In “Down to Earth: A Gardener’s Guide to the Albuquerque Area” written by the Albuquerque Area Extension Master Gardeners, there is a very informative listing of 25 best trees.

Diatomaceous earth, spread liberally throughout your garden bed, is superb for hunting snails and slugs.

With proper pruning, the Winter Jasmine as a living hedge too

You'll need the seed starting soil, a tray to hold small 2-inch containers (usually made of pressed peat), lots of consistent warmth and fairly bright light to start the seed.