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
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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Friday - January 05, 2007
From: Pasadena, CA
Region: California
Topic: Groundcovers
Title: Alternative to grass as groundcover in area used by dog
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
I am looking for a beautiful groundcover to use instead of grass which need to be soft and animal friendly. My dog is in the yard a lot and she's 10 yrs old. I am looking for a groundcover which will be soft for her, easy to maintain and beautiful to look at.ANSWER:
Unfortunately, there is probably no plant, native or otherwise that fits your criteria: non-grass groundcover, dog-friendly, dog-resistant, and attractive. None even come close. While Bermuda grass and Zoysia grass are not native grasses, they are probably the most dog-friendly, dog-resistant groundcovers you will find that are suitable for your area their problems notwithstanding.More Groundcovers Questions
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Perennial ground cover for hillside in Holmdel NJ
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Removing St. Augustine for natives in Grapevine TX
September 29, 2012 - We have St Augustine in our yard and we hate it. It guzzles water, we have to cut it often, and it's thick and hard to work with.
Anyway, we want to replace it with a combination of some kind of g...
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Competition between Horseherb and Chickweed
July 04, 2014 - Ok, sorry I did it wrong the 1st time!? I live in Houston, and I have chickens! I also have mass amounts of Horseherb, and I want to buy some chickweed seeds and plant it for my chickens! My question ...
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Plant ID at Wildflower Center from Waco TX
June 18, 2012 - I was at the Center last weekend and no one was able to answer these two questions: 1. Where can I buy Silver Ponyfoot groundcover? 2. What is the name of the plant with coral blossoms in front of...
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