|
|
Post by circumspice on May 12, 2012 9:03:25 GMT -5
Hi there.  I usually go by the nickname Tita. I live in Central Texas on 6 acres of land. I've lived on my land for 2.5 years & have yet to develop it the way I envisioned when I first bought it. My land is mostly flat & treeless, except for what we Texans call "cedar" trees, which are really junipers. (I'm allergic to the dang things!) The few real trees I have are all located along a seasonal creek that runs along one edge of my property. What I had envisioned was xeriscaping my property with native perennials & self seeding annuals. I've been researching this for a couple of years in a somewhat lackadaisical manner because we always believe that there will always be time for something 'later'. Well, I've shaken myself out of my apathy & now have set some reasonable goals to achieve within a certain time frame. (I hope!) I am not new to gardening, but I am very much out of practice, after a very long hiatus. What I would love is some input from experienced folks who are familiar with the central Texas area. I need advice on subjects such as what type of native grass to plant for a lawn around my house. Grass that once it's established, requires little to no watering & almost no mowing. Same for shade trees and/or windbreak trees. (fruit & nut trees hopefully) I would love info on hedges or bushes that can be used as living 'fences'. Does anyone in the central Texas area know where I could find straw bales? When I asked for straw bales at our local Feed Store, they laughed in my face & told me to go to North Texas or Oklahoma to get them... That surprised me because this is cattle country & people should need straw for animal bedding, if nothing else. And deer are a terrible problem here. I have neighbors that hand feed a herd of approximately 18-36 deer every evening!  I have lots more questions, but I don't want to overload y'all & impose on everyone too much.  Thanks! |
|
|
|
Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on May 12, 2012 15:31:58 GMT -5
Hi circumspice, Welcome!
Don't worry about having too many questions, just jump right in. There are plenty of friendly people just waiting to answer any questions you have.
I dont know much about Texas, but the climate here is often dry and arid. The plant i would recommend for a dry area is Sand Lily (Leucocrinum montanum). I know it's not supposed to be an actual grass, but it is often described as having grass-like leaves. It is very drought tolerant and grows well in poor soil. It's interesting because i transplanted some into our yard, and it has since changed slightly. It looks VERY much like a grass now, and i am seriously wondering if it hybridised with the grass from our lawn. It still has the lily flowers, but later it grows a long pollen stalk like the other grasses. But it's a very nice plant. I think it would make an excellent lawn. The coloring is slightly bluish, which i think is common in desert adapted plants. I can't tell you if it would need mowing or not though. In the sandy desert areas it grows very small and low. But here in the yard with better soil and more moisture it grows very tall after a few years of getting established.
|
|
|
|
Post by raymondo on May 12, 2012 19:11:39 GMT -5
Welcome Tita. I'm a long way from central Texas so no help I'm afraid. Take a walk in some the wilder areas where you are to see what's growing. May not be native of course but should be well adapted. Good luck with your project.
|
|
|
|
Post by stratcat on May 12, 2012 22:47:58 GMT -5
Hi, Tita. Welcome to HG. Feel free to ask away. Plant trees. When Mom hit 65, we planted over 3OO trees. She's 81 now, and there aren't too many trees.  |
|
|
|
Post by circumspice on May 12, 2012 22:53:31 GMT -5
Hi circumspice, Welcome! Don't worry about having too many questions, just jump right in. There are plenty of friendly people just waiting to answer any questions you have. I dont know much about Texas, but the climate here is often dry and arid. The plant i would recommend for a dry area is Sand Lily (Leucocrinum montanum). I know it's not supposed to be an actual grass, but it is often described as having grass-like leaves. It is very drought tolerant and grows well in poor soil. It's interesting because i transplanted some into our yard, and it has since changed slightly. It looks VERY much like a grass now, and i am seriously wondering if it hybridised with the grass from our lawn. It still has the lily flowers, but later it grows a long pollen stalk like the other grasses. But it's a very nice plant. I think it would make an excellent lawn. The coloring is slightly bluish, which i think is common in desert adapted plants. I can't tell you if it would need mowing or not though. In the sandy desert areas it grows very small and low. But here in the yard with better soil and more moisture it grows very tall after a few years of getting established. Thanks for the reply keen! I would never have thought of using a Sand Lily for a grass-like ground cover!!! I'll have to try to find some. How would I plant some? How well does it cover? Do you have any other info about it??? That is why this forum is so awesome... People have knowledge to share & are so gracious about sharing that knowledge. |
|
|
|
Post by circumspice on May 12, 2012 23:00:55 GMT -5
Welcome Tita. I'm a long way from central Texas so no help I'm afraid. Take a walk in some the wilder areas where you are to see what's growing. May not be native of course but should be well adapted. Good luck with your project. Yup, we have some invasive species here that have naturalized all too well. The junipers I mentioned are one of the invasive species. Right now there is an on again/off again battle with ranchers & uninformed groups who want to prevent the ranchers from clearing the juniper from their land. It seems to be because of a small bird called a Golden Cheeked Warbler. It seems that this bird changed it's normal habitat to include the junipers as they have spread & infested the Texas Hill Country. The junipers take water away from native species & that is why the ranchers are trying to eradicate it. It looks a lot like the battle against kudzu. |
|
|
|
Post by circumspice on May 12, 2012 23:04:30 GMT -5
Hi, Tita. Welcome to HG. Feel free to ask away. Plant trees. When Mom hit 65, we planted over 3OO trees. She's 81 now, and there aren't too many trees. Oh yes! I do intend to plant trees. I just need some input on what is the most suitable for my area. My resources are limited & I don't want to invest in plants that may not survive & thrive. |
|
|
|
Post by Joseph Lofthouse on May 12, 2012 23:20:21 GMT -5
Yup, we have some invasive species here that have naturalized all too well. The junipers I mentioned are one of the invasive species. Is that Juniperus virginiana? Wikipedia says about it: "In many areas the trees are considered an invasive species, even if native." And then goes on a 4 paragraph rant about what a terrible species it is. Once upon a time I thought that I would help Wikipedia take a more neutral point of view towards so called invasive species, but it's a cause without hope: Too much effort for too little gain. |
|
|
|
Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on May 13, 2012 0:02:40 GMT -5
Well, i dont know if anyone sells seeds for it, but if so that would probably work. I dont think it's native to texas, but it's native to almost all the other western states, and i would think it would do well if it were introduced. I just transplanted mine from a dry desert area nearby. It likes to grow in the dry areas here, often with the cacti and the yuccas. It's an awesome plant, and after transplanting to our yard it has seemingly changed to look a lot more like a grass. I actually thought it was a grass until recently when i finally identified what it was. I always called it a desert lily. Once it's established it seems to spread well. Not much info else about it. Transplanting works well as long as you water it. Supposedly it produces a seed pod under the ground. Perhaps i could try and dig some up, but i hear it's hard to collect seeds from it, so i wouldn't hold your breath. Another grass you might look into is Indian Rice Grass. I'm not sure if it would work well for a lawn, but it too is often found growing is dry baren landscapes here. www.westernnativeseed.com/grasses.htmlwww.seedsource.com/ |
|
|
|
Post by circumspice on May 13, 2012 1:28:52 GMT -5
Yup, we have some invasive species here that have naturalized all too well. The junipers I mentioned are one of the invasive species. Is that Juniperus virginiana? Wikipedia says about it: "In many areas the trees are considered an invasive species, even if native." And then goes on a 4 paragraph rant about what a terrible species it is. Once upon a time I thought that I would help Wikipedia take a more neutral point of view towards so called invasive species, but it's a cause without hope: Too much effort for too little gain. Hi Joseph. Thanks for replying. I'm not sure which juniper it is... Could be either Mountain Juniper or Red Berry Juniper. It looks somewhat like a potbellied Christmas tree. It can have a single trunk or it can have multiple trunks. It spreads readily & rapidly, creating a nearly impenetrable thicket in only about 15-20 years. It is said to be a huge water guzzler. It is also highly allergenic. I am unfortunately very allergic to the dang things & I probably have a couple hundred growing on my little 6 acre homestead. In Texas we call them Cedars & we call the allergy "Cedar Fever". Cedar fever season lasts from about November to about January. (roughly, more or less) That is the time frame when my life is really miserable. Does any of this info help you identify this species? |
|
|
|
Post by circumspice on May 13, 2012 5:58:11 GMT -5
Well, i dont know if anyone sells seeds for it, but if so that would probably work. I dont think it's native to texas, but it's native to almost all the other western states, and i would think it would do well if it were introduced. I just transplanted mine from a dry desert area nearby. It likes to grow in the dry areas here, often with the cacti and the yuccas. It's an awesome plant, and after transplanting to our yard it has seemingly changed to look a lot more like a grass. I actually thought it was a grass until recently when i finally identified what it was. I always called it a desert lily. Once it's established it seems to spread well. Not much info else about it. Transplanting works well as long as you water it. Supposedly it produces a seed pod under the ground. Perhaps i could try and dig some up, but i hear it's hard to collect seeds from it, so i wouldn't hold your breath. Another grass you might look into is Indian Rice Grass. I'm not sure if it would work well for a lawn, but it too is often found growing is dry baren landscapes here. www.westernnativeseed.com/grasses.htmlwww.seedsource.com/Hey keen - thanks so much for the links! Now I have several other alternatives to consider. It's going to be hard to make a decision... |
|
|
|
Post by Joseph Lofthouse on May 13, 2012 7:58:03 GMT -5
Juniperus ashei (Mountain Cedar) and Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Red Cedar) both cause severe allergies to some people. Both are treated as invasive species even though they are native. Their traditional ecology got messed up by fire suppression and road building which created lots of fire-breaks. Ashe is more allergenic and is more of a central Texas plant. The red cedar is more common in Eastern Texas. I was in Austin for a week during Cedar Fever time. Uuugh!!!  |
|
|
|
Post by circumspice on May 13, 2012 18:56:05 GMT -5
I was in Austin for a week during Cedar Fever time. Uuugh!!! I've endured 29 Cedar fever seasons...  That's why I absolutely loathe them.  |
|
|
|
Post by Penny on May 16, 2012 6:24:42 GMT -5
Welcome!
|
|
|
|
Post by wolfcub on May 16, 2012 9:52:04 GMT -5
Welcome fron Vancouver Island!
|
|
I usually go by the nickname Tita. 
I have lots more questions, but I don't want to overload y'all & impose on everyone too much. 
Thanks! 
That's why I absolutely loathe them. 
