However, plants that look good on paper may not grow in our high desert climate, said Curtis Smith, horticulture specialist with New Mexico State University's Cooperative Extension Service . It's fine to experiment, realizing you may lose them. It's best to first find out more about new plants and how much you'll have to fight the environment to grow them. New Mexico's climate and soils differ markedly from those on the East and West coasts, the largest markets for gardening catalogs, Smith said. When shopping for landscape plants, he suggests keeping in mind the state's soils, sunlight, water, temperature swings and winter weather.
Differences are evident from the ground up.
Most soils in the state are very alkaline, and some also are high in sodium, causing alkali problems, Smith pointed out. Sparse rainfall and hard water are another concern. Our water supplies can be very salty, which creates problems for plants. Gardeners may have to create shade for some plants. We're at a higher elevation, so we have higher ultraviolet light levels, too, and some plants won't tolerate that.