Monarch Butterfly

Desert Survivors Native Plant Nursery is located on the banks of the Santa Cruz River in Tucson. Currently, we grow over 700 species of local and bioregional plants. Nearly all of these plants are found within a 500-mile range of the nursery. However, the exception to this rule is our offering of cactus and succulents native throughout Mexico. Our plants are native to the surrounding Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Mohave deserts, and the Arizona sky islands. We offer a fair number of species native to mid-elevation ranges, and enjoy working with customers from places like Sierra Vista, Oracle or Portal. Our primary focus is growing plants that are native to southeastern Arizona. Although Desert Survivors has sold some non-native xeric plants in the distant past, our mission is to only cultivate plants indigenous to our region. Native plants give us a sense of place, and are important to supporting native pollinator populations and fauna.

Desert Survivors is a non profit human service agency that operates a native plant nursery, which provides job opportunities to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Desert Survivors grew out of the vision of Dr. Joseph Patterson, a Tucson psychologist who worked with adults with disabilities living in institutions during the 1970s.

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Listed as:

• Seed / Seedling Suppliers
• Native Species Nurseries