Native Plants
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Sunday - February 01, 2009
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Identification of native wild grass in Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I had some landscaping done in my yard in Austin. My aim was minimal care so I requested native Texas plants. I am plant illiterate and just now looking in the City of Austin "grow green guide" to see how to care for the plants. One plant I could not identify and looked up on the internet. It appears to be "Wild Oats" and it appears this is not a desirable plant and may take over my landscape. Do I want to remove this plant or is it okay to have in ones yard? If I leave it do I cut back the plant to keep it under control?ANSWER:
We're thinking, particularly since you requested native plants, that you may have Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats), which is good, they are an excellent native grass, good in shade or sun, low maintenance and attractive year-round. One of its common names is, in fact, "wild oats." Please follow the link above to the page on this grass and compare the description with what you have. We will add some pictures from our Image Gallery. If you still don't think that's what you have, perhaps you could take a picture, following the directions for doing so on the Mr. Smarty Plants Page on Plant ID, send it to us and we'll try to make the identification.
More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
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April 19, 2010 - Hello Mr. Smarty Plants -
I'm working on a fresh water, shoreline wetland creation project in New York State. I've created two zones of native wetland plantings, an emergent shallow marsh zone ...
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September 08, 2009 - Mr. Smarty Plants,
I'm looking for plants for a bio-swale in Southern California. Do you have any suggestions for plants that do well in water but can also can handle long dry summers?
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What flowers will ducks and swans not eat?
January 11, 2009 - I live by ducks and swans. They love eating my flowers.
Any suggestions on what flowering plants they won't eat?
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