Native Plants
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Thursday - January 22, 2015
From: La Grange, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Xeriscapes, Drought Tolerant, Groundcovers, Grasses or Grass-like, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Plants for a sunny, sandy site in Central Texas
Answered by: Guy Thompson
QUESTION:
I live between La Grange and Schulenburg, Texas. My soil is sandy. Full sun, no trees. I am a senior citizen with limited funds who is allergic to Rye and Bermuda grass. I tried planting a lawn of just various types of mint plants but most of the mint has died and is not spreading. What type of drought tolerant ground cover or grass do you recommend for full sun and sandy soil about 1500 square feet. I read about Habiturf and the directions state it is NOT for sandy soil. I looked at Eco-Grass but am not certain it will live in the heat. Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated! Thank you for your time.ANSWER:
You can check through a list of plants suitable for your setting and choose those that seem desirable. I picked out a few from the list that seemed especially well suited. Bouteloua rigidiseta (Texas grama) and Bouteloua curtipendula (Sideoats grama) are grasses that do well in sandy soil. Low-growing forbs include Callirhoe involucrata (Winecup), Dalea greggii (Gregg dalea), Chrysactinia mexicana (Damianita) and Coreopsis lanceolata (Lanceleaf coreopsis). Somewhat taller-growing plants would be Asclepias tuberosa (Butterflyweed), Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii (Flame acanthus) and Ageratina havanensis (Shrubby boneset).
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