Kimm, up until the last two years - I would have agreed with you on the areas that nutsedge frequents. Here in the middle of the US it has become the biggest problem that we face daily. I have a very lush, green thick back yard and just this year it is becoming infested with nutsedge. Garden ditto, all neighbors - ditto. Every property we maintain has the problem to some degree now. Most gardens and landscapes unless thoroughly mulched 2-4" thick - ditto. Downtown Ditto. Farmers fields - some but not to the degree we are seeing in the city and semi rural areas. I don't like spraying chemicals, but only have two that knock it down for the season, and even then it seems to return the next year with a vengeance. I have noticed that in the last two years, the "nuts or tubers" as some cal them, are 5-10 times more plentiful than when we first started treating this pest 6 or 7 years ago. I'm at a loss. TiMo

When we plant "meadow/prairie" areas with Bermuda grass, we make sure to complete at least 2 grow kill cycles to prepare the soil. That involves making sure that everything is actively growing and spraying Roundup and spreading a pre-emergent. Bermuda grass produces an enormous amount of seeds if allowed to set. We let all that die and let a new round of weeds come up followed by another round of Roundup and pre-emergent. That is about all most people are willing to endure, although if I had my way I would complete another round. Each round takes about 3 weeks. Then we go in with native grass plugs leaving the ground untilled. If you till the area you will just expose more weed seeds. After about 6 months, the grass will be filling in nicely and you can heavily sow the wildflower seeds. There may be some bermuda grass that survives, but it is controllable by either roundup or digging it out. Just be careful with the spray. With these types of gardens, site preparation is incredibly important if you want to increase your chance of success.

You are seriously limiting your choices if you insist on natives. If you can drop that stipulation, there are dozens of good selections. As long as the ones you choose are not invasive in your area, I see no reason not to expand your palette. (Just my two cents worth.) BTW, I hail from Kingsport, Tn., so am somewhat familiar with your climate. Good ones I have grown here in Mississippi: purple muhly grass (muhlenbergia): This is my favorite for beauty, easy care, long season of interest, and ease of maintenance). When it blooms in the fall it will stop traffic, literally. Miscanthus varieties: Gracillimus, Morning Light, Rigoletto, and Adagio are all beautiful and low maintenance. They get pretty big. Their one fault is their need for division every few years. Since their root balls are massive, division is an extremely strenuous task. Still, they are unsurpassed for beauty, IMO. They can be expensive, but if you buy just one pot and divide it into equal parts, even small parts, they grow so quickly that you'll have all you want in very short order. Mexican Feather Grass: a truly lovely graceful small grass. It doesn't love my humidity or my irrigation system, but I would imagine it would do fine where you are if it is winter hardy. Calamagrostis is also a lovely grass. I have Overdam, which is a variegated one. In my climate it needs some shade, but I bet it would love your area.

I was considering trying some Deschampsia for a shady area that's full sun in spring, winter and fall. I read it doesn't like hot humid however so that sort of put me back into an indecisive mode. This is also a very dry area because of tree roots making it one of those challenging spots but I do wish I could find a grass for it. Deschampsia would probably need a lot of extra watering and I simply refuse to fight that loosing battle in summer EVER AGAIN. I had a brilliant idea this morning (even if I do say so myself) after looking out from upstairs down on that whole west side area for the umpteenth time in dissatisfaction---its the same difficult area I am considering the Deschampsia for only this area is further south where it gets sun for half a day. It also has tree roots making it dry and unfriendly and its given me fits for years now. I decided there is too much variety going down there and I need to simplify drastically. The idea--a whole bank of Little Bluestem. I figure since the best looking, bluest, stiffest Lil' BS'es are the ones I see growing out of steep sandstone outcroppings which look like solid rock, that this difficult soil just might make for some similarly vertical plants standing like stiff light blue soldiers. It means taking a lot of plants out but my newest motto is "Do not be a plant collector, it results in creating an overgrown mess". This motto has saved me a lot of money not to mention the time consuming ordeal of trading/mailing plants as exchanges this year. I got a big bag of potting soil and potted up over 40 Little Bluestem 'Blue Heaven' volunteers so far this evening and have them in the shade adjusting and plan to plant them and any others I find that have volunteered in a couple/three weeks when well rooted all along that side in one continuous BS mass planting. Heck, I keep admiring those mass plantings I see around the government buildings so why not do it myself???