Explore Plants
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.
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
rate this answer
Tuesday - May 17, 2005
From: Marietta, GA
Region: Southeast
Topic: Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Wildflower meadow on former cattle pasture in North Carolina
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
We have purchased approximately 7 acres of land in North Carolina. A neighbor has been using the land for grazing his cows, but I hope to plant it with wildflowers once we've built a small house. Which plants should I consider and what will be my best plant to convert from the grasses the cows have been eating to a flowering field? I hope to plant at least 5.5 of the acres in native plants and grasses.ANSWER:
To begin, i suggest you visit the Native Plant Library to find an article called "Wildflower Meadow Gardening". This is a 3-page PDF-formatted article that you can download. It has lots of information about preparing and planting your wildflower meadow. Another article in the Native Plant Library that is relevant to your project is "Large Scale Wildflower Planting." On the Regional Fastpacks page, you can select the "Recommended Native Plant Species List" for the Southeast to download as a PDF-formatted file. The list has a column that gives the specific states for each plant. It also is divided into plant groups: Ferns, Grasses, Shrubs, Trees, Vines, and Herbaceous (wildflowers). There is a column for both the scientific and the common name, and a column with comments on the average height of the plant, the bloom color and period, and the ideal light and moisture requirements. Since the "Wildflower Meadow Gardening" article recommends that the makeup of your meadow be 50-80% grasses, you can start by looking at the 14 grasses on the list for North Carolina. You can narrow the list by choosing grasses with growing conditions that best suit your land. You can also see pictures and get more information about each plant by doing a search by scientific or common name on the Native Plants Database. This list also contains herbaceous wildflowers that are suitable for North Carolina. To find sources for native seeds and native plants for the region, visit the National Suppliers Directory.The North Carolina Native Plant Society also has a list of recommended plants to use for landscaping, as well as a list of invasive plants to avoid and a list of sources for purchasing native plants and seeds.
More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
Native grass mix suitable for Houston
December 10, 2009 - Do you have a native grass mix that is appropriate to the Houston area- or will the one you have developed to this point work as well here as it does in Central Texas? If not, when will you begin to ...
view the full question and answer
Native grasses for medians in Colorado Springs
June 11, 2010 - Our city has stopped watering our historic landscaped medians due to severe budget shortfalls. The medians were historically tree boulevards but have had curb and gutter and blue grass added over th...
view the full question and answer
Plants for a pool fence in Ohio
October 28, 2010 - I live in Ohio and have a pool with a white vinyl fence. Each year I plant sunflowers around it, but they are so messy when the birds/bees find them. Previously I planted castor beans, however, they...
view the full question and answer
Possibility of using weeping love grass on property in Keller, Texas
April 19, 2008 - What do you know about "Weeping Love Grass"? We have heard that it does not require watering (once the roots are established, fertilizing, nor frequent mowing. So we decided to plant it on our 2-a...
view the full question and answer
Native plants for morning sun in Pembroke MA
October 07, 2009 - Could you please suggest native groundcover,plants/shrubs/grasses for eastern facing slope which gets morning sun? It is my front yard which slopes down toward driveway so it would be a major focal po...
view the full question and answer
 |
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends. |
