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
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 - May 11, 2007
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Groundcovers
Title: Oxalis drummondii as ground cover
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
We live in Austin, Texas. A sunny, dry swath of grass (originally St. Augustine) has been invaded by pink wood-sorrel (a large-leafed, mounding kind). I love the wood-sorrel, and would like to use it as ground-cover between stepping stones (and eventually eliminate the grass). Can the wood-sorrel tolerate some foot traffic? And how can I encourage its growth?ANSWER:
Oxalis drummondii (Drummond's woodsorrel) is a pretty hardy plant and should stand some traffic, but probably not a great deal of it. However, growing between the stepping stones probably will work just fine. You should realize that the plants may go dormant in the heat of the summer, especially in full sun since they do like partial shade. This perennial blooms September to November and it will readily self-sow when the seeds are ripe. It is also possible to propagate them by dividing the bulbs and by moving established plants.
More Groundcovers Questions
Ground cover for burned acreage in Bastrop, Texas
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. ...
view the full question and answer
What will grow in red clay in Conroe TX?
April 10, 2011 - We just built a new home and the foundation was poured on red clay which is what my flowerbed area is in. Could you please tell me what can be planted that will grow. I am looking for ground cover, fl...
view the full question and answer
Flowering Shade Plant for California
February 21, 2016 - I have a house north facing that has a "flower bed" in front that unfortunately is shaded 100% of the time. There are roses in the bed currently (they came with the house) but they do poorly. We are...
view the full question and answer
Groundcover for primary school in Illinois
January 12, 2010 - I'm looking for a ground cover to plant on primary school grounds. It will need to be able to handle foot traffic. Is there anything that flowers and is a perennial? The area gets full sun and is b...
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
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |