Santa Fe Greenhouses owner named finalist for water award

David Salman, owner of retail grower Santa Fe Greenhouses, and its mail-order counterpart, High Country Gardens in Santa Fe, N.M., is a finalist in the 2008 Intelligent Use of Water Award from Rain Bird. Salman specializes in drought-tolerant plants, and has introduced 24 water-wise perennials. Santa Fe Greenhouses uses a 39,000-gallon cistern and water reuse system to collect rainwater from the 55,000 square feet of greenhouse roof area and use it for irrigation. The system captures more than an acre-foot of water in an average year, reducing the use of city water by almost 25%. Salman was featured on the Feb. cover of NMPRO.