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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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Tuesday - April 23, 2013
From: Redondo Beach, CA
Region: California
Topic: Groundcovers, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Ground cover for heavily traveled walkway from Redondo Beach CA
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I am looking for a drought resistant ground cover that you can walk on. I live on a south facing, sunny corner lot, 2 blocks from the beach where people park and need to cross over to get to the sidewalk-any suggestions?ANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants is good, but our magic wand is at the shop. Please see this Previous question on a similar problem. You are basically providing a pathway to a very popular spot, the beach, and no one will care if they step on your lovingly placed plants. Most grasses are NOT foot proof and you would be constantly dealing with trying to water and weed, as well as replacing the squashed plants.
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I have seen nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi) both promoted as a turf grass and disparaged as an invasive pest. Do you have an opinion on this grass and whether/where/how it should be us...
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October 31, 2011 - The fire took 2/3 of the trees on my half acre in Bastrop County. It was mostly wild. What do I plant for ground cover? Do I plant native grass seed in fall? I want to keep it native as possible. ...
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