The region in which I live was originally forest. It wasn't bare. I'd like to plan for a fuller look to the landscape I put in to mimic what was once here.
Rodale describes open grassy meadows in among the piñon pine and juniper trees once found throughout this area. One "meadow" I am planning makes use of four low - water grasses available from Plants of the Southwest.
I've mentioned earlier that I'm planning on buying a few acres. Most of those acres will be forest and farm. The acre I live on will be designed for my house, obviously, and maybe a few more. I haven't decided yet on how many. Acreage in this area, as in most areas of the nation, is along country roads. Immediately off of my road, I plan for a low lying ground cover. I'd like one that can make use of the extra water that drains off of the road, although I haven't selected it yet. I'd like ground covers in this area because they don't obstruct the view of on-coming traffic.
About ten feet in from the road I plan a serpentine windbreak of piñon pine and juniper. There are three types of piñony, the native plural for the trees, and an equal number of native juniper trees. That gives me six types of trees to choose from in building an efficient sound barrier along the front of my house.
The piñony and juniper don't need additional water, although I will water them some in the beginning to help then get established. If one of my neighbor's planted Christmas piñon trees is any indication, they grow faster when watered. His grew an extra foot this year, probably because of our wet spring. You can't depend upon our springs to be wet, however, so I'd like something in front of the piñony and junipers that will block the view of the traffic until the trees get big enough to perform that function.
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