Xeric Garden Club of Albuquerque

05/04/2026

Saturday, May 9 | 9 AM - 10 AM

The Xeric Garden Club of New Mexico hosts xeric member Dianne Rand who will give a docent led tour of the Xeric’s certified wildlife habitat garden. During the tour, Dianne will speak on the topic of “Integrating Medicinal and Culinary Herbs in Your Garden”

Join Dianne Rand for this presentation about planting useful medicinal herbs in your garden. Dianne recommends choosing “a few fresh herbs to cook with every day and a few medicinals for regular use in teas, infusions or tinctures. Native plants will easily cohabitate with herbs and herbs love the pollinators”. Join us and learn what other advice Dianne will have for incorporating medicinal herbs in your garden.

Dianne has been working with plants and plant medicine for 30 years. She will provide information on how to create a wildlife habitat garden in your own backyard, as backyard habitats support both the environment and wildlife.

The Albuquerque Garden Center, 10120 Lomas Blvd. NE. Free Admission.

04/28/2026

2026 Parade of Gardens

Sunday, May 3rd 9AM-3PM
Iris and Spring Blooms in 14 lovely gardens

Celebrate spring in bloom at the Parade of Gardens. This self-guided tour offers a rare look at fourteen private gardens across Northeast Albuquerque, featuring irises, late bulbs, blooming fruit trees, and unique landscape designs.

Four gardens are located throughout the area, with a fifth site featuring ten themed gardens in one location, including a partially ADA accessible space. Along the way, enjoy live music and browse artwork and garden-inspired goods from local artists and craftspeople.

Tickets are $20 for the garden tour or $40 for the tour with lunch. Children under 12 attend free with an adult. Optional lunch tickets include a catered outdoor meal by City Treats and are limited.

The event takes place rain or shine. No pets or smoking are allowed. Start your day at the Albuquerque Garden Center in Los Altos Park to pick up your map and wristband, then explore some of the city’s most beautiful spring gardens.

For more information and to purchase tickets go to: Parade of Gardens ABQ Garden Center

03/26/2026

03/03/2026

March 7 | 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

The Xeric Garden Club of New Mexico presents “Invasive Plants and Native Alternatives” by Dr. Sylvan Kaufman. Join Dr. Kaufman for this presentation about common ornamental invasive plants in New Mexico. Learn why invasive plants are so successful, and about their environmental tradeoffs. In many cases, there are some great native alternatives that can be planted that sustain a healthier environment for all. The public is invited to this presentation.

Sylvan Kaufman has a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University. She moved to northern New Mexico from the east coast, where she was the land manager and curator at Adkins Arboretum in Ridgely, MD and served on the Maryland Invasive Plant Council and Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council. She has lived and gardened in northern New Mexico for more than a decade, where she is the president of the Santa Fe chapter of the Native Plant Society of New Mexico and a volunteer with the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. She is the co-author of Invasive Plants: Guide to Identification and the Impacts and Control of Common North American Species, published by Stackpole Books.

The Albuquerque Garden Center, 10120 Lomas Blvd NE, Piñon Room. Free Admission

01/21/2026

Saturday, February 7th | 10:30 AM — 11:30 AM

The Xeric Garden Club of New Mexico hosts Tom Stewart, past president of the Native Plant Society of New Mexico. He is currently on the Board of the Albuquerque chapter and will give a presentation on My Favorite Native Plants For Gardens. With climate, plant availability and the needs of nature continuously changing, picking our favorite plants is not what it was for mom and pop. New possibilities allow us to choose species more strategically. And what is all the fuss about native plants, anyway? He will share his experiences with creating native habitats using his favorite native plants for Albuquerque gardens.

Albuquerque Garden Center Piñon Room, 10120 Lomas Boulevard NE. Free Admission

01/04/2026

Saturday January 10th | 10:30 - 11:30 AM

The Xeric Garden Club of New Mexico hosts Candace Stoughton speaking about Rewilding the City One Alley at a Time. Candace Stoughton is a member of the Albuquerque Chapter of the NM Native plant Society and has been planting native and xeric plants in neglected landscapes all over NE Albuquerque to benefit wildlife and pollinators. She will discuss the role that each of us can play in transforming abandoned spaces to benefit not only wildlife, but also the human spirit.

Albuquerque Garden Center, Piñon room, 10120 Lomas Blvd NE. Free admission.

09/26/2025

Saturday October 11th | 10:30 — 11:30 AM

The Xeric Garden Club of New Mexico hosts master gardener Barbara Shapiro speaking on the topic Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design. Her talk will be an introduction to Benjamin Vogt’s work on sustainable and artful natural garden design — bringing the prairie to your urban garden. Benjamin Vogt’s book Prairie Up is a practical guide to artfully reviving diversity and wildness in our communities. Barbara will speak about how to lay out native plants in a naturalistic garden and how to create healthier neighborhoods via designed habitat landscapes.

Albuquerque Garden Center, Piñon Room, 10120 Lomas Boulevard NE. Free Admission

08/26/2025

Saturday September 13 Book Signing 9:30 AM - 10 AM | Presentation 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

The Xeric Garden Club of New Mexico hosts author Taylor Richfield. Taylor will speak on PermAbundance: the Exciting Permaculture Revolution. Attendees to her presentation will learn about her 11 easy steps to have their own sustainable garden in Albuquerque, with less time, work and energy.

Taylor will autograph copies of her book PermAbundance from 9:30 to 10 AM. Please note this is before her presentation, which will be at 10:30 AM. Make sure if you want an autographed copy of the book, you need to arrive at 9:30 AM.

Albuquerque Garden Center, Piñon Room. 10120 Lomas Boulevard NE. Free Admission

08/12/2025

Saturday August 23 | 9 AM — 10 AM

The Xeric Garden Club of Albuquerque hosts a docent led tour of Xeric’s Certified Wildlife Habitat Demonstration Garden. Docent Lu Lu Sage will speak about Sustainability Gardening: How Many Species Will This Plant Support. She will also provide information on how to create a wildlife habitat garden in your own backyard. Backyard wildlife habitats help support both the environment and wildlife while helping to prevent climate change. When you transform your garden into a native habitat you provide food, shelter and places to raise young including native bees, beneficial insects, lizards, a myriad of birds and mammals.

Albuquerque Garden Center, 10120 Lomas Boulevard NE. Free Admission