Drought Resistant Grasses
Drought resistant grasses require less water than standard lawn grass.
During long periods of hot, dry weather, they are less likely to wilt in the sun and develop brown patches. While it is necessary to deliver some water to the lawn, you will not need to use nearly as much water as people who run their sprinklers every evening. Exterior Worlds normally builds a custom lawn sprinkler system that irrigates the lawn more efficiently—and cost effectively—than the retail systems you see in stores.
There are a several features that distinguish drought resistant grasses from standard lawn grass. One of these is growth rate. Drought tolerant grasses typically grow more slowly than other types of grass. Because of this, they use significantly less water over the course of a summer than faster growing species require. Normal varieties of grass have roots that only penetrate about 3 inches into the ground. Drought resistant plants have roots that go down as much as 12 inches. This allows them to draw much more from the soil without needing nearly as much fertilizer as the typical lawn.
Most garden stores sell several kinds of drought resistant grasses that have become commonly known. Zoysia grass, Bermuda grass, Tall Fescue, and Buffalo grass all feature resilience in the face of full sunlight, heat, and dry weather. While it is possible for you buy seed for some of these species and plant a new lawn for yourself, you will get better results in the long run if you let our team plant a blend of grass and ground covers in your yard. This will diversify the vertical impact of the ground level of vegetation and add color, leaf variegation, and texture to the base of your Houston landscaping design. You may end up requiring even less water on a regular basis to maintain such a lawn if we use ground covers that are themselves drought resistant.
It is also possible to find a number of native Texas drought resistant grasses that will work with a wide range of Houston landscaping designs. In addition to conserving water, native grasses have evolved a natural resistance to the diseases and insects that are resident in our area. Because they occur naturally in the wild, they are also weed resistant. The normal types of treatment that a lawn constantly needs to remain pest, disease, and weed free typically are negligible in yards where native grass species predominate.
Also, since many of these native Texas drought resistant grasses come from parts of the state that are arid or semi-arid, they can be grown in a variety of environments beyond that of the lawn itself. Many types can be planted as borders to hardscapes, grown in planters as part of an elevated grouping of ornamental vegetation, or used to add organic vitality to a gravel bed. They also stand up well to children and pets running over them, and they have proven remarkably useful in a number of eco-friendly landscaping projects we have done that feature a minimalist, modern, or contemporary landscaping design.
