New CD Guide to Desert Plants

Posted by Robert Dailey Mar 20, 2006

I just received a CD titled "Desert Blooms, A Sunshine Guide to Plants." This new CD has basic information about planting, watering and caring for desert plants. It also has a database of hundreds of plants, cross-catalogued by height, water use, type and light requirements.

Designed by New Mexico State University's agricultural communications department, and funded by the U.S. Bureau of Land Reclamation, it was designed to assist homeowners and gardeners in the Southwestern U.S. with water conservation ideas, and plants that had low-water-use needs.

The CD allows you to search for the types of plants desired, view a lot of plants that meet those requirements, and even print them out, allowing you to take that printed description to the nursery.

You can purchase a copy of the CD for $12; either at your local nursery or you can call El Paso Water Utilities (they are distributing the CD) at (915) 594-5508. They do offer volume discounts. The CD works on both Windows and Macintosh.

The CD includes a database of 500 plants. I understand next year the list will be expanded to 1,000.