Native Plants

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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 - February 18, 2009

From: Bossier City, LA
Region: Southeast
Topic: Groundcovers
Title: Native grasses for groundcover in Bossier, LA
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

What kind of ground cover can I plant on a slope that gets full sun?

ANSWER:

There are a number of sun-loving grasses that will do very well on the slope you describe. Grasses are the best ground cover for a slope because they have fibrous roots and will form a sod that holds the soil and keeps it from washing away in heavy rains or during irrigation. We are going to go to our Recommended Species, click on Louisiana on the map, NARROW YOUR SEARCH, and then specify "grasses" under Habit and "full sun" (more than 6 hours of sun a day) under Light Requirements and suggest some grasses from that list. You can do the same thing, making your own selections. At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, we recommend only plants native not only to North America but to the area in which the plants are being grown. Because they are accustomed to the environment, the native plants will require less water, fertilizer and maintenance to flourish. Follow each plant link to the webpage on the individual plants to learn more about their care and culture. At the bottom of each webpage is a link to Google for more information on that specific plant.

GRASSES FOR FULL SUN IN LOUISIANA

Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem)

Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama)

Muhlenbergia reverchonii (seep muhly)

Panicum virgatum (switchgrass)