Broad Spectrum in Desert Gardens

Because of altitude, latitude, and other conditions, there is a wide diversity of desert climates in North America.

In western North America, there are deserts and then there are deserts! I know that's a pretty ambiguous statement, but within the geographies of the western states of the U.S. , the western provinces of Canada (and much of the northern portions of most of the Canadian provinces) and the entire country of Mexico, there are tremendous variations of elevation, heat, cold, vegetation and wildlife, making for enormous diversity of flora and fauna.

For instance, the state of New Mexico (which, unfortunately, many U.S. citizens still think is a foreign country...but that's another story) has such diverse conditions that almost all of the USDA Cold Hardiness Zones are included within its borders, and yet, much of that state is desert: from high alpine deserts to sea-level heat pans, and everything in-between.

Arizona and Nevada have a few less cold-hardiness zones within their borders, but much of those states are also deserts. Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, west Texas and southern California also have wide variations, as do the western Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia and Mexico has the fewest zone variations.

Because of the wide disparities of temperature, elevation and latitudes, desert gardening (and the plants involved) have developed in different ways. Many low-desert plants that are suitable to Phoenix, Arizona will not survive the winters of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Conversely, desert plants that thrive at the 7,200-foot elevation of the high Santa Fe desert cannot survive in the heat and lowlands of San Diego.

As a result, different species have developed naturally, or have been genetically engineered by man, to adapt to the climates and soils of the various desert climate areas.