Remarks

Native woody shrub to Texas, New Mexico and west to California from 3000 to 8000 feet in elevation. It is best to plant in soil with only inorganic amendments. It becomes more floppy and flowers less when fed and watered well. This is a case of less yielding more.

Reseeds some. I've never seen this as a problem. Locate in a sunny area with full exposure to the sun for best growth and backlighting. If planted against a wall or fence it will lean towards the sun and looked tipped over.

Apache plume was introduced to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew England in 1877 (Nokes, 2001). Given this blessing by our gardening forefathers, we should have one in our landscape too.

Use in Garden

Sunny native plant gardens, xeric gardens, habitat gardens. Native shrub garden.

Because of it's long-flowering nature, it's becoming more popular in low water-use landscapes -- a true lower maintenance shrub. Combines well with agaves, dasylirons, yuccas, Nepeta faasennii 'Select Blue' catmint. You can substiture blue flax for the catmint if you want to keep the bed native. Can't miss when adding blackfoot daisy, Ratibida columnifera (coneflower or Mexican Hat), gaillardias or calylophus. Add an  Berberis haematocarpa, algerita, for more evergreen and screening.

Maintenance

If planting in clay soil, amend for better drainage with inorganic amendments.

Prune back to a third every third year. It can be cut back even more severely if needed.