Object Details
- General
- Millstone is a five-acre urban oasis and desertscape in the heart of Tucson, Arizona. The land, located at the north end of Pantano Wash, was purchased by the owner's parents in the late 1970s to prevent further gravel mining and block nearby horse properties from access to the wash. Pantano Wash was and continues to be an important riparian habitat that flows through Tucson. When the land was deeded to the current owner in 1999, it was an empty desert plot with nothing but creosote bushes and small mesquite trees. The owner designed a house based on the early 1900s Sonoran Desert ranch and farm dwellings. The landscape was designed to provided screening for utility lines and poles. Since 2006, the garden has developed slowly over 18 years. The meandering paths that wind throughout the property were laid out, with tons of crushed granite, rubble and boulders to create the winding trails. The pathways weave throughout, crisscrossing, bisecting and traversing the property. The scrubby mesquite trees were watered to get them to grow to maturity. Hundreds of trees were planted to provide a shade canopy along the multiple walkways and numerous sitting areas. Millstone is a collection of small gardens and outdoor "rooms" united by the trails that weave through the property. For the most part, flowers are perennials and bushes, shrubs, cactus and trees are indigenous to the desert. Pots are planted with succulents. Millstone has been opened for public tours and Tucson Botanical Garden fundraisers, providing an oasis for visitors in the desert landscape.
- Persons associated with the garden's design: Lynn McEvers Andrews (landscape architect, 1999-present); Antonion Lopez (gardener, 1999-present); Omar Hernandez (gardener, 2020-present).
- Provenance
- Arizona Columbine Garden Club
- Photographer
- Griego, Lenni
- Starrett, Sarah
- Andrews, Lynn McEvers
- Owner
- Andrews, Lynn McEvers
- Landscape architect
- Andrews, Lynn McEvers
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- United States of America -- Arizona -- Pima County -- Tucson
- Millstone (Tucson, Arizona)
- Topic
- Children's gardens
- Courtyard gardens
- Desert gardens
- Kitchen gardens
- Native plant gardens
- Rock gardens
- Vegetable gardening
- Riparian gardens
- Gardens -- Arizona -- Tucson
- Provenance
- Arizona Columbine Garden Club
- Photographer
- Griego, Lenni
- Starrett, Sarah
- Andrews, Lynn McEvers
- Owner
- Andrews, Lynn McEvers
- Landscape architect
- Andrews, Lynn McEvers
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Arizona
- Sponsor
- A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
- Custodial History
- Arizona Columbine Garden Club facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation in 2024.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File AZ034
- Type
- Archival materials
- Digital images
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
- Collection Rights
- Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Genre/Form
- Digital images
- Scope and Contents
- 38 digital images (2021-2024) and 1 digital file folder.
- Collection Restrictions
- Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Record ID
- ebl-1696950603137-1696955025643-1
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