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.
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.

rate this answer

Friday - August 03, 2012
From: Kensington, MD
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Buffalograss from Kensington MD
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Hi, I'm going to follow-up on the buffalograss question from Charlottesville, since it wasn't answered fully. I'm wondering the same thing: can buffallograss survive the wet conditions of the more humid East? I'm also in 6B near DC and worry it's going to be too wet here for buffalograss..or perhaps does it need similar conditions to other prairie grasses like panicum or prairie dropseed?ANSWER:
We are sorry we couldn't find the previous answer to which you referred, and that you considered it wasn't answered fully. About the best we can do is refer you to some research materials on Bouteloua dactyloides (Buffalograss). Since we are not sure just what information you already have, please bear with us if we repeat something. We have a How-To Article on Buffalograss that quite extensively makes recommendations on where and whether it will grow. If you follow the plant link above to our webpage on this grass, you will see that it is not native to the East Coast. From this USDA Plant Profile Map, with the exception of Virginia, it does not occur on the East Coast, which would probably indicate that you are correct that it would encounter more moisture than would be good for it. Also, as do many native grasses, Buffalograss requires full sun, 6 hours or more of sun daily.
As for whether it would require the same conditions as panicum or prairie dropseed, we found 9 members of the genus Panicum native to Maryland and arbitrarily chose Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass), which has medium water use and can get by on sun or part shade (2 to 6 hours of sun daily). However, it is by no means a turf grass, so we're not sure if that comparison counts. Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie dropseed) is also native to Maryland, and requires low water use, dry soil and full sun. Again, this sounds like buffalograss, but not like the conditions you are describing.
In summary, although we are still not sure what information you felt was missing from a previous answer (which we also couldn't find), we would have to say that buffalograss does not seem like a very good choice for the area you are living in now. When you have read the webpages on each grass and the article to which we referred you, you know all we know.
From the Image Gallery
More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
Erosion control in West Union IA
June 22, 2010 - Erosion control and native grasses/plants for steep, shady slope in northeast Iowa.
We are building a house in northeast Iowa (near West Union in Fayette County). The road that was graded to the ho...
view the full question and answer
Caring for a wildflower meadow in Austin, TX.
March 22, 2016 - We have a meadow full of wildflowers in the country, bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, etc. What can we do to promote continued growth and is there a certain time of year we should mow? Should we fe...
view the full question and answer
Hillside Erosion Control for Gainesville GA
August 07, 2013 - I have a steep bare hill and the runoff from it is heavy this year. I need help with a fast growing groundcover that will help control erosion and runoff. Planting on the hill is difficult because you...
view the full question and answer
Plants for steep slope in shade in Iowa
July 02, 2010 - I work for a small non-profit shelter here in Dubuque, Ia. that has a very steep slope behind the building that needs some sort of plant or grass planted to stop erosion. The slope gets little to no s...
view the full question and answer
Planting Habiturf in Houston, TX>
March 08, 2012 - First, I want to say thank you for such an informative site.
You say that the Buffalograsses tend to do well in drier and well drained soil. My house has a lawn that drops about 10 inches in about...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |