This local artist is turning a small part of untouched desert into a native garden and community space

For the last year, Rosie Crocker has been scrolling through Zillow — not for a house or an apartment, but for untouched desert.

Last month, Rosie — alongside friend and herbalist Wren Lizabeth — put in an offer for four acres of land on the edge of Three Points and the Tucson Mountains with the goal of preserving the desert with a native garden and community space. Rosie was able to lean on her community to help her raise funds to make the offer possible.

“We found the space and it’s perfect because there’s never been any buildings on it,” Rosie says. “There are no neighbors. There are so many mature plants on it. It’s super beautiful and there are a lot of little waterways that are not directly through the property but around it to help it get more water.”

You might recognize Rosie’s name. She’s the founder behind Sonoran Rosie, a line of botanical skincare created with hand-foraged Sonoran Desert plants. She’s also the owner of gift shop Arizona Poppy, the organizer behind the biannual Desert Air Market and the author of “Seasons of the Desert,” a guide to desert plants.

Rosie knows the importance of preserving desert land and she knew she wanted to buy at least a small chunk of it before it was no longer around to preserve. 

“Expansion into the desert is happening as we speak. Even though Three Points isn’t as developed of an area, it’ll definitely be that in the future,” Rosie says. “I think it’s important to preserve natural desert spaces.”

She plans to work with the existing plants and waterways on the acreage and add even more native flora. Everything she’ll build will be as natural as possible — a composting toilet and shade structures with ocotillo, for example.

When the space is ready, hopefully next year, expect interactive workshops about ethically foraging creosote, turning prickly pear into juice and crafting skincare products with plants.

“I already do a creosote lotion workshop but it’s always missing that element of actually being in front of a creosote bush,” Rosie says. “I can explain to somebody how to forage sustainably from a creosote bush but it’s better if someone’s actually seeing it and doing it.”

Plant walks, where Rosie will help identify desert flora, are also in the plans.

“I always rent (versus owning a home) and I wanted to find a place where I could put plants in the ground,” Rosie says. “Where I’ve rented, I’ve still put plants in the ground, but then I always end up having to leave. It’s nice to leave a place better than you found it, but I wanted a place where I could watch the plants grow.”

Rosie hosts hands-on outdoor events now, but there are a lot of variables that make them difficult to host. For example, Saguaro National Park East might get more rain than Saguaro National Park West, which could lead to a difference in the amount of saguaros that flower. When Rosie isn’t around to constantly monitor the flora, it’s hard to guess which locations will lead to plentiful blooms.

“It’s a little based on the seasons, based on the weather, there are a lot of variables. Some years, I’m not able to do prickly pear workshops. Sometimes it’s really dry and there’s no viable creosote to forage,” Rosie says. “I wanted to have a space that I know is a little more controlled, a space that I know is getting water, where I know there will be fruit or it’s going to be green. Having a space where I know what’s there and being able to bring people and teach them about desert plants, people can connect in a slightly more controlled environment.”

Rosie plans to work with natural builders, botanists and anyone who specializes in nature to teach workshops. She hopes it becomes a third space for everyone to enjoy the desert.

She’ll keep all the workshops low-cost or free, especially for neurodivergent people and Indigenous communities.

“I’m autistic so having that connection to nature has been so life-changing for me,” Rosie says. “Being able to have space to clear my mind and get rid of all the noise — I feel it’s so important to learn and interact with nature in a way that feels safe and isn’t going to cost a lot of money.”

Rosie grew up in Phoenix and moved to Tucson about two decades ago. She’s felt Tucson’s magic firsthand.

“It’s the juxtaposition of having to survive — the plants are still thriving even in this dry, hot environment. It’s this way of survival the desert has and just how green it is. There are so many plants and a variation between each season,” she says. “I think also, for me personally, it’s the grounding, peaceful feeling that I get from being in the desert. I hike other places too, besides here, but there’s something different about hiking in the desert. You can see everything — you can see really far out — it’s not super crowded with plants so you can see each individual plant. It’s peaceful and the plants, especially the saguaros, have this protective energy that feels really good to be around. Desert plants help us survive the desert.”

In the nine years Rosie has worked on Sonoran Rosie, she’s learned the balance between wanting to share the desert with the community while still making sure nature stays in nature. That means foraging ethically.

“It means paying attention to the plants and the areas themselves. Let’s say you’re going to forage a specific plant. You’re looking for a space that has a lot of that plant and you’re looking to make sure they’re healthy plants,” she says. “Ethically foraging is looking at the space outwardly but also only taking a few from each plant. So if it’s a prickly pear cactus, you’d only take a few fruits from the tops of the cactus and leave the bottom for the animals. It’s being mindful of how much you’re taking.”

While sometimes foraging can actually help a plant, Rosie also opts to leave some plants completely untouched. She loves the scent and benefits of desert lavender, but it’s not a common plant — so she leaves it alone.

“I try to teach people about sustainable foraging. It’s the first thing I do in each workshop because it’s a relationship,” Rosie says. “Being part of the earth isn’t just taking from it. It’s learning from it. It’s caretaking.”

🌵 For more information about Sonoran Rosie, head to Rosie’s website and Instagram. 🌵