Native Plants
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Friday - May 13, 2005
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Native, durable, drought tolerant grasses for Amarillo, TX
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Are there any kinds of native grasses that are drought tolerant, durable and able to survive heavy foot traffic, and native to the Amarillo, Texas area?ANSWER:
Buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides) meets all your criteria except "heavy" foot traffic. It is, however, durable and will tolerate "moderate" foot traffic. It also requires lots of sunshine and does not do well in too much shade. Buffalo grass is drought tolerant, requires little maintenance (mowing once or twice a year), and can be started from seed, from "plugs", or installed as sod. You can read more about creating a native lawn using buffalo grass in "Native Lawns" from the Native Plant Library. This article is a 3-page PDF-formatted article that you can download. You can search for Nurseries or Seed Companies in Texas that specialize in native grasses and wildflowers by visiting the National Suppliers Directory.More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
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