08/15/2026 People, Plants, and Pollinators edition

Jack Dash, co-author of the Southwest Native Plant Primer and gardens manager at Tohono Chul Botanical Gardens in Tucson, grew up in the Pacific Northwest tagging along with a grandmother who named every plant she passed. That early exposure, he says, taught him that botanical gardens “bring biodiversity to people's doorsteps.” In this conversation with host Caitlin Hossee, he explains why native plant gardening in the Southwest is not just an ecological choice but the most practical one—and why the desert is far from barren.

What “native” really means in a place like the Southwest

Dash avoids a rigid definition of native plants. Instead, he recommends a bioregional approach: look at the ecosystem your garden is part of, not political boundaries or a fixed radius. In Tucson, that means the Arizona Upland subdivision of the Sonoran Desert—a region that crosses state lines and the U.S.-Mexico border. Within it, there are roughly 2,000 plant species to choose from. But that doesn’t mean anything within 50 miles works. “I live at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains,” he says. “Not 50 miles from my house there’s Douglas fir and blue spruce. Those are not going to be appropriate for my garden at 2,500 feet in elevation.” The key is matching plants to the specific climatic and geologic conditions of your site.