Desert Gardens Nursery specializes in lock, stock and barrel cactus

Spring has unofficially sprung in the Valley of the Sun.

With the threat of freezing weather behind us, homeowners’ thoughts turn to the outdoors and sprucing up the yard.

Kyle and Jenny Smith,owners of Desert Gardens Nursery in Cave Creek, will gladly assist you in picking the perfect plants to enhance  your landscape.

The two‑acre complex at 21222 N. Cave Creek Rd. is worth the visit just to browse through the vast selection of cactus, succulents and flowering plants.

The nursery specializes in native and arid flora.

“We try to get people to realize their landscape can be low‑water and still flower and be pretty,” Kyle says. “We have lots of flowers, but they don’t have to be fancy to bloom. Jenny and I try to    promote native vegetation.

“We enjoy the cactus,” he continues. “It’s an acquired taste. A lot of people who move in from out of state don’t want them. You can add them to your landscape for texture.”

After the rare freezing weather the Valley endured this winter, homeowners are thinking about restoring color.

“People need to start thinking about what they want now,” Kyle warns, “because in a couple of weeks, everyone will be here. Suppliers will be lucky if they have enough inventory to keep up.”

Desert Gardens Nursery specializes in unusual plants.

“They’re our best sellers,” he says. “Our clients are the ones who have some knowledge of the plants and don’t want their yard to look like everyone else’s.”

Variety abounds in the nursery. There are rows and rows of barrel cactus, about a dozen different kinds. Lots of aloe plants of every size. Joshua trees. Saguaros. Agave. You name it. If Desert Gardens doesn’t have what you’re looking for, the nursery will try to find it for you.

“We have the largest selection of native and arid material in town, from two‑inch cacti and succulents, all the way up to 48‑inch boxed trees,” Kyle says.

Another interesting feature is  the vast selection of Mexican Talavera pottery on display.  There are pots of all sizes as well as ceramic ornamental pieces to enhance the garden.

“We have some on our patio we’ve had for seven years, and it still looks like the day we bought it,” Kyle says.

The Smiths’ experience is in the soil. Jenny studied agriculture management and landscape design and Kyle was into land resource management.

“The nursery has been here about 30 years. Jenny used to be the manager when we met,” Kyle recalls. “Some friends of ours fixed us up with a blind date.”

And the rest is nursery, Desert Gardens to be exact.