2026 PGSU Garden Story: Joey & Zach

A Desert Oasis Rooted in Care and Connection

Tucked into the desert landscape, Joey and Zach’s garden offers a living example of what can emerge when creativity and stewardship grow side by side.

Now in its third year on the tour, the garden has continued to evolve, shaped not by a rigid plan, but by curiosity, observation, and a willingness to work with the land.

At its center is a serene, self-cleaning pond, designed and built by Zach’s company, Salamander Springs. More than a focal point, it creates a sense of calm and purpose — a place for swimming, cooling off, and quiet reflection within an otherwise arid environment.

The surrounding garden reflects a philosophy rooted in care and reciprocity. As Joey shares, “It’s not ours; we are borrowing it and caring for it while we are here.” That perspective is evident in the diversity and vitality of the space, where hundreds of plants coexist in support of pollinators, wildlife, and soil health.

Drawing from permaculture principles and local knowledge, the garden weaves together heirloom vegetables, edible native plants, medicinal herbs, and reseeding sunflowers into a landscape that feels both intentional and naturally abundant.

A Garden That Feeds and Sustains

This season brings an expanded focus on food production.

Visitors will find thriving crops such as peanuts, Armenian cucumbers, tomatillos, tomatoes, and the ever-popular vine peach melon. Pollinator-friendly plantings — chicory, buckwheat, and red valerian — are layered throughout, alongside distinctive additions like luffa gourds, drum gourds, roselle, and mammoth sunflowers. As with many desert gardens, it is a space of continual learning... where experimentation, adaptation, and patience shape what grows next.

It’s a garden that invites you to slow down, look a little closer, and imagine what’s possible when we work in harmony with the land.

Come enjoy Joey and Zach's garden at the Parade of Gardens; April 24th-26th, 2026.