Welcome to our Plant Library! Dave and his staff share their years of experience trying out different plants, along with the maintenance know-how that comes from doing it all yourself. The photos and descriptions here will introduce you to some of the wonderful plant material we can enjoy here in North Texas. We hope you enjoy this handy resource.
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(Carex texensis)
Sedges, while not grasses technically, are great plants for shady areas where grass won’t grow. Texas sedge has a fine blade and short habit that makes it carefree–no mowing and very little water needed. It’s what you’ll find growing in native cedar elm groves all around the area. Slow to establish but worth the wait.
(Panicum virgatum)
One of the dominant species of our tallgrass prairies, switch grass is a deeply-rooted and highly ornamental grass. Usually bluish-green in summer and yellow in winter, but numerous cultivars have been bred by plantsmen (many in Germany, where our prairie plants are very popular). ‘Dallas Blues’ is very blue-green; ‘Shenandoah’ has reddish stems; ‘Heavy Metal’ is almost silver with burgundy seedheads, and so on. Although switchgrass is said to dislike heavy soil, it seems to do fine in our gumbo clay; it may take over if you give it sandy loam. A good plant for bar ditches and troublesome wet spots, it adds architectural presence to modern landscapes, and feeds a variety of wildlife as well.
(Melinis nerviglumis ‘Pink Crystals’)
An African tropical annual grass, this blue-green clumper is covered with bright pink bristles in summer which fade to white. Grows two feet tall and 15” wide, prefers full sun and even moisture. Great for pots as well as borders and mass plantings; can be overwintered in pots or will reseed if it finds a spot it likes. (Photo: Proven Winners)
(Nasella tenuissima)
A soft, fine-textured bunchgrass native to dry woodlands and rocky areas of west Texas and Mexico. Tender bright green new growth is followed by feathery panicles that everyone will want to touch as they walk by. Let it dry in tussocky mounds over the winter and then cut back in early, early spring. We like to plant daffodils underneath to provide a spring display while the grass regrows. By the time the bulb foliage is tired, the grass will have grown up to hide it.
(Muhlenbergia lindheimeri)
A native of the Edwards Plateau, big muhly is a beautiful blue-green bunchgrass that grows up to 5′ tall. Flower heads are large, soft silvery green, weathering to straw color in winter. Lovely left standing; you don’t need to cut this grass back every year if you just rake out the old flower stalks. Birds use it as nesting material; it makes a good native substitute for invasive Pampas grass. Full sun and very low water use.