Monthly Meetings
May 19, 2026 – General Meeting – Garden as Sanctuary
May 19 @ 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM MST
General Meeting at St. Mark’s Presbyterian, Knox Room and via Zoom.
“Garden As Sanctuary”
Speaker: Eli Nielson, Ecosense Sustainable Landscapes
Eli was born and raised in Tucson. Like most Tucson natives, he couldn’t wait to leave this desert hell hole, so at 18 he joined the army, where he became a sergeant and worked as an Intelligence Analyst for five years. After the army he received his degree in Urban Planning from ASU. In 2009 he humbly returned to his hometown – now recognizing it as the lush Sonoran Desert oasis it truly is – and founded EcoSense, with the goal of creating the most badass sustainable landscape company in the galaxy. As our name indicates, EcoSense Sustainable Landscapes is dedicated to designing and installing resilient landscapes. Our designs consider the realities of climate change – using rainwater harvesting and native/arid-adapted plants – to restore disturbed soils and create beautiful and healthy ecosystems that thrive in the Sonoran Desert.
You may want to create a space to meditate, pray, journal, create art, a space for healing. In this presentation on Garden as Sanctuary, Eli will share with us ideas on how your garden can connect you to the land, invite nature into your space, and create a place to restore your body, mind and soul. We will explore how our outdoor spaces can become places of restoration rather than obligation. In this presentation, I’ll share how harvesting rainwater, planting native species, and embracing low-maintenance practices can transform a yard into a resilient, self-sustaining refuge. By working with natural cycles instead of against them, we reduce upkeep, conserve resources, and create landscapes that feel alive and grounding. The result is more than a beautiful garden—it’s a sanctuary where we can slow down, reflect, and reconnect with both our inner thoughts and the rhythms of the natural world.
In conjunction with this talk we are doing a members-only tour at Tucson Botanic Garden on Saturday, May 23 at 9 am.
We will also be offering a hands-on workshop, date TBD