Roses grow beautifully in Albuquerque!! It's a wonderful growing climate there! Some people in Albuquerque go the native plant route, but many have yards and gardens that look straight out of the midwest. The soil is alkaline so there are some plants that don't work well, and you do have to fertilize and water more often than the other areas of the country. A really good resource for her would be the Sunset Western Gardening book. It gives specific advice on what plants you can use in that area as well as very good guidelines to turn her brown thumb into a green one!
Beautiful pineapple guava blossom, btw!
