Albuquerque Area Demonstration Landscapes:

 Rio Grande Botanic Gardens (2601 Central Ave. NW, 505-764-6200)
The entire area surrounding the Conservatory and the Spanish-Moorish Garden contain extensive collections and some nice groupings of plants from the Chihuahuan, Mojave and Great Basin Deserts, along with adapted plants from the Mediterranean and other dry lands.

 Lovelace Medical Center (5400 Gibson Blvd. SE, within pathways and parking areas)
Though the maintenance has declined since Wes moved on to Las Campanas, there are numerous plantings such as Vitex Tree, Penstemon, and other perennials.

 Albuquerque Police Dept. Xeriscape Garden (Osuna Rd. NE and Wyoming Blvd. NE)
This committee-designed landscape demonstrates a variety of plants adapted or native to the Albuquerque metro area, including many grasses and wildflowers, turf types, shrubs such as Scotch Broom and Cotoneaster, and trees such as Palm Yucca and Redbud.

 Wyoming Library and Rose Garden (8205 Apache NE)
More than just roses: contains plantings in and out of the rose family (such as Southern Live Oak, Chisos Rosewood, Fernbush, etc), walkways, and neat shade structures.

City of Rio Rancho's Water Wise Demonstration Garden
 This garden is located between the Post Office and Library at 950 Pinetree SE, in Rio Rancho, NM,  505-896-8715.  This xeriscape garden has several sections demonstrating different types of xeric plantings:  High desert native plants, NM meadow, alpine, riparian, grasses, roses, and a variety of other xeric plants.   In addition, subsurface irrigation is used on a demonstration plot of low water use grass.  The garden is maintained by The City of Rio Rancho and the Sandoval County Master Gardeners.

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Other Demonstration Landscapes: Water Conservation Garden (12122 Cuyamaca College Drive West, El Cajon, CA)
A unique new garden that introduces guests to water saving gardening techniques as they walk through the Seven Principles of Xeriscape.

 Arizona - Sonoran Desert Museum (2021 N Kinney Rd. Tuscon, AZ 85743, 520-883-1380)
A renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden, all in one place. Explore desert paths and you’re sure to encounter Gila monsters, hummingbirds, boojums, and much more amidst the beautiful Tucson Mountains.

 Tohono Chul Park (7366 N. Paseo del Norte Tucson, AZ 85704 USA (520)742-6455)
Tohono Chul Park is a 49-acre desert preserve located in the midst of an ever-growing urban area in northwest Tucson. Tohono Chul Park's mission is to enrich people's lives by providing them the opportunity to find peace and inspiration in a place of beauty, to experience the wonders of the Sonoran Desert, and to gain knowledge of the natural and cultural heritage of this region.

 Chihuahuan Desert Gardens, UTEP Centennial Museum (the corner of University and Wiggins, University of Texas El Paso, El Paso TX, 915-747-5565)
A new and extensive series of gardens that showcase plants, native stone walls, and other materials of North America's largest desert, the Chihuahuan Desert of the US and Mexico.

 Denver Botanic Gardens (1005 York St., Denver CO, 303-331-4000)
The extensive plant collections and theme gardens from around the world include an extensive Xeriscape Garden, a collection of oaks adapted to semiarid conditions, the Watersmart Garden, the Plains Garden, and the famous Alpine Rock Garden.

 Denver Water Department (1600 W. 12th Ave., Denver CO, 303-628-6000)
Many different plants are displayed from the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and other semiarid regions in the areas surrounding the offices of the Denver Water Department.

 Desert Demonstration Gardens (3701 W. Alta Dr., Las Vegas NV, 702-258-3205)
See over 1000 plant species of plants in many theme gardens, which dispel the many myths about desert landscaping in the Mojave Desert region.

 Colorado Springs Utilities Xeriscape Demonstration Garden (2855 Mesa Rd., Colorado Springs CO, 719-448-4555)
The plantings and garden are intended to enlighten the public with plants and landscape methods to conserve water attractively for the Pikes Peak area.

 Santa Fe Greenhouses (2902 Rufina St., Santa Fe NM, 800-925-9387)
The garden here displays some of the many plants offered for sale in the nursery that are suitable for Santa Fe and far beyond, wherever sunshine is common and rain is not.

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Natural Areas:

 Petroglyph National Monument, including trails and the Visitors Center along Unser Blvd. NW
The jagged line on our western skyline contains volcanic lava flows and Native American petroglyphs, shifting blow sands, all anchored with plants typical of sandy soils in the upper Chihuahuan Desert, including Desert Willow, Sand Sage, Mariola, Beebrush, and Broom Dalea.

 Rio Grande Nature Center and the bosque (at the end of Candelaria NW, west of Rio Grande)
This floodplain area, with a shallow water table courtesy of our state's longest river, is home to the native Valley Cottonwood, Desert Olive, Leadplant and various grasses, along with the introduced pest trees, Russian Olive and Salt Cedar. Trails and ditch banks lead for miles beyond the actual buildings, which house classrooms and exhibits.

 I-25, between the Isleta Blvd. exit and the Isleta Pueblo exit
Similar terrain to the Petroglyph Monument, but it is along the freeway, and the combination of gravelly soils and heavy cattle grazing allow Creosote Bush and Honey Mesquite to propagate themselves and thrive, in addition to the other plants found nearby.

 Elena Gallegos Open Space Fee Area and Embudito Canyon (east of the strip between High Desert and Glenwood Hills, accessible from the end of Spain NE or Trailhead NE)
Arroyos, boulders, and dramatic plants like Shrub Live Oak, Hairy Mountain Mahogany, Oneseed Juniper, Pinon, Beargrass, various Prickly Pear and Cholla dissect this northern outpost of the Mexican Oak Woodland in the lower Sandia foothills of eastern Albuquerque.

 La Cueva Picnic Area, US Forest Service Fee Area (E of Juan Tabo Canyon Rd. from Tramway)
Similar to Elena Gallegos, but it adds sizeable Gray Oak, Arizona White Oak, and an overall denser plant growth, due to the greater average rainfall from storm clouds over steep terrain.

 Sandia Crest (the top of the Crest Highway, that heads northwest off State Hwy. 14)
Though close to Albuquerque, the additional 5000 feet of elevation here causes the climate and resulting plants to be much different than in Albuquerque's upper Chihuahuan Desert and desert grasslands; if the ski area doesn't signal that, the bracing, crisp air should.

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