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David Salman, President/
Chief Horticulturist
Kerry Kirkpatrick, Editor
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 Please, resist with all your might, the urge to simply rip out the thirsty grass and replace it with gravel. Take a deep breathe and repeat several times; “I will not zero-scape, I will not zero-scape."
The Beauty and Benefits of Native Grass Lawns
by David Salman
Substantial Water Savings
 One of the primary objectives of a well planned xeriscape (waterwise) landscape is to limit the amount of high-water turf grass. Given that Kentucky bluegrass requires over 48 inches or more of water during a typical growing season, substituting xeric native grasses like Buffalo and Blue Grama results in substantial water savings.
Please, resist with all your might, the urge to simply rip out the thirsty Kentucky bluegrass and replace it with gravel. Take a deep breathe and repeat several times; “I will not zero-scape, I will not zero-scape.
What is Buffalo Grass?
 Buffalo grass is a highly practical and attractive native grass that is less thirsty than Kentucky Blue Grass. Buffalo grass is a warm season grass, greening up in mid- spring and going dormant in late fall. It is very drought tolerant and has soft, comfortable-to-walk on blades, needing only several inches of water per month during hot weather.
Buffalo grass is well suited to poor soils but is recommended for altitudes lower than 5,500 to 6,500 ft. elevation and with longer growing seasons. 'Legacy' Buffalo grass loves summer heat and is most water thrifty in clay soils. Blue grama is a little more xeric than buffalo grass especially in sandy soils. Ample soil amendments help 'Legacy' buffalo grass plugs fill in more quickly and make a lusher, more robust lawn. 'Legacy buffalo grass was developed specifically as a lawn turf grass and makes a dense turf type lawn. 'Hachita' Blue Grama grass plugs also makes a nice lawn or wildflower meadow (in which to plant prairie perennials).
 Buffalo grass is best planted with plugs. Plugs are the most economical way to go when planting Buffalo grass. Buffalo grass seed is very difficult to germinate evenly, and the sod is very expensive. View Buffalo Grass Plugs
One of the advantages of native grasses such as buffalo grass is they don’t have to be mowed, but can be if a more manicured look is preferred. Even if mowing is desired, the frequency might be once a month. If you choose to leave the grass uncut, it’s a good idea to mow it once in the early spring to remove the old growth and allow the new growth to be visible. This is much the same effect as grazing, which would have occurred naturally.
 Also, if left uncut, a buffalo grass lawn will have a soft appearance and look nice if accented with some drought tolerant perennials to create the appearance of a short grass prairie.
More about creating a grass prairie below.
When You Receive Your Plugs
Remove the plug flats from the shipping boxes and water the plugs if dry. (When watering, note that plugs on the outside edges will dry most quickly and may need more frequent watering than plugs in the center.)
It’s OK to water only the outer plugs if the center plugs are still moist). Place the flats outside in a spot that receives morning sun / afternoon shade until you are ready to plant.
 We highly recommend using Zeba Root Dip when planting your grass plugs. Our Root Dip will reduce the water and time required to establish your lawn. Just mix with water and dip your plugs into the Root Dip as you plant. Root Dip results in higher plant survival rates and consistently higher quality plants, saving plugs from drying out while they get established. 1 oz. will treat 1000 plugs.
Choose the right grass for your region. click here
Maintaining a Native Grass Lawn
 Keep your native meadow and native turf grass healthy and vigorous by improving the soil with organic native grass food and soil treatments such as Soil Mender Turf Mate and Revive. Traditional lawn fertilizers go heavy on the nitrogen (and herbicides) that leave the soil compacted and depleted of humus, earthworms and beneficial soil microbes. Instead, build the soil under the grass with the Turf-Mate superior blend of compost, alfalfa meal and humate, and watch your native grass thrive with less care and irrigation.
During the summer months, irrigation water need only be applied during hot, dry spells. Typically in Santa Fe, a deep soaking every two weeks keeps the grass lush and green. Mowing will be infrequent. View all Lawn Care products
 When grown as prairie (see below), a fall cutting will allow your spring-blooming wildflower tulips and crocus to stand out. When grown as lawn, a monthly mowing will keep things tidy. Fertilize Blue Grama and native grass meadows once in the fall to encourage strong root growth and fortify the wildflowers and bulbs. ‘Legacy’ Buffalo grass likes more nitrogen and should be fertilized in the fall and again in late spring.
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| I got the system designed and delivered from DripWorks and it was all under $300! Simple tools and simple to install. I had the entire thing done in one day. This will be a life saver this year! --Patty Moreno, Host of the The Garden Girl TV website
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Create a Native Grass and Wildflower Meadow
by David Salman
See David Salman on HGTV's Gardening by the Yard on June 7th, 2009
 Native grasses can be kept cut and groomed just like traditional lawns, or used to create a low-maintenance short-grass prairie. A large assortment of colorful, xeric wildflowers can be planted to grow in harmony with the Native Grasses.
Many varieties of deep-rooted native perennial wildflowers and ornamental clump grasses can be inter-planted in buffalo or blue grama grass to create a low maintenance wildflower meadow. Wildflowers are most easily established after the grass plugs have taken hold and are being watered weekly or less frequently. Perennial wildflowers that work well include:
For the Western US, these wildflower seed mixes are perfect for planting with native grasses:
 Native grasses like Little Blue Stem (Schzachrium) and Llano Indian Grass (Sorgastrum) are beautiful when grouped informally into native turf grasses.
For beautiful Spring color before the grass greens up, xeric spring-flowering bulbs can be inter-planted to spread and naturalize themselves in the lawn. See our new fall catalog (order your free print copy here) online June 24, for a complete listing of naturalizing wildflower bulbs for native grass lawns.
Low-care Prairie Gardens
Prairie landscapes are easy to recreate and need little special care once the plants are established. Tough prairie plants survive periods of drought and harsh winters. They also comprise quite a diverse combination of shrubs, grasses and flowering perennials.
 'Hachta' Blue Grama Grass is the predominant short prairie grass through much of the western United States. The blades remain quite short, but the little seed heads that resemble eyebrows grow from 12 to 18 inches high. Grama grass greens up during warm months and is easy to grow from seed or plugs.
‘Hachita’ seed is very easy and quick to germinate. Seeding Blue Grama is also a very economical way to cover larger areas. We recommend 4 lbs. of seed per 1000 sq. ft. Preparation of the area to be seeded is just like preparing for plugs. Seeds can be sown beginning in late spring/early summer when night temperatures reach 60 degrees F and continue through the summer.
 For a fairly large area, intersperse taller grasses and perennials into Blue Grama once the seed has sprouted and gotten established. Once established, a prairie garden will change from year to year as grasses and perennials drop seed and produce new plants.
Dalea purpureum ( Purple Prairie Clover) is a prairie wildflower that endears itself to everyone who sees it in flower. Purple Prairie Clover is a heavy bloomer. The intensely red-violet flowers punctuate the stiff, upright stems, adding a nice structural element to the garden. Being a deep-rooted legume, Purple Prairie Clover adds valuable nitrogen to the soil and helps keep it fertile for neighboring plants. Well adapted to many different soil types, even tolerating clay.
 Another favorite, Salvia azurea
Prairie Sage is an unusually xeric, clear blue colored form of the lovely Prairie Sage grown from seed David Salman collected from a patch of short grass prairie just east of Santa Fe, NM. The flowers of this collection are as blue as the NM sky on a September afternoon. These plants are strong stemmed, upright growers that flower for over a month beginning in early fall and are found growing in alkaline clay-loam.
View more beautiful praire wildflowers
Plants are selling out for Spring! Order Now
Huge Plant Sale - 25% Off until June 21st.
(Excluding cacti & succulents. Buffalo grass is 20% Off)
Standard Shipping for perennial plants ends June 21. You can choose a Cool Air Express shipping upgrade from now until June 23rd. Buffalo Grass plugs, seeds, cacti, succulents, and garden goods ship all summer. Fall shipping of perennials and bulbs begins August 24th. Internet Only Sale, not available at our retail stores.
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