Books by Mary Irish

Mary Irish is a prominent voice in southwestern horticulture and has written extensively on dry-climate gardening. She received her master's degree in geography from Texas A&M University and is the former director of public horticulture at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. A Texas native, Mary grew up raising farm animals and tending a large vegetable garden. In 1985 Mary and her husband Gary moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and before long she began working as a volunteer at the Desert Botanical Garden, where she soon earned a full-time position. Mary once hosted a weekly Phoenix-based radio show called "The Arizona Gardener," and has appeared on countless news and lifestyle television programs regarding desert gardening. She is a regular contributor to several magazines including Sunset, and teaches classes on the care and culture of agaves, cacti, and other desert shrubs. Gary Irish holds a master's degree in plant geography from Texas A&M University, and is the manager of the computer mapping section for the Arizona State Land Department. He uses a Geographic Information System (GIS) to keep up with mapping the Land Department's more than 9 million acres.