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WEST PRIVACY SCREEN PLANTS

© Max Dalrymple

LAST MONTH when we discussed an attractive planting for the west wall of your house or your garage, I briefly mentioned you could plant Apache Plume as a privacy screen extending from that west wall all of the way to your western windbreak. In front of the Apache Plume you can plant some low growing Juniper ground cover and some more Phlox or Moth Pentstemon, which does look good with the Big Sage. The pink of the Moth Penstemon will go well with the pink of the Apache Plume and your west wall plantings. All of these plants are very xeric, or, as I like to say, "Xeric to the Max."

The pinks even go well with the Feng Shui [http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/5234... planting I suggested earlier, since they're a nice blend of the southern plant color, red, and one of the northern plant colors, white, and are located between those two locations. Some of the plants also have practical uses, which Xeric Max also stresses. We'll discuss those in a later column.

NOW, WHAT DO YOU PLANT BEHIND THE APACHE PLUME?

Apache Plume will grow about four feet tall. Immediately behind it I'd like to go with even more heighth and plant Sacaton, a beautiful ornamental grass whose golden seedheads grow to about seven feet and provide the feeling of a little more privacy. Immediately behind the Sacaton I think we can go with a row of Alkali Sacaton, a different plant which will grow from two to five feet and will look good from the back yard. Then let's stick with the grasses and plant a nice row of two foot tall Sideoats Grama and Indian Ricegrass. Indian Ricegrass will grow from one to two feet tall and provide a nice border plant for the four inch (to ten inch with seedheads) Blue Grama which I recommend all over the west side of your property. You can also interplant some soft - textured Buffalograss, which I recommend for the "watered area" to the north of your house. It grows from four to six inches tall and looks good in a lawn or meadow with Blue Grama. By itself, Buffalograss requires water to keep it from going dormant in the hottest days of summer. As I've mentioned earlier, Buffalograss requires one - third the amount of water of Kentucky Bluegrass. Sorry, Kentucky. This is New Mexico and I don't have any use for a lawn that drinks more water than I do.