Curriculum Vitae

Scott Calhoun

Garden Designer, Writer, Speaker

A full-time freelance, Scott Calhoun makes a living writing, designing, speaking and teaching. His company, Zona Gardens, LLC, is located in Tucson, Arizona.

Garden Design Awards

  • 2008 1st Place Professional Residential Xeriscape Award, Tucson Botanical Gardens/Arizona Department of Water Resources
  • 2004 J.D. Di Megglio “Artistry in Landscaping Award”
  • 2004 Best Residential Water Harvesting Award, Tohono Chul Park/ Arizona Department of Water Resources

 Published Books

  • Yard Full of Sun: The Story of a Gardener’s Obsession That Got a Little Out of Hand. Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2005. Winner, 2006 AHS Book Award. A full-bodied gardening adventure story about the design and construction of gardens in the Sonoran Desert and Utah’s Great Basin. Yard Full of Sun was awarded the 2006 American Horticultural Society Book Award. “Memoir and how-to work side by side to excellent effect in this chronicle of a family’s horticultural odyssey.” –Publishers Weekly
  • Chasing Wildflowers: A Mad Search for Wild Gardens. Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2007. Winner, 2008 GWA Book Award. A rollicking trip through Utah, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Mexico that celebrates wildflowers, road food, and road trips. “Unique, unusual, and superbly written…”

–Midwest Book Review

  • Designer Plant Combinations, 105 Stunning Gardens Using Six Plants or Fewer, Storey Publications, 2008.
  • The Hot Garden: Landscape Design for the Desert Southwest. Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2009.
  • Hot Pots: Container Gardening in the Arid Southwest, Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2009.
  • The Gardener’s Guide to Cactus, Timber Press, January 2012.

 Magazine Writing

In addition to writing the Southwest Checklist column for Sunset Magazine, Scott’s essays and how-to writing have appeared in numerous national and local magazines and newspapers, including:

  • American Nurseryman
  • The American Gardener
  • Country Gardens
  • Fine Gardening
  • Horticulture
  • Nature’s Garden Magazine
  • Perennials Magazine
  • Terrain: The Journal of the Natural and Built Environment
  • The Arizona Daily Star
  • Tucson Home
  • Wildflower Magazine

Recent Speaking Engagements

  • American Horticultural Society Garden School
  • Chicago Botanic Gardens
  • Denver Botanic Gardens
  • Santa Fe Greenhouses
  • St. Louis Garden Club of America
  • The San Francisco Flower Show
  • Tohono Chul Park
  • Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society

Education and Professional Certifications and Associations

  • Bachelor of Arts, English, University of Utah, 1997
  • American Horticultural Society Book Awards, Chair 2010
  • Arizona Certified Nursery Professional
  • American Horticultural Society, Member
  • Garden Writers Association, Member
  • Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society, Member

Work Experience

  • Principal, Zona Gardens, LLC, 2005-Present
  • General Manager, Civano Nursery 2001-2005
  • General Manager, Pascua Yaqui Adobe Company, 1999-2001