Native Plants
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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.
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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
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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Lawn care?
May 10, 2009 - I had red yucca planted in my garden last May. They were trimmed back by my lawn care people last winter and currently seem to be slowly growing back. However, the red flower stalk is not growing ba...
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How Can I Replace my Lawn with Natives in Houston, Texas
January 12, 2011 - I want to remove the turf grass from my lawn and put in gravel and sand. I want to put in native and adapted plants that will attract butterflies and I want different native and adapted ornamental g...
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Invasive non-native Bermuda grass in lawns
July 30, 2007 - Hello Mr. Smarty Pants. My yard here in southwest Austin is the only lawn with Bermuda Tif 419 grass. I am surrounded by neighbors with St. Augustine. I upgraded to this hybrid Bermuda for a number of...
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Replacing a Grass Lawn with Moss
January 02, 2010 - I have a small north facing yard that I would like to change from grass to moss. There is some moss now but still lots of grass. I need to rake a lot of leaves in the fall but want to get away from a ...
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