Native Plants
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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.
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Saturday - February 28, 2009
From: Hurst, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Turf
Title: Grass for sunny Texas lawn
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
We lost our front yard(bermuda) last summer/fall due to grubs(we think). When and what type of grass seed do we do this spring to plant a new yard? We can't afford to lay sod. It's mostly sunny. We have not treated the yard with anything. It's all clover & weeds at this point. Thank you!ANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants thinks that Bouteloua dactyloides (buffalograss) would be ideal for your mostly sunny yard. Buffalograss, once established, requires little water (less than the non-native bermudagrass) and very little mowing. Please read our "How to Article", Native Lawns: Buffalograss, for more information about how to sow seeds and prepare your lawn. You can obtain seeds from one of our Associates, Native American Seed in Junction, Texas. They offer a seed mixture, Native Sun Turfgrass, that is a mixture of buffalo grass (66%) and another short turf grass, Bouteloua gracilis (blue grama) (34%) that has many advantages—little water required, no mowing or fertilizer and no diseases or pests. You can also find a very helpful article, Planting Tips for Native Grasses, on their webpage. Early spring is the time to plant these seeds so you should begin your preparations now.
More Turf Questions
Supplier for native lawn grass for South Texas
October 20, 2009 - Where would I buy native lawn grass for South Texas? Would it be sod or seed?
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April 20, 2006 - Hi. We would like to reseed our lawn. It is currently St. Augustine. What would you suggest for a low maintanence, drought tolerant grass or ground cover. We would prefer to have something that do...
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Eliminating stinging nettles in lawn in Austin
May 13, 2009 - How do I get rid of stinging nettle that is dispersed through my lawn. It's not like the nettle pictures I see online - they are short plants and have narrow leaves - but covered with spines. Mowin...
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Need name of company with experience in Habiturf installation in Round Rock, TX.
January 24, 2012 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
I read the article about "NATIVE LAWNS: HABITURF™ A MULTI-SPECIES MIX FOR NORTH, WEST AND CENTRAL TEXAS"
Do you know any landscape companies/groups in Austin - Round Ro...
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Pine bark on non-native St. Augustine grass in Kingwood TX
May 12, 2010 - I had two large Pine trees cut down. In the process of cutting the trees down there is a lot of pine bark from the tree on my St Augustine grass. Will this affect the growth of my grass?
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