In the fall of 1998 I finished xeriscaping our front yard with buffalo grass and drought tolerant plants. Everything planted will survive Utah's 16 inches of rainfall each year although I usually water the grass once a week in July and August to help keep it green. Knowing that buffalo grass (native to the high plains of the United States) does not green up in the spring as fast as water hungry Kentucky blue grass, I decided to plant some bulbs beneath the grass to add a little color in early spring. The first flowers to blossom are the snowdrops (above) followed by yellow, purple and white (in that order) crocuses. Later come the faster spreading grape hyacinths--the green mounds in the two photos below.
This year the deer sure enjoyed my miniature mugo pines on the left of the photo. Last year it was my poor blue Atlas cedar.
So does this mean you mow these fellas under once the Buffalo grass greens up and grows?
ReplyDeleteBY the time the grass greens up these flowers are mostly spent and so yes I mow them down with the first mowing (which is later than my neighbors' first mowings of blue grass.
DeleteLess water, less mowing, more color - what's not to like. I've done the same thing with my bluegrass/fescue lawn, only I use dandilions and bindweed blossoms.
ReplyDeleteI've got plenty of bindweed too. I'm convinced it all emanates out from one indestructible mother root in the center of earth
Delete