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 is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Tuesday - July 08, 2008
From: Houston, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Buffalograss for Houston
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Will 609 buffalograss sod perform well in Houston, Texas? I am being told that it will yellow and get filled with weeds and that it won't handle the humidity. Is this all true? Help, please.ANSWER:
Bouteloua dactyloides (buffalograss) should do just fine in Houston. In fact, the West Harris County Regional Water Authority cites buffalograss for its low water requirements compared to Bermuda and St. Augustine grasses. Buffalograss does do best in full sun (6 or more hours/day) and you will have to be diligent about pulling up and/or digging out weeds until your lawn is well established, but then it should be relatively care-free—you shouldn't have to mow it but once or twice a year and it will require little water. Buffalograss isn't ever as green as, say, St. Augustine and it will go dormant in very cold weather and turn brown. In Houston, that should be for only a short period of time, if at all. If your lawn has shaded areas, you would be better off planting something else for those area like a groundcover or sedges (see suggestions for groundcovers and sedges below). Please read our How to Article "Native Lawns: Buffalograss" and you might also like to read "Sedge Lawns for Every Landscape" by John Greenlee.We receive many questions about buffalograss and rather than repeat all the answers we've given, I refer you to the Ask Mr. Smarty Plants page where you can pull up these answers by typing 'buffalograss' into the Keyword Search slot.
Sedges:
Carex blanda (eastern woodland sedge)
Carex cherokeensis (Cherokee sedge)
Groundcovers:
Phyla nodiflora (turkey tangle fogfruit)
Calyptocarpus vialis (straggler daisy)
More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
Turf grass for a sandy site in central Texas
February 16, 2015 - I want to plant grass over an old sand volleyball court in our back yard in Bastrop, Texas. What is the best way to go? Adding top soil and buffalo grass seed or try St. Augustine?
view the full question and answer
TIF 419 Bermudagrass vs. Zoysia
September 03, 2008 - I'm currently faced with the decision to sod my yard with TIF 419 or Zoysia. Zoysia is double the price so my knee jerk reaction is to go with Bermuda. Proponents of Zoysia claim it requires less m...
view the full question and answer
Flowering native perennials for St. Louis
August 09, 2007 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
I'm trying to landscape a yard that sits on rocky clay soil in St. Louis, MO. The front yard has been difficult because of its brutal southern exposure - the afternoon sun ...
view the full question and answer
Landscaping on South Padre Island
June 07, 2008 - I'm in charge of landscaping at my beachfront condo in South Padre Island and find the wind, salt air, and heat challenging for growing almost anything. We would like to incorporate native plants, b...
view the full question and answer
Plant to stabilize river bank in Wisconsin
July 10, 2011 - We live along the Chippewa River in Pepin County WI and are looking for a blooming plant to help "hold" our river bank and also look attractive..it must be strong enough to take the spring flood.
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |