Portrait by David Fenton

Judith Phillips is equal parts xeric horticulturist, landscape designer and garden writer. Her path to being a Master of the Southwest started 36 years ago, when she applied for a job at an Indiana nursery. The work wasn’t related to her college courses; rather, she passed by the nursery regularly and thought it “looked like a nice place.” That turned out to be true, as owner Emmett Koehler encouraged her budding interest in gardening.

Phillips, who lives about 60 miles south of Albuquerque, N.M., moved to the Southwest to study anthropology at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, but never did enroll, for the local plant palette soon drew her in. “I was amazed that the nurseries here carried the same plants I grew in Indiana,” she comments. “It made no sense to me.” Because UNM didn’t offer a horticulture degree, Phillips set off on a “self-designed work-study program.”

For a decade she gained extensive propagation experience at nurseries and the Agricultural Science Center in Los Lunas, N.M., where she conducted germination trials with native plants for soil conservation and reclamation projects. “If you plant 1,000 petunia seeds, you get at least 999 plants; if you plant 1,000 penstemon seeds, maybe none,” says Phillips. “It took a while to learn the optimum methods.”

During these years, Phillips also designed residential landscapes but couldn’t always find the plants she wanted. This led her to open Bernardo Beach Native Plant Farm in Veguita, N.M., which she operates with husband Roland. Their nursery specializes in growing xeric ornamentals and introducing native species.
In addition to the nursery, she runs Judith Phillips Design Oasis, which has created more than 930 landscapes for private residences and public spaces, including the New Mexico State Land Office in Santa Fe, the Visitor’s Center Habitat Garden at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, N.M., and the Community Xeriscape Demonstration Garden in Belen, N.M.

To share the virtues of native plants with a wider audience, Phillips wrote Southwestern Landscaping With Native Plants (Museum of New Mexico Press, 1987) at a time when there were few gardening resources geared to the region. Other books followed, including Natural by Design and Plants for Natural Gardens (both Museum of New Mexico Press, 1995) and New Mexico Gardener’s Guide (Cool Springs Press, First Edition, 1998).

The breadth of her accomplishments has been recognized with a variety of awards, including the Carroll Abbott Memorial Award from Native Plant Society of Texas for two aforementioned books; Outstanding Achievement in the Cause of Water Conservation from the City of Albuquerque; and the Commissioner’s Special Recognition Award from the New Mexico State Land Office.

Phillips has served on multiple planning committees related to water conservation and open space, crucial issues as Southwestern populations swell. “Landscaping doesn’t require a sacrifice in quality to use very little water,” she states. “My fantasy is that streetscapes designed to capture runoff will become green plazalike areas that encourage people to walk.

“Working with the local climate and growing conditions, rather than trying to alter them, creates a landscape that is a pleasure to be in and much easier to care for,” she continues. “Such ecosystem-based designs are vibrant because the plants fit the place, and they persist without using huge amounts of water, fertilizer and pesticides.

“My goal is to suit the landscape to the client and its site, creating beautiful, low-maintenance surroundings that use the least amount of water,” says Phillips. “I want to provide a space that pulls the owner outdoors onto the patio or down the garden path.”

Photo by Joseph Arcure To attract butterflies, Judith Phillips recommends planting Buddleja.

Photo by Joseph Arcure After construction of this house was complete, Phillips advised the home-owners to revegetate their entry with blue grama grass, which was growing elsewhere on the property. This was done by taking grass cuttings and laying them on the bare ground to reseed.