AI Summary
5 min readIn the high desert at 7,000 feet, the most common gardening advice from other regions can actually harm your plants. Ross Shrigley, executive director of Plant Select, and Leslie Janis of the Santa Fe Master Gardeners explain that the standard recommendation to add compost and wood mulch is often counterproductive for native plants in the arid West. Wood mulch, they argue, can suffocate the root crowns of western natives, slow water percolation into the soil, and create conditions these plants never evolved to handle.
Rethinking Mulch and Soil for Arid Climates
The conversation challenges two deeply held gardening assumptions: that organic mulches are always superior and that soil always needs amending. Shrigley points out that when rain hits wood mulch, "that wood mulch has to be completely saturated with water before it percolates into the ground where the plants can actually use it." In a climate where every drop counts, this absorption is a liability, not a benefit. Gravel mulch, by contrast, allows water to percolate down quickly to plant roots.
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of The Garden Journal
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (01:24) **Plant Select Mission & Core Philosophy** - Ross recaps the organization's goal of trialing plants for the high-altitude, arid West to make gardening easier.
- 2 (02:33) **Mulch Debate: Wood vs. Gravel in the High Desert** - Ross and Leslie explain why standard wood mulch advice doesn't work for most native plants in Santa Fe.
- 3 (05:29) **Gravel Mulch Best Practices** - Specific, actionable advice on how to apply gravel mulch correctly for weed suppression and water conservation.
- 4 (06:18) **Why "Improving" Soil Hurts Native Plants** - A counterintuitive but critical point about amending soil for drought-tolerant species.
- 5 (08:56) **Top Flower Picks for Summer Color** - Ross names specific, low-water perennials that perform well in the region.
- 6 (10:04) **Shrubs: The Best Bang for Your Buck** - Leslie and Ross argue for the underrated value of shrubs in a xeric landscape.
- 7 (12:19) **Silver Buffalo Berry and New Introductions** - A deep dive into a standout shrub and a new hybrid that is exceptionally drought-tolerant.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Join host Alexa Bradford in the second of a two-part series with special guests Ross Shrigley, Executive Director of the non-profit consortium Plant Select, and master gardener Lesley Janis, project lead for the Santa Fe Native Plant Project, as they discuss Plant Select's development and testing of waterwise native plants for our climate.
More from this podcast
The Garden Journal →