Gardening in Arizona

The City of Goodyear's Arts and Culture Division, established in 2006, supports public art integration throughout the city and coordinates with community organizations on programming for adults. Maricopa County's Master Gardener program through the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension covers the West Valley with research-based horticulture education.

Lake Havasu City's community center and parks programs support ornamental desert landscaping across the city's parks, and the Arroyo-Camino Interpretive Garden within Lake Havasu State Park showcases the diverse desert life of the Sonoran and Mojave zones with self-guided interpretation. The city's Mohave County Extension office provides Master Gardener resources for residents learning to grow in the desert climate.

Mesa Urban Garden (mesaurbangarden.org) supports community plot gardening and hosts spring vegetable workshops at the Mesa Main Library in partnership with local Master Gardeners. The nearby Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix offers hands-on desert landscaping and horticulture classes open to the public.

Peoria's Desert Botanical Garden-adjacent environment supports a Sonoran Desert garden tradition; the city's Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities department hosts programs at the Peoria Community Center, and Maricopa County Cooperative Extension offers Master Gardener advice and seasonal workshops tailored to low-desert growing conditions.

The Desert Botanical Garden in Papago Park showcases more than 50,000 plants across 140 acres, with volunteer and membership opportunities year-round. Phoenix Parks also maintains community garden plots at several neighborhood recreation centers, and the Maricopa County Master Gardener program offers classes and a community hotline.

The Desert Botanical Garden in nearby Phoenix anchors regional horticultural programming, and Scottsdale's warm zone supports year-round container and raised-bed gardening; Maricopa County Cooperative Extension runs a Master Gardener program that trains volunteers to advise home and community gardeners across the Valley. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve also offers naturalist programming tied to native desert plants.

Sun City residents have long maintained a network of community garden clubs chartered through RCSC, and the organization's more than 90 chartered clubs include horticultural and garden groups that meet at recreation centers; Maricopa County Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program is also available to Sun City area residents. The mild desert winters support cool-season vegetable and flower growing from October through April.

The Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program serves the Surprise area with plant clinics, workshops, and a volunteer network; several HOA communities within Surprise maintain shared garden plots and xeriscape demonstration gardens. The mild desert winter supports cool-season growing from October through March in USDA zone 9b.

Tucson Botanical Gardens at 2150 N. Alvernon Way maintains themed display gardens including a historic garden and a tropical greenhouse on 5.5 acres in central Tucson; the UA Cooperative Extension Pima County Master Gardener program runs a free plant clinic and demonstration garden focused on low-water-use desert horticulture.

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Yuma County administers the Yuma County Master Gardener certified volunteer training course, with applications typically opening each spring; the program focuses on adapting horticultural techniques to the low-desert climate. The City of Yuma Parks and Recreation Department also offers a hands-on Gardening 101 workshop series covering Southern Arizona growing methods.