Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Friday - June 13, 2008

From: Las Cruces, NM
Region: Southwest
Topic: Privacy Screening, Shrubs, Trees
Title: Evergreen plants for a windbreak
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Our church has need to plant a windbreak. We would like fast growing native plants, preferably evergreen or really early 'leafers' to protect us from our windy season beginning in mid/late February.

ANSWER:

Here are several evergreen or semi-evergreen shrubs native to New Mexico that should work well. To see more possibilities visit the Recommended Species page and click on New Mexico on the map for a list of commercially available native plant species suitable for landscaping.

Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush) evergreen

Atriplex canescens (fourwing saltbush) semi-evergreen

Cercocarpus montanus (alderleaf mountain mahogany) almost evergreen

Fendlera rupicola (cliff fendlerbush) deciduous to semi-evergreen

Fraxinus greggii (Gregg's ash) almost evergreen

Juniperus scopulorum (Rocky Mountain juniper) evergreen, small tree to 40 feet

Larrea tridentata (creosote bush) evergreen

Pinus edulis (twoneedle pinyon) evergreen, small tree 10-30 feet

Yucca elata (soaptree yucca) evergreen

Yucca torreyi (Torrey's yucca) evergreen