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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Wednesday - March 05, 2008

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Assessment of Turffalo variety of buffalo grass (Bouteloua dachtyloides)
Answered by: Nan Hampton and Julie Krosley

QUESTION:

Dear Mr.Smarty Plants, Now its March 2008, and your trial installation of Turfallo has had a year to prove itself; I'm interested to know your opinion of Turfallo Grass. There are such good e-claims on Turfallo - what is your assessment for use in Austin?

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants asked Julie Krosley, our senior horticulturist, what she thought about Turffalo by now and here is what she said:

"Yes, the Turffalo has been in a year and here is what I have observed:

It is denser than other varities of buffalo and seems to compete a little better against weeds, though I can't say it is weed proof. I can't attest to the durability of the turf because we don't have a lot of foot traffic on it. I also can't attest to its drought resistance because we had a wet year when we put it in. It has survived fine through the winter with the cool temps and low rainfall though. Personally, I like the look of it, short and dense, but the jury is still out on it for me. Maybe after this summer (which is supposed to be hotter and drier), then I can give a better assessment. John Dromgoole over at The Natural Gardener has had it planted there for about 3 years now and he loves it, raving about it on his radio program all the time."

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Wednesday - March 05, 2008

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