Native Plants

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Monday - July 29, 2013

From: Odess,, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Soils, Watering, Grasses or Grass-like, Trees
Title: Native turf and trees for Odessa TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

What native turf and trees can I grow in my Odessa, Tx back yard?

ANSWER:

We will begin with the turfgrass. You probably already know that most of the non-native turfgrasses need far more water than is justifiable to spend on lawns in West Texas. This member of the Smarty Plants Team grew up in West Texas in the 1950's, so we know well the kind of water problems you have. We would like for you to begin with reading all the information and watching the video that you will find on this site: Habiturf, the Ecological Lawn. You will learn from that site that it is made up of three grasses native to Texas and to the Ector County area. Here are links to our webpages on those three grasses; please follow each link to read up on their growing conditions, as well as soil, sunlight and water needs. Next to those links are links to the USDA Plant Profile Maps showing the counties in Texas where each grass grows naturally.

Bouteloua dactyloides (Buffalograss) - Map grows naturally in in next-door Midland County

Bouteloua gracilis (Blue grama) - Map grows naturally in Andrews County

Hilaria belangeri (Curly mesquite grass) - Map grows naturally nearby

The fact that a plant does not show up on a county map does not mean it won't grow there, it just means it has not been reported to the USDA as growing there. Please note that all three of these grasses are shown to need "Sun" to grow well. We consider "Sun" to be 6 hours or more of sun a day. We will go on to list some trees for you from our Recommended List of Species for the Texas High Plains. Using the specifications list on the right-hand side of that page, we will select "tree" for Habit. You can run the same search, adding such specifications as leaf retention (evergreen?), desired ultimate height range, etc. We are assuming your soil and soil moisture will be the same as plants on the list because they have been selected for that particular area.

Cercis canadensis var. texensis (Texas redbud)

Diospyros texana (Texas persimmon)

Prosopis glandulosa (Honey mesquite)

Rhus lanceolata (Prairie flameleaf sumac)

Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii (Western soapberry)

Ulmus crassifolia (Cedar elm)

Now, we have finally answered your basic questions (why do the one-line questions always need the longest answers?) but we feel there is one more thing you need to consider. Remember we specified the turf grass Habiturf needed lots of sun. If you plant trees, as they grow they will cast more and more shade and their roots will need more and more room and water as they grow. Also, you need to measure the amount of shade cast by existing structures (like your house, fences, etc.). Since, if you follow the instructions for Habiturf you won't be planting the grass until Spring, and since we recommend planting woody plants (trees and shrubs) from November to January in Texas, you have a while to make your preparations and decisions.