Here is another picture in which you can see the corner I am talking about better.

One thing I did when we move into our home was take special notice of how houses with similar exposure were landscaped. I don't know Bakersfield well but I know two things that you might consider are how damaging the roots are of the plants you're thinking of (since you will be planting close to the home) and how waterwise they'll be.
Maybe a boulder or two for vertical interest and some of the larger ornamental grasses? They can be quite dramatic and are found in a number of heights, textures and colors... Although not sure how shady that spot is most of the day. Grasses like quite a bit of sun.

-Ming

I like the idea of boulders, But I am going to use them in other areas of the front yard. This spot gets afternoon sun only. When I google image the ornamental grass I see they can get very large. I don't want them to cover the window view, because it is a window in the sitting area. Can we control their width without damaging their look?
Looking at the corner again, I see 2 adjacent trellis fit very well in that space. So I think I should look more at climbing plants. But which plant can I use to cover the wall perfectly, go up and reach the roof?! (considering that it should tolerate the heat in Bakersfield and also survive with no sun in the morning)

Congratulations on your new home. I have gone through a similar experience. I think you really need to:

1) research native and adapted plants in your area. I wouldn't consider Bakersfield exactly "Southwest." You might try the California gardening forum, as it seems to be far more active than here. There are lots of good resources for this -- local nurseries, your library, your county extension, your master gardeners, Pinterest.

2) consider your watering needs -- will you have drip irrigation there, for instance?

3) Trellis and climbing plants would work, but you will probably want additional plants in front of them to fill in the place.

4) Look in your homeowner info to see if there's a prohibition against planting to close to the house. Mine has one.

This post was edited by Violet.West on Mon, Jul 14, 14 at 15:36

This is a website that has helped me with desert type landscaping if your interested in that and even has a vegetable planting guide.

Here is a link that might be useful: Desert Landscaping tips and idea