Photography by Werner Segarra

Horticultural
Services + Amenities

Owner: Margaret Joplin

Opened: September 2007

Location: 2719 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson

Hours: Wednesday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; and by appointment

Phone: (520) 623-8068

Web site: purebeautytucson.com

History: Margaret Joplin, ASLA, is a landscape guru and a Phoenix Home & Garden Master of the Southwest. After running her landscape architectural design firm, Design Collaborations Ltd., for almost two decades, she felt ready to expand her business. In the fall of 2007 she opened Pure Beauty, a retail store and plant nursery that helps bring landscape design ideas to life.

Philosophy: The fact that the shop is located in a restored 1946 residence is evidence of Joplin’s philosophy of finding new purposes for old things. She has retained much of the original charm of the home to show clients how to blend new design with existing elements. “It’s a comfortable and eclectic setting,” Joplin says of the space.

What’s in store: Along with the greenery found in the nursery, there also is “green” in the store’s products, many of which are eco-friendly. For example, papercrete containers made from shredded concrete bags by Phoenix artist Larry Kornegay will be offered this fall. Found objects are transformed into inventive landscape creations: Steel basins become water features, and salvaged steel disks turn into movable plant coasters on wheels. Enjoy colorful faux arrangements with limited-edition beaded daylilies, irises and Texas blue bonnets. Other accents include concrete roses by Kornegay and a new line of cast-glass products. Such horticultural services as programming irrigation systems and seasonal rotation of potted plants are available.

Don’t miss: Beyond the plants and vegetation-themed goods, one can find one-inch-thick custom cast-glass house numbers in a range of finishes.