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
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Friday - April 06, 2007
From: Graham, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Turf
Title: Calyptocarpus vialis, Horseherb, for shady, mowable lawn
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
Graham, Texas, Heavily wooded. Too shady for St. Augustine grass. Need mowable ground cover near house. Have heard of something called horsewort, but not able to find anything about it.ANSWER:
The plant you heard about is probably Calyptocarpus vialis, Horseherb or Straggler Daisy. It is a very good choice for shady areas and does not mind at all being mowed. Some consider it a lawn weed, but for shaded areas where grass does not grow well, it is probably our best native groundcover.
More Turf Questions
How to control Yellow Woodsorrel in Habiturf?
March 19, 2013 - Last year we planted Habiturf in our front lawn and prepared the ground as directed with organic compost. This year we have an infestation of low growing yellow oxalis which we believe came in with t...
view the full question and answer
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...
view the full question and answer
Short native turf grass for Texas lawn
January 31, 2009 - I would like a native grass mix that doesn't get too tall. It is mostly sun with afternoon shade. Mowing wouldn't be a problem, but not necessary. The soil is pretty good but shallow.I hate the ber...
view the full question and answer
Grassy "weed" invasion in Bermuda grass lawn
July 09, 2007 - Our grass is being totally overrun by this weed.(I don't know what the name is but I do know it's not the dandelion weed or the thin grassy weed). It is Bermuda grass and I really don't know how to...
view the full question and answer
Watering schedule for sod lawn
November 23, 2008 - We just moved to Georgetown, TX, where we have a 2-month old sod lawn (NOT Zoysia) that appears to becoming fairly well-established. We want to conserve water for environmental and financial reasons....
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |