The Water-Smart Garden

“My favorite part of the book, however, is the projects. Unlike most books that just spend a couple of pages, each project has its own devoted chapter, making sure you have everything you need to properly grow and conserve water. Overall, I consider The Water-Smart Garden a must for any gardener, no matter their grow zone!”

“The photos in this book are outstanding. While lovely enough to be a coffee table book, it is a clear how-to book that tells you how to “Grow a beautiful, resilient, and productive garden with minimal water”

“The Water-Smart Garden illustrates how to have a beautiful, productive garden while conserving water. This is a timely, motivational guide to stewardship of what is probably the most crucial element of life on this planet – fresh water. The book is richly illustrated; inspirational; resource-filled; and practical with down-to-earth projects.“ 

“With a focus on using less water, The Water-Smart Garden provides a path to rethinking the way we build our gardens, even our container gardens. Anyone who would consider having a less-thirsty garden would find interesting ideas in Johnson’s book.”

“An accessible handbook for gardeners interested in reducing their water usage. Johnson explains a variety of approaches to gardening with less water, and most readers will find something that works for them.”

“As gardeners dash through their yards doing small chores, they should also study their garden’s relationship to water use. The Water-Smart Garden by Noelle Johnson is an interesting source of information on ways to lessen your yard’s dependance on water. Johnson presents detailed instructions for projects to control water flowing from either precipitation or from your faucet. Rain barrels, ollas, rain gardens, wicking raised beds, and dripping irrigation systems are all methods for conserving water and for your gardening time.”

Noelle Johnson is a horticulturist, landscape consultant, and garden writer who lives in the Phoenix, Arizona, metro area. Popularly known as “AZ Plant Lady,” her passion for over 20 years has been to inspire and teach people to create, grow, and maintain beautiful gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She is the author of the popular blog Desert Gardening 101, where she has been imparting essential gardening advice for over 10 years. Noelle has been an instructor at both the Desert Botanical Garden and the Tucson Botanical Gardens, and also speaks to garden groups about desert gardening. Over her career, Noelle has written for Water Use It Wisely, Birds & Blooms magazine, Houzz, Phoenix Home & Garden magazine, and The Home Depot. Her goal is to give people the knowledge they need to create, grow, and maintain a beautiful garden that thrives in a hot, dry climate.