Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

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.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
1 rating

Wednesday - April 15, 2015

From: Glen Rose, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Grasses or Grass-like, Herbs/Forbs, Wildflowers
Title: Native Wildflowers and Grasses for Texas Acreage
Answered by: Anne Van Nest

QUESTION:

I recently purchased about 36 acres in Somervell County, Texas where cedar had been bulldozed and burned (many large spots). What would be the best native flowers or grasses to replant in that area? Land is recreational and not for grazing or farming. We would need something drought resistant.

ANSWER:

The best place to start your research is on the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Database.  This will give you a large group of plants to start your list. Put in the following search criteria: State = Texas, habit = grass & grass-like, duration = perennial, light requirement = full sun, soil moisture = dry. This search will reveal over 60 native plants.  Next do the same search using habit = herb. Now there are an additional 197 native plants to consider.

To narrow down the large list to native plants that grow well in your region, contact the Prairie Rose Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas. They hold regular meetings the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm at the Somervell County Citizens Center, 209 SW Barnard in Glen Rose.

Another option is to contact the Somervell County Master Gardeners and ask to be connected with a member that grows native plants. Zack Davis is the Extension Agent for Somvervell County. ·  Zach Davis, CEA Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension Service 1405 Texas Drive, Glen Rose, TX 76043 email, [email protected]

Phone: 254-897-2809

 

From the Image Gallery


Hedgehog pricklypoppy
Argemone squarrosa

Antelope-horns
Asclepias asperula

Butterflyweed
Asclepias tuberosa

Winecup
Callirhoe involucrata

Lindheimer's paintbrush
Castilleja purpurea var. lindheimeri

Lanceleaf coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata

Eastern purple coneflower
Echinacea purpurea

Engelmann's daisy
Engelmannia peristenia

Prairie verbena
Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida

Texas gayfeather
Liatris punctata var. mucronata

Blackfoot daisy
Melampodium leucanthum

Lindheimer's muhly
Muhlenbergia lindheimeri

More Grasses or Grass-like Questions

Plants for a bank too steep to mow
June 24, 2009 - Like the inquiry made in late June of 2008, mine involves a bank that is too steep to mow. However, ours is facing south. I am looking for a native grass, plant or groundcover. Any suggestions? ...
view the full question and answer

Drought-Tolerant Plants for Arizona
July 16, 2015 - Slowly turning south-facing lawn to drought-tolerant plantings with gravel paths. Mature Ponderosa and several blue spruce and junipers surround area. Grass area I'm converting with a few larger tr...
view the full question and answer

Non-native, invasive bermudagrass from Memphis TN
August 17, 2012 - I live in central Memphis and have well-drained clay soil. I have converted much of the front yard from turf grass to beds of native plants, which survive our hot humid without supplemental watering e...
view the full question and answer

Mowable grass to grow under pecan trees in Houston, Texas.
September 07, 2010 - I read your answer on grasses that will grow under pecans, but I’m looking for a grass that will blend in a bit with the rest of our St. Augustine grass yard. Something I can mow. Our pecan trees are ...
view the full question and answer

Need help with dying clumps of Cedar Sedge
June 24, 2015 - Carex planostachys. This grass was planted 2 years ago in light shade. It grew well until this year. Now some clumps are dying. Others in same area look fine. No insects can be detected. Why are...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.