by High Country Gardens
With so many people I know, 2012 was a hugely transitional year. And with transition comes change. And change was a part of my life as well. After 30 years of running the family owned retail garden center, nursery and production greenhouse, I closed Santa Fe Greenhouses due to hard economic times and years of drought. *
Ava and David in 1989 at SFG
As founder, part owner and President of the company which included the High Country Gardens catalog, this was a game changer. But as they say, “when one door closes, another one opens.” So I’m very happy to say that the High Country Gardens catalog with live on to celebrate its 20th year anniversary under new ownership.
American Meadows, Inc. is now the proud new owner and they will continue to operate the catalog and website under the High Country Gardens name. I have a new job as the consulting Chief Horticulturist for High Country. In this position, I’ll be helping American Meadows for the next few years writing the HCG catalog and transitioning the growing and shipping operations to Center Greenhouse of Denver, CO. I will also be in charge of selecting the plants to be sold through the catalog which will include many of my current and future plant introductions.
Closing the business has been a huge, very difficult change for myself and the Salman family. But after 30 years of overseeing the catalog, the retail businesses in Santa Fe and Albuquerque and all the growing operations where we grew our plants, I’m exhausted and ready to move on. And I’m looking forward to focusing the rest of my career on what I love most; spending my time out in nature, exploring for plants in their habitats as well as breeding and selecting improved eco-friendly, waterwise plants for our landscapes and gardens. I’ll also be continuing my work as a horticultural speaker, traveling around the country to share my knowledge and love for plants and gardening with other gardeners and plant people.
Of course I’ll be continuing this blog, The Xeric Gardener and writing about what I know best; plants, gardening and the natural world. So stay tuned, keep your hands in the soil and remember to plant for pollinators.
*Here in New Mexico, over the last decade (2000-2010), six of those years were in drought. These past 2 years New Mexico (and the portions of the surrounding states) has been in the grip of a one hundred year intensity drought that shows no signs of abating in 2013. In this time of climate change, waterwise landscaping is more important than ever!