Design, Build and Bloom

Dawn Layna Fried

Jun 2017 · Page Publishing Inc

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Design, Build, and Bloom: A Desert Garden Guide was written to educate newcomers and longtime residents in the southwest about how to design their own magnificent, cost-effective landscapes for home or business. The easy-to-read book with hundreds of colorful photos provides detailed information on urban horticulture. One half of a beautiful landscape is the plantings; the other half is how well the garden is maintained. Learn how to successfully plant an exquisite landscape and watch it bloom year-round; how to prepare the soil for planting, along with a guide on how to stake newly planted trees; install and troubleshoot drip irrigation systems; plant vegetable gardens, roses, citrus, hybrid turf; and create a wildflower garden and accent with container gardening. Design, Build and Bloom: A Desert Garden Guide also explains how to correctly prune trees and shrubs to maintain their health and beauty and provides information on plant diseases, how to correctly fertilize landscapes, and when to apply herbicides and insecticides for weed and insect control.

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           Dawn Fried has been a lifelong plant enthusiast, landscape designer, and a resident of Tucson, Arizona, for more than thirty years. She graduated with high honors, receiving a bachelor’s degree in plant sciences from the University of Arizona, and also worked toward her master’s degree in landscape architecture at the University of Arizona.  

          Inspired by the diverse ecosystem of plant materials ranging from the saguaro cactus covered deserts in Southern Arizona to the rugged rock chasms carved by the Colorado River to some of the densest Ponderosa pine forests in Flagstaff, Dawn knew her calling was to design and create magnificent landscapes for others to enjoy.

          With her husband, David Morris—also a horticulturist, certified arborist, and plant designer—the couple opened Horticulture Unlimited after graduating from college in 1979. The business is a thriving residential and commercial landscape design and maintenance company located in the heart of Tucson. 

          In addition to running the day-to-day operations of Horticulture Unlimited, Dawn, an identical twin, enjoys gardening, decorating, and hiking several times a week on challenging, rugged trails throughout the mountains of Southern Arizona, as well as annual backpacking treks to Havasupai or Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon.

          Another one of her favorite passions is chasing the tides along stretches of soft, sandy beaches on the Sea of Cortez in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, where she and her husband built and exquisitely landscaped a second home twelve years ago.         

          Together, Dawn and her husband have raised three successful sons: Andrew, who works for their company; Bill, a bio chemist; and Jake, a mechanical engineer. The couple presently resides in their Tucson foothills ranch with their two dogs, Kira, a four-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, and Ollie, a one-year-old black Labrador Retriever.