What's hot in Tucson's gardens in 2015

We want our yards to be the farmers market, a nature preserve, a kitchen, the den and an expression of our own personal style.

Thats the snapshot for whats hot in Tucsons gardens for 2015 according to several gardening and landscape professionals.

Interest in growing food continues to explode. Garden writer and educator Jacqueline Soule says her gardening classes are full, while nurseries can barely keep up with the demand for vegetable and fruit seeds, starts and trees and supplies to keep them growing.

Thats the largest increase in sales by far, says Silverbell Nursery manager Matt Smit. The only thing that is trending up in plant sales is food.

He notes that hes seeing a lot of new gardeners who are in their 20s and 30s, usually not the typical age for gardening. And baby boomers are returning to their growing roots established by their parents, he adds.

Reusing, reclaiming and recycling are increasingly important themes with clients, observes landscape designer Paul Connolly.

Its not so much for a cost savings, although thats part of it, says Connolly, owner of Sundrea Design Studio, Sundrea Landscape Center and Sundrea Style. Its the whole ecological aspect of it.

People would rather repurpose items than to throw them away, he says.

For one design project, Connolly tore up a brick patio in the front yard and used the material to create a new patio in a side yard.

Dirt that was excavated to build new walls and cinder blocks that came from an old wall that was torn down were not dumped into a landfill. Instead, they were used to fill an eroded area that then was landscaped.

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What's hot in Tucson's gardens in 2015