tracy neal
Tracy grew up in Oklahoma, where he had the good fortune to work and play in his grandmother’s and mother’s gardens and enjoy fresh fruit as it ripened in the orchard behind his house. He came to Albuquerque in 1974, where he continued his work with plants in retail and wholesale nurseries.
He moved to Santa Fe in 1986 to become the nursery manager for Santa Fe Greenhouses, where he helped scores of homeowners find plants that worked in their gardens. At SFG, he introduced a wide range of new and underutilized plants to the Santa Fe area, including unusual fruit and shade trees, roses, and dwarf evergreens. He was also responsible for planting many specimens of unusual or underutilized plants in and around the grounds at the nursery.
From 1995 to 2009, Tracy worked as co-designer and horticulturist at Design with Nature, where he helped design and build many beautiful gardens in the Santa Fe area featuring new and unusual plants and planting combinations.
Tracy is currently designer, horticultural specialist, and co-owner of Green Forward LLC.
A founding member of the Santa Fe chapter of the National Xeriscape Council, Tracy helped create the first Xeriscape Plant List for Santa Fe. In 2001, he served on the task force that developed the new landscape ordinance for the City of Santa Fe. He also compiled the Recommended Woody Plant List for the City of Santa Fe in 2002, and later co-authored the Transition Zone Plant List for Santa Fe County. He is a member of the team of horticultural consultants currently producing the Low Water Use Plant List for New Mexico under the auspices of the Office of the State Engineer, and is working on a new Recommended Plant List for the Santa Fe Area as part of his work in the Plant Adaptation to Climate Change group.
A long time supporter of education, Tracy has been involved with the Santa Fe Waldorf School since 1986 as a parent, board member, and consultant on site development issues. He has also taught several landscaping and plant selection classes at the Santa Fe Community College. Tracy is a Certified Arborist and Permaculture Designer, as well as a member of the Semi-arid Guild.
