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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

rate this answer

Monday - July 26, 2010
From: Albuquerque, NM
Region: Southwest
Topic: Compost and Mulch, Grasses or Grass-like, Vines
Title: Fast-growing vine for cinder block wall in Albuquerque
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I live in Albuquerque, N.M. and have a cement/cinder block wall and was wondering if there is a vine I can plant which will be easy to grow, grow fast and cover my wall without any type of help like a trellis? Would prefer something not too invasive. Thanks Mr. Smarty Pants.ANSWER:
Albuquerque, in Bernalillo County of New Mexico, west central New Mexico is very arid and the USDA Hardiness Zones vary from 6b to 7a, because of canyons and mesas around the city. We are going to go to our Native Plant Database and search on "vines" for New Mexico. You didn't say how much sunlight the plants would have, but growing there against a cement wall, the heat would be pretty intense. We just flew into and then out of Albuquerque, and coming down from 8500 ft. in a ski resort was a big shock with the heat and dry air.
Okay, we're back from our Native Plant Database, and we struck out. There are not many vines native to New Mexico, and most of them are pretty unattractive. What few vines were a possibility were definitely going to need support, as in a trellis. They are all deciduous, and we are pretty sure you want something that will soften that cinder block wall and not scraggly vine canes. So, let's try a different approach.
First, clean the wall up and clear out any weeds or debris around it. Then, buy a can of masonry paint tinted a nice warm color; in Albuquerque, we would personally like an adobe color, but it's also a good place for sky-blue or bright pink or whatever suits your fancy. When that's all done and dry, work a little compost into the soil where you are going to plant, in front of the wall. You can purchase compost in bags at any nursery, or build your own compost pile, but that takes a while. The compost will add nutrients to the soil, and make nutrients from the soil more available to plant roots. And since your soil is most likely caliche, you will give the new young roots a break before they have to dig into that.
What we are going to suggest for that space is ornamental native grasses. Some of them will be attractive all year, and hold their place in front of the wall. These are not mowable lawn-type grasses, but tall prairie grasses. Most of them will hold their place all year, require low watering and maintenance is cutting them back to about 6 inches in early Spring. All of them are native to your area and adapted over eons to the conditions in the environment. Follow each plant link to learn projected size, light requirements and habits.
Native Grasses for Albuquerque:
Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem)
Bothriochloa laguroides ssp. torreyana (silver beardgrass)
Chloris virgata (feather fingergrass)
Elymus elymoides ssp. brevifolius (squirreltail)
Hordeum jubatum (foxtail barley)
Muhlenbergia arenicola (sand muhly)
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)
From our Native Plant Image Gallery:
More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
Grass for detention pond in Illinois
October 06, 2008 - Hi, please advise regarding grass for bottom of detention pond. I have pond with drawdown time 4 days, what grass could survive being underwater 4 days, and not die? Thank you.
view the full question and answer
Steep slope from Charlotte NC
May 03, 2012 - I live near Charlotte, NC and I have a very steep sloped area from the edge of our front yard down to the road. It's a huge eyesore mainly because it is red clay dirt and has nothing growing on it. W...
view the full question and answer
Sowing native grass seeds in July in Georgetown TX
July 06, 2010 - I have a bare patch of soil behind my house. Can I sow native grass seeds now?
view the full question and answer
Need plants to replace cedars on a 40 degree slope in Boerne, TX.
August 28, 2012 - My backyard is a roughly 40 degree slope that is covered with cedars. The slope is basically all rock, what can I grow here to replace the cedar which drink too much water. I would still like the area...
view the full question and answer
Indian Paintbrush outnumbering our Bluebonnets this year.
May 26, 2015 - We noticed we have more Indian paintbrush than bluebonnets in our front yard this year. Our issue is we also have more spear grass than normal. Is there a way to control this grass without killing th...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |