Salman discovered this hummingbird mint (Agastache ‘Ava’) in his display garden in 1999 and named it after his wife, Ava. Its foot-tall flower spikes, studded with rose-pink blooms, quickly became a best-selling plant.

The breadth of options filling Salman’s demonstration gardens at Santa Fe Greenhouses would surprise someone who still envisions xeriscape as a few spiny plants up against a wagon wheel. When skeptics see how imaginatively water-wise, low-maintenance plants can be combined to produce show-stopping color, it is a real turning point for them, says the horticulturist.

In 1993, Salman launched High Country Gardens® catalog, a mail-order operation. About 400 plant varieties are described in the publication and on his Web site. Salman writes all of the copy, providing growing tips for foolproof plant combinations.
 
Six years ago, he began mailing his catalog nationwide. With increased national interest in unusual plants and xeriscaping, passionate gardeners east of the Mississippi are clamoring for water-wise plants, Salman remarks. “Our primary focus continues to be the West, but if plants happen to work elsewhere, that’s a bonus,” he acknowledges. “I’m optimistic that the benefits of more regionally suitable ways of landscaping are coming into public consciousness.”