Las Cruces Events 2026

Architectural Plants for the Zone 8 Garden

May 14, 2026, Noon, free

Branigan Library, Las Cruces

David Lyman, MD, MPH

Join us for a two-hour workshop, titled. “Architectural Plants for the Zone 8 Garden.” Hosted by Master Gardener, David Lyman, you will learn how to transform a small or large garden space into a beautiful, colorful, water-wise space. Sponsored by the City of Las Cruces Water Conservation, this is one of many Lush and Lean workshops to be held this year. 

Drawing upon 25+ years of experience of gardening in the Mesilla Valley, Lyman will share what it takes to develop and maintain a garden suitable for this climate. Showing examples of native and compatible plants, Lyman will teach us how to develop a garden that has color and/or foliage year-round. Examples will include yucca, agave, cholla, desert willow, saguaro, palo verde, varieties of mesquite, oleander, Texas Ranger, lantana, eucalyptus, oak, and others.

These plants aren’t just for our enjoyment. Rather, they become habitat for native species; rabbits, quail, roadrunners, tortoise, javelina, lizards, coyote, snakes, and others.  

Using a combination of slide-show, hand-outs, and anecdotes from personal experience, Lyman will help you to understand what it takes to develop a garden suitable for the heat of our summers and colds of our winters. Local and broader resources for purchasing plants and seeds will be made available.

This is a workshop where you will want to bring your questions, as well as a pad and pen.