Gardening in New Mexico can be tough. Let’s make it easier and more fun by incorporating native plant species that thrive in our conditions and learn how to care for them more sustainably. Speaker Marisa Thompson is responsible for active Cooperative Extension and research programs supporting sustainable horticulture. In addition to studying landscape mulches for improved perennial plant root establishment and tomato-growing practices that reduce disease pressures while increasing water conservation, her research includes abiotic plant stressors like wind, cold, heat, drought, and soil compaction. She writes a gardening column, Southwest Yard & Garden.