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
Friday - April 05, 2013
From: El Paso, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Xeriscapes, Groundcovers, Shade Tolerant, Grasses or Grass-like, Trees
Title: Replacement for shade grass in El Paso TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
We currently have a Honey Mesquite tree with thinning bermuda grass underneath in our front yard. I suspect that the filtered shade is killing the bermuda. I was thinking of planting Buffalo Grass, or better yet the Thunder Turf, to reduce our water consumption. I cannot find a good answer but are my suspicions correct in that the Buffalo Grass will not grow good under the mesquite either? Do you have any good suggestions for grass under this tree? Will another type of groundcover such as horseherb be the only solution?ANSWER:
Your Prosopis glandulosa (Honey mesquite) may not make a deep shade, but the shade and the tree roots will interfere with anything planted beneath it. You are correct, bermudagrass is not tolerant of shade; however, it is also non-native to North America and one of the worst invasive weeds of the South, so you will forgive us if we do not mourn the demise of the bermudagrass. You are also correct that Bouteloua dactyloides (Buffalograss) requires full sun, which we consider to be 6 hours or more of sun a day. Thunder Turf is a branded native seed mix from Native American Seeds. It also requires full sun. Researchers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center have developed a native grass mix Habiturf, which needs about 5 hours a day of sun.
More and more, we are encouraging gardeners to move away from grass or formal lawn, especially in drought-stricken Texas, and more especially, shady lawns. Here is a previous Mr. Smarty Plants answer that might point you in some good directions. From another Mr. Smarty Plants answer:
"We would suggest you consider putting something else beneath those trees and perhaps embark on a process of xeriscaping. From eartheasy, here is an excellent article on Xeriscape. Obviously, you do not have to do every single thing suggested for xeriscaping, but you can start small and work your way up. Without knowing exactly what else is going on in your garden, we would suggest covering the offending roots and bare ground with a nice layer of mulch. Please read our How-To Article Under Cover with Mulch.
A good quality shredded bark mulch will make a nice cool surface for the ground, sheltering the tree roots from heat and the sun, discouraging weeds from sprouting and preserving moisture in the soil. It will tend to scatter or decompose, sinking into the soil and making it healthier, over time, but it's an easy fix to spread some more on the area. And it doesn't have to be mowed. We had one letter from a homeowner this week that said they were so over grass, and we feel, in this hot, dry climate, that may be a very good idea."
From the Image Gallery
More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
Habiturf for Round Rock TX
March 17, 2013 - Topic Habiturf. We have just aerated our lawn. We were planning on throwing out bermudagrass seed. We already have bermudagrass as well as many weeds in the lawn especially the blue stem clump grass w...
view the full question and answer
What is Andropogon saccharoides?
August 06, 2008 - I am reading Roy Bedichek "Adventure with a Texas Naturalist" I came across a reference to sage grass (Andropogan saccharoides)p. 23. I searched the data base and didn't any infromation abou...
view the full question and answer
Perennial ground cover for hillside in Holmdel NJ
April 25, 2014 - I live in NJ. I would like to use a perennial ground cover for my landscaping bed on a hill with full sun and deer resistant. It's a good size landscaping bed that is facing east (southeast).
What...
view the full question and answer
Nimblewill grass for a shady area in Dallas
April 04, 2013 - i have a very shady backyard and reading some of your post I think Muhlenbergia schreberi (nimblewill) will survive.
Two questions:
Is it drought resistant?
Where can I buy the seeds?
view the full question and answer
Plants for slopes in South Texas
October 05, 2009 - Can you provide a list of plants for use on slopes in S. Texas?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |