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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Tuesday - July 21, 2009

From: Corpus Christi, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Meadow Gardens, Planting, Propagation, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Need native grasses to re-introduce on land in Live Oak County, Texas.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

How do I find out what type of grass is native and how to reintroduce it (once we get some rain)? The area is southern Live Oak County approx 10 miles north of Orange Grove TX, about 2 miles from Lake Corpus Christi; rural -- 6 acres; half cleared of everything except mesquite trees (plus st augustine that previous owner planted; half natural -- mesquite, huisache, cenizo, acacia and yet to be identified bushes??? Soil seems to be fairly sandy. Thanks for your time.

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants can help with everything except the rain!

For native grasses, go to the Recommended Species page and and click South Texas on the map. Then go to the NARROW YOUR SEARCH box on the right side of the page. Select Texas under STATE, Grass/Grass-like under GENERAL APPEARANCE,and Perennial under LIFE SPAN. Check Sun for LIGHT REQUIREMENT, and Moist for SOIL MOISTURE. Scroll down and click the Narrow your search button, and you will get a list of 5 commercially available native plant species suitable for planned landscapes in South Texas. Visit our Suppliers Directory to locate businesses that sell native plants or seeds or provide professional landscape or consulting services in this state.

Next I am going to refer you to our How to Articles page and direct you to three articles that will address different aspects of the project you are undertaking.

Getting Started

Meadow Gardening

Recreating a Prairie