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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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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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!

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Thursday - May 31, 2012

From: Manor, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Planting, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Putting in native grass in June in Manor TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

We are moving into a new-built house in the middle of June. We opted to not have them put in Bermuda grass as we wanted to seed a native mix. From my understanding, mid June will be too late to start a lawn from seed. What are our options for ground cover until the fall when we can plant rye grass? I don't want to be stuck with an all dirt backyard for a long period of time. Thanks.

ANSWER:

Actually, our Habiturf expert has said that a native grass lawn can be planted in the Summer, with some care. We will link you to all the information we have on Habiturf, including a video on preparing the soil for seeding.

Habiturf with Video

Habiturf - The Ecological Lawn

Research on the Ecological Lawn