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

Saturday - August 04, 2012
From: Hillsboro, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Invasive Plants, Non-Natives, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Request for native grasses from Hillsboro TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
P.S. I forgot to mention one very important fact: my neighbor specifically asked for "native grass" recommendations. He thought he was getting a native grass recommendation.ANSWER:
We assume you are referring to this previous question. Unfortuntely, not everyone understands "native" the way we do. And even some native plants are quite capable of being invasive. It really is the responsibility of the buyer to ascertain the important components of any plant being considered. Many people think (incorrectly) that if something is sold locally that it is native locally or at least will grow locally. We are so fortunate to have the resources of the Internet now, where you can find out about a plant BEFORE you buy and plant it. Getting recommendations is always good, but once you have a name, go to the Internet and search on it. While we freely admit that we do not have every plant native to North America in our Native Plant Database, you can bet that if a plant is in that database, it is native.
More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
Resourses that are being taken away - Tiffin OH
April 03, 2013 - What are resources that are being taken away from humans and organisms?
view the full question and answer
Planting of Habiturf from Smithville TX
March 25, 2012 - Are Habiturf and Thunderturf the same?
and, how late in the year can I plant Habiturf?
view the full question and answer
Time to Plant Blue Grama Seeds in Spring Branch, Texas
June 11, 2011 - We would like to plant Blue Grama grass seeds but due to the hot weather with no rain here in central Texas, can we wait until September or even October to plant grass seeds? Thank you
view the full question and answer
Plants for a moist, shady spot in central Texas
July 08, 2016 - I am looking for a plant that will grow in almost full shade with plenty of moisture along a fence. We are looking at putting down some flagstone with possibly some moss growing in between, but we don...
view the full question and answer
Native grasses for traffic area in Austin
February 11, 2009 - What time of the year is best to plant grass seed in Central Texas? My lawn is in bad shape due to the drought and my dogs. I am considering replanting with tall fescue, do you have any comments or ...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |