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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Saturday - March 17, 2012

From: Corpus Christi, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Seed and Plant Sources, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Purchase sources of Buffalograss from Corpus Christi TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I've heard a lot of good things about Buffalograss, but no one in my area seems to carry it. One grower actually told me it didn't grow well here and recommended St. Augustine Floratam instead. Is he just trying to make a sale, or is the Floratam a better grass for this area?

ANSWER:

In our How-To Articles we have articles written by experts here at the Wildflower Center, home of Mr. Smarty Plants. We want to refer you to these articles, which should tell you how some of the native grasses do in various parts of the state, and what their sunlight and shade requirements are.

As a side note, we cannot make recommendations on the St. Augustine Floratam. St. Augustine is not native to North America and is a water guzzler of the first order. With drought and heat a frequent condition in Texas, we are recommending native, low water use grasses to be used wherever conditions are appropriate. Most of them need more sun than St. Augustine, but much less water.

Native Lawns: Buffalograss

Native Lawns: Habiturf - the Ecological Lawn Under "Frequently Asked Questions" on this website are links to two suppliers of this seed.

Native Lawns