Demonstration Gardens

To date, three demonstration gardens have been completed to illustrate the types of plants that are appropriate and will do well from 7,000 to 9,000 feet elevation in the Santa Catalina Mountains.

The General Store:

The first demonstration garden was completed and dedicated at the grand opening of the General Store and Gift Shop on June 19, 2004, one year after the Aspen Fire destroyed the building and business owned by Phil and Carol Mack.  Scott Calhoun of Civano Nursery, a specialist in high altitude landscaping, donated his time to design the garden, and funding for the plants was provided by donations and a grant from the Joseph and Mary Cacioppo Foundation.   Volunteers from the community and Trees for Mt. Lemmon board members donated their time to make this garden come to life.  Plants included in the Demonstration Garden illustrate a variety of native trees, shrubs, grasses, groundcovers  and wildflowers suitable for residents as they rebuild, and in addition provide education for mountain visitors to learn about indigenous species.  Some of the plants you will see include:

General Store Demonstration Garden


The Living Rainbow:

In the spring of 2005, two years after the Aspen Fire, two more businesses returned to the mountain.  Trees for Mt. Lemmon created demonstration gardens for each facility, incorporating a variety of native trees, shrubs and wildflowers, thus giving business owners, residents and visitors more choices to observe.  The Living Rainbow, owned by Debbie Fagan,  officially opened for business on Memorial Day, May 29th, 2005.  An alpine rock garden was established and planted with a variety of wildflowers listed below.  In Debbie's L-shaped planter outside the front of the new building, several native shrubs and wildflowers were introduced to illustrate landscaping techniques.  This garden became a reality with the generous support of the following:

 Trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers you will see at the Living Rainbow include:
The Cookie Cabin:

Vic Zimmerman, owner of The Cookie Cabin, also opened for business May 29th, 2005.  He wanted to have a garden patio for outdoor diners to enjoy giant chocolate chip cookies and delicious home-made pizza.  Trees for Mt. Lemmon created the demonstration garden among the flagstones and rock work with trees for shade and wildflowers and shrubs to welcome visitors.  This demonstration garden was made possible by a grant from the Joseph and Mary Cacioppo Foundation,   and the generous support of Flagstaff Native Plant and Seed, Brad Blake/Northern Arizona University, Dave Henes/Mike Dowers Backhoe and the Mt. Lemmon Fire Department.  Native trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers seen at the Cookie Cabin include:
   LivingRainbow and CookieCabin Demos          

Last updated 9/7/2007