbs above and beyond the usual, er...garden varieties. Spicy mesclun mix, arugula, and novelty tomatoes fill flats alongside the Early Girls, Big Boys and Better Boys (these are all types of tomatoes and are not in any way related to promiscuous women or male strippers). So go ahead and dig a plot, then pack a lunch for the long drive east and make a day of your trip to Mesquite Valley Growers. A REAL SCREAM: Tanque Verde Greenhouses, 10810 E. Tanque Verde Road, are the original Self-Service Cactus Cafeteria! Step into the filtered light of the greenhouse and pick up a tray. Make your way down each line, picking out little potted cacti that are laid out for your delectation like so many petit fours. Choose among "Baby Toes," Lithops, and poodley pints of unidentified succulents. There's an astounding variety of strange and beautiful shapes to choose from. Like all cafeterias, the result is that you end up with more on your tray than you'd planned. Not to worry! The prices are so reasonable, you can afford to have eyes bigger than your garden. A REAL SCREAM: In an ideal world, more organizations like Desert Survivors, 1020 W. Starr Pass Road, would exist. In addition to growing and selling more than 300 species of Southwestern native and adapted plants for reasonable prices, the locally owned and operated nursery is one of the most progressive human services agencies in town. Serving people with developmental disabilites in a variety of programs mostly centered around growing and caring for plants at the nursery, Desert Survivors has gained a reputation for providing a supportive learning environment for challenged individuals. Desert Survivors has been able to serve some of its clients for more than a decade, and staff turnover is relatively low for the field--a testament to the importance of providing meaningful opportunities to people with differing abilities. Its annual spring and fall plant sales (the next coming up on October 4 and 5) are a boon for desert growers in search of plants both low in cost and water consumption. The variety is vast and terrific, and the business lives up to its name with helpful, ongoing advice on plant care.
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