Native Grass & Wildflower Seeding in Austin, TX

Native grass and wildflower seeding in Austin is for ground that does not need to be a mown lawn: acreage, back pastures, slopes, detention pond banks, HOA open space, roadside strips and the far corners of big lots. We hydroseed or drill native grass mixes, often with wildflowers, so the ground is covered with plants suited to Central Texas heat and dry spells. Homeowners on acreage, ranch and venue owners, builders with open space and public agencies all call for it.

What grew here

The land east of Austin was tallgrass prairie. The Texas Blackland Prairie once ran about 300 miles from the Red River to San Antonio, and less than 1 percent of its original vegetation is left. On Houston Black clay, its classic soil, the native cover was mostly big bluestem, sideoats grama, switchgrass, little bluestem and indiangrass. Those same grasses are the backbone of many prairie seed mixes today. West of the fault, the Hill Country's thin soils over limestone support their own shorter and tougher mixes, and the Austin area is known for wildflowers that bloom through the year, especially in spring, bluebonnets among them.

Buffalograss as a low-water lawn

Buffalograss is a native shortgrass prairie species that is used for low-water lawns and xeriscaping. It recovers from drought and grazing by spreading on runners. For homeowners who want something that looks like a lawn without the water of Bermuda, a buffalograss lawn or a buffalograss and blue grama blend is worth considering. It will not stand up to heavy shade or constant foot traffic as well as Bermuda, and it does not stay green through winter.

Why go native

The 2011 drought showed what dry years can do here: from October 2010 through September 2011, Austin's main weather stations got less than a third of normal rainfall. Native grasses are adapted to that kind of swing. Once established, many survive with little or no irrigation, need mowing once or twice a year instead of weekly, and root deeply enough to hold soil on slopes and banks. For land that drains toward a creek or sits over the aquifer zone, that deep, permanent cover does a lot of quiet erosion control.

Get a Free Estimate

Getting a meadow started

Native seed is slower than Bermuda and less forgiving of weeds. The first year often looks thin, with annual weeds and a few wildflowers, while the perennial grasses put down roots. Site prep makes the biggest difference: clearing existing weeds and Bermuda, a firm seed bed, and good seed-to-soil contact. On slopes and bare ground we hydroseed the mix with mulch so it stays put; on open flat acreage, drilling can be better. Expect the second and third years to look far better than the first.

Timing

Warm-season native grasses establish best once the soil is warm in spring and early summer, the same window as a Bermuda lawn. Wildflower mixes often have a different sowing window, and we follow the seed supplier's recommended dates for the species in your mix. When a project wants both grass and flowers, we may split it into two visits or choose a blend built for one window.

What it costs

There is no reliable current published price for a contractor-installed native meadow. The spraying itself costs about what hydroseeding a lawn does, but native seed is often more expensive per acre and prep can be heavier. We look at the ground, agree on a mix and put the price in writing.