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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

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.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

Not Yet Rated

Monday - November 07, 2011

From: Leander, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Groundcovers, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Native, full-sun, 4-in. evergreen grasses for Leander TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

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 mowed. Soil can be amended to meet plant needs. I searched the Q & A and plant description pages and did not find a plant that would live in the specified conditions.

ANSWER:

Gee, who doesn't? We can help you with several of your requirements, but not all of them. Allow us to introduce you to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's research on grasses well suited to drought, heat and sun. What we cannot do is offer you anything evergreen. Some of these grasses even go dormant and turn brown when it is very dry, but will persevere. Please read these articles about the grasses that have been developed:

How-To Article - Native Lawns: Buffalograss

How-To Article - Native Lawns: Multi-Species introducing Habiturf

Native Lawns - including comparisons on weed resistance

From the Image Gallery

Buffalograss
Bouteloua dactyloides