Where do you live? Which desert? Is there ANY shade from trees, shrubs, fences, or buildings? These grasses will not tolerate any shade. Buffalo grass has the unfortunate characteristic of sending up seeds and flower stalks much faster than the grass grows. That makes it look shaggy about 3 days after you mow. Were you planning to mow? Were you planning to water it? Buff also has the characteristic of being thin and not spreading very well/fast. There is a variety called Turffalo which spreads like wildfire and grows very dense. It also has seed heads and flower stalks which grow at almost the same rate as the grass itself. It takes about 3 weeks before it looks shaggy. It does get a brown cast over it from the color of the seeds and flowers. Here's a picture. The grass in that picture was about 3 weeks since mowing. you can see that the grass in the front of the picture is in the shade. That grass was on the north side of a tree. It was significantly thinner in that shade than it was out away from the tree. Due to the density of growth, fast spreading, and the low seed/flower heads, Turffalo is unlike any other buffalo grass. Turffalo is a little expensive to buy, but since it spreads so well, you can get away with less than you think. If you have a small area, one tray of plugs would work.

Candace, These are the Dwarf Wax Myrtles. Not what one thinks of as a Dwarf. I've been working in that area so it's still ongoing. The one on the left is limbed up nicely, but then I lost the privacy that I wanted. I had planned to plant some Abelia Grandiflora until the butterflies won out. So, Rue made it instead. At least, it's the rent house next door while the other blocks the view from the street. So, I may have to live with that for a while. Of course, it could revert back to a shrubby bush if it is left unpruned. It just looks so much better cleaned up. The one on the right might just remain like it is as it does provide more privacy. The last photo shows that it was planted too close to the fence and has grown through it to some degree as well as growing over it. I don't think they mind. But, it's worthwhile to keep it off the fence. I haven't gotten around to any pruning toward that. But, I don't want it to get any heavier wood, due to time, growing there. This turned out to be a good resource with all the photos that everyone has posted. ExMontrose person here. I saw that you lived in Houston. At least, you get more rain than we do up here. Xtal Good luck on your planting. Be sure to take Before and After photos along with some progressive age shots... not only for your own reference, but to be able to share them here as well.

For as long as I can take it, and usually every day. Sometimes 15 minutes, sometimes 3-4 hours total, but that would be in several spurts with breaks, maybe a meal in between. That would include everything from pulling whatever weeds I see, to watering, to grooming/deadheading, fixing stray grass coming through a border, fertilizing. All of this stuff I really think of as puttering, not working, because I like doing it. Most of my perennials are shrubs or other plants that don't need much done to them. There are the occasional heavy chores that are actual work, but they're fairly rare and well spaced. I no longer have to do the mowing, so that's made a HUGE difference in time and effort spent elsewhere. I find this has me tackling more tougher tasks more often, trying things I wouldn't have felt like I had time for before. Awesome! But, I can't go at it like I used to in my younger years. I still get asked for my ID but if you look closely, you'll see the gray hairs, bifocals, arthritic thumbs. Don't think I'll ever acclimate to the oppressive heat down here although I prefer to live here. Thank God for A/C! Going outside in summer here is like going outside in winter up north. If you stay too long, it could kill ya.

I have a whole bed of them on the north side of my shop. The pretty much stay there. There is a pathway between their bed and the rest. True, They do not get much moisture so seeding is rare. I like it when it does . I move them to where I want them. FREE plants. They are drought tolerant (This is Central Texas hill top shade) but perform better on wet years. They died in thew Great Drought of 2011 but came back from seed like most of my unwatered garden. I like how they proliferate in the wild on large areas of the stream banks. Beautiful in mass when they have seed in the shafted light of oak trees.. I wonder if the drought ,heat and cold hardiness is a variable quality in the regional populations. I got my seed from the population need by from a stream that goes dry for years sometimes. If I was establishing a population in Burlington Vermont, I would get my seed from afar north as possible. I never buy prairie grasses from Prairie Moon Nursery in Minnesota, even though they are tempting. It might as well be a different country. To cold, too wet and that have dirt feet thick. (@Caroline O) As a landscape designer, you are probably not growing from seed unless you are doing or having someone do contract growing for you.