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

Monday - November 02, 2015
From: Dallas, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shade Tolerant, Grasses or Grass-like, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Ground cover for a Texas dog run
Answered by: Guy Thompson
QUESTION:
What ground cover do you recommend for a residential dog run located under a pergola in high limestone soil at White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas?ANSWER:
Dogs, especially young, active dogs, can create big problems in the garden. If your dog run is in public view, care must be taken to make it look presentable. If possible, incoporate features where your dog can smell, urinate, dig, and rest as described in this website. This will keep your dog off the central surface area much of the time. I would recommend planting a grass that spreads by runners, such as Bouteloua dactyloides (Buffalograss) or, even better, a mixture sold as Habiturf. But grasses do not grow well in shade, so if your pergola is covered with a vine shading the ground for several hours a day, a non-grass would be preferred. Here are some natives to consider: Dichondra argentea (Silver ponyfoot), Ruellia humilis (Fringeleaf wild petunia), Calyptocarpus vialis (Horseherb), Dichondra carolinensis (Carolina ponysfoot) and Sedum nuttallianum (Yellow stonecrop). These should survive the heavy traffic that your dog may place on certain spots. You would do well to try several of these and see which ones thrive under your conditions.
From the Image Gallery
More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
Caring for a wildflower meadow in Austin, TX.
March 22, 2016 - We have a meadow full of wildflowers in the country, bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, etc. What can we do to promote continued growth and is there a certain time of year we should mow? Should we fe...
view the full question and answer
Native, full-sun, 4-in. evergreen grasses for Leander TX
November 07, 2011 - Help! I need a native Texas evergreen sedge/grass/ground cover for full-sun/hot/dry area between sidewalk and street. The plants will need to be kept about 4" high, if growth is higher it must be mow...
view the full question and answer
Native grasses for golf courses from Austin
October 06, 2013 - I may be working on two different golf courses and wanted to know if any native or hybrid native grasses would work for the fairways and rough areas?
The rough areas are no problem as a number of ...
view the full question and answer
Erosion control on partially shaded slope
November 27, 2010 - Mr. Smarty Plants,
I live in Atlanta, GA. My house is on a hill, and I am beginning to have erosion at my backyard porch (concrete slab, on the corners especially). The soil is mainly red clay, a...
view the full question and answer
Brown blade tips on Habiturf from Austin
June 18, 2013 - After carefully following all the directions, II recently planted Habiturf and it's growing well. After the first mowing, however, we discovered the top half of the blades turned brown. We have a pus...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |