Native Grass Seed Mixes

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Mix

• Still in development, a lawn mixture consisting of Buffalo and blue grama grasses plus a group of other species is being tested at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. These species are native to the Great Plains area of North America. Both Buffalo alone and mixed with blue grama give superior weed resistance and have greater leaf density than Bermuda grass, a popular lawn variety. Researchers are aiming for a lawn that conserves water, stands up to foot traffic, is disease-resistant and grows well in central Texas.

The Fire-Resistant Mix

• Researchers at Colorado State University have developed guidelines for grass mixes that can reduce the risk of wildfire damage. These include some non-native grasses that can establish turf more quickly than natives. All native mixes can be used but will take up to three more years to mature.

  Native grasses recommended for moist or northerly exposures include Arizona fescue, Western wheatgrass, streambank wheatgrass and Indian ricegrass, each at a quarter of the mix. For all exposures, blue grama is added and the percentage of each is a fifth.

A High Mountain Mix

• Both blue wildrye and mountain brome are perennial bunch grasses native from Alaska down to Mexico. Alpine bluegrass is common throughout the northern hemisphere in subalpine to Arctic habitats. Idaho fescue is common in many ecosystems of western North America. Tufted hairgrass is native to both coasts of North America as well as Eurasia.

A Southwest Mix

• Blue grama, sideoats grama and sand dropseed are native over a wide area of the U.S., adaptable grasses that grow well under a variety of conditions. Plains bristlegrass is native to the southern plains of the U.S., while alkali sacaton is a desert grass that tolerates the alkaline soils common in those areas. Indian ricegrass is another desert grass native from British Columbia south to Texas.