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.
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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 - April 28, 2012
From: Poolville, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Groundcovers, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: New gardener on lawn for Poolville TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I have never had the opportunity to have a nice yard until recently when I got married. My husband loves a nice yard and we have worked very hard and put in hours of work. We are learning by trial and error. I am certain we have a lot to learn yet. My question is, since I think the foundation is the most important part of a nice yard what are the steps I need to take to get the grass healthy and thick? I live in sandy, central Texas and our 1 acre yard has lots of Bullneddle and weeds.ANSWER:
First, let's talk about what's in your yard now. From Flora of the Rolling Plains, here is an article about Texas Bull-Nettle. We hope you have invested in a pair of sturdy leather garden gloves.
There are several unanswered questions from your e-mail. First, what is the sunlight situation? If you have 6 hours or more of sun where you want your lawn, that simplifies matters some. If you have part shade (2 to 6 hours of sun a day) or shade (less than 2 hours of sun) native grass is going to be a challenge.
Before we start getting into detail, can we suggest you read some of our How-To Articles and previous Mr. Smarty Plants questions that might help you make the decisions about the early steps:
Native Lawns: Habiturf - The Ecological Lawn Note this phrase from the first part of that webpage:
"The Wildflower Center has developed a mixture of native grass species that works well in dry regions of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. Here are instructions for establishing a native lawn for these climates." We believe that Parker County, in north Central Texas, would probably qualify.
You need to consider how to get rid of what is already there, and would inhibit attempts to establish any lawn. Read this article on Solarization from About.com: Landscaping. This, if you have a full sun yard, should be the first project. This only works if you are doing it in hot weather and using a clear plastic, to permit the heat of the sun to basically cook the offending weeds.Be sure and read carefully the whole article on the Habiturf, because planting it involves far more than just sprinkling seeds, but it will pay you back in lower costs for watering and maintenance.
Since you are a new gardener, we would like for you to read some more How-To Articles that will help you get off on the right track:
A Guide to Native Plant Gardening
Caring for your New Native Plants
Addressing Texas Invasive Plants
These should get you started and maybe when you have made your lawn decision you can get back to us and we'll help you find appropriate plants in our Native Plant Database.
More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
Short to Medium Height Grasses for Iowa
January 20, 2011 - What short to medium height native grass can be planted in late fall at the same time I sow my wildflower seed?
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Non-native zoysia and bermuda grasses in Austin
July 11, 2013 - We have Bermuda grass in the front and Zoysia in the back yards. The back grass is fine but the front yard Bermuda isn't. We have watered once each week during the spring and during the past 3 weeks...
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Native grasses or sedges for a border in Texas
August 12, 2011 - I am in the process of gradually replacing some of my landscaping in Dallas Texas with native Texas plants. Your website has been very helpful.
I now wish to replace a liriope border, which has cro...
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Landscaping large area in Webster KY
February 10, 2012 - We just bought a house that we fell in love with. The land around it . . . well it has GREAT potential but is seriously lacking at the moment. Trying to get the farm up and running leaves very litt...
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Evergreen ground cover for San Antonio
August 03, 2011 - Is there a short, evergreen, drought tolerant ground cover which will tolerate light traffic that can be used instead of grass? San Antonio, Texas
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