Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers Nan Hampton, Jimmy Mills and Barbara Medford to be the culpable and capable parties. Yet, others think staff members Damon Waitt, Joe Marcus and Philip Hawkins might play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Questions From Near You
Caldwell, TX
Vines free from cutter ants from Caldwell TX
What are some climbing vines cutter ants won't eat
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Caldwell, TX
Do any laws prohibit killing roadside wildflowers?
Is there any law or regulation at the state level that prohibits, or at least discourages, mowing or spraying herbicide on the highway roadsides before the wildflowers have set seeds or did we lose th...
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Gause, TX
Is Texas ragwort (Senecio ampullaceus) toxic to livestock?
Mr. Smarty Plants,
I have a question related to Texas Ragwort (Senecio ampullaceus):
I am concerned about toxicity to livestock as well as interested in natural control methods.
I was recentl...
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Rye, TX
Century plants spread through offshots from Rye TX
How do century plants spread? Are the little ones the babies?
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Lexington, TX
Scrub oaks dropping limbs in Lexington TX
We live in the country between Elgin and Lexington. One of our "scrub" oaks is dropping large limbs. On examination, the limbs have green leaves and they do not appear to be rotted. Do you think ...
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Lexington, TX
Soils for Central Texas wildflowers
Our family is moving to 40 acres near Lexington, TX with deep soil. Briefly talking to personnel at the Wildflower Center during Goblins in the Garden, I found that not all flowers in the Central Texa...
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Lexington, TX
Cotton root rot in Purple Sage, Leucophyllus frutescens
We had three Purple Sage shrubs in our front yard. They did very well for about three years and then this past year they just died. From what I have read they are pretty hardy so we are really stum...
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Lexington, TX
Pests on Fan Tex Ash
We planted a Fan Tex Ash last year on our property. It's doing very well, but there are a lot of large stink bugs, yellow jackets and red wasps on it daily. We cannot seem to find any information on ...
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Bryan, TX
Texas wildflower guide with every flower listed
Is there a Texas wildflower guide that contains every single flower that grows in the state? I have a few flowers on my land I haven't been able to identify because they aren't in the guide I have. ...
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Bryan, TX
List of plants with
Hello, Mr. Smarty Plants, I would like a list of all the plants which have been named for Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer. I would like to prepare this information for use at the Washington on the Brazos,...
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Bryan, TX
Source for mulberry trees from Bryan TX
I am looking for suggestions for nurseries from which I could purchase Red Mulberry or Texas Mulberry Tree.
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Bryan, TX
Death of lantana in Bryan TX
I would like to know what killed several new gold lantana in a single bed that died over the winter. They looked quite healthy last fall. I have several other new gold lantana that survived the wint...
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Bryan, TX
Plants named for Thomas Drummond
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, Please send list of plants discovered and named for Thomas Drummond.
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Bryan, TX
Stream Bank Erosion Control for Bryan/College Station
I live in the Bryan/College Station area and need a ground cover to abate erosion on the bank of an intermittent stream. The bank is shaded. Do you have any suggestions?
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Bryan, TX
Apartment Landscaping
I live in an apartment and have a small patch filled with rocks and an ugly plant I don't know the name of. I want to take out the existing plants and put something else in. It has to be hearty,low m...
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Bryan, TX
Fan-Tex ash tree roots a problem near house foundation from Bryan TX
DO I need to worry about Fan TX roots being a problem near house foundations?
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College Station, TX
Plants for a school garden in College Station TX
I need to plant some things in my school garden. Green plants and plants with some color. Hardly ever rains here. Please give suggestions.
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College Station, TX
Arguments for planting native grasses in College Station TX
I hear big ads about putting zoysia grass on my urban lawn but I would rather plant native grass, like Texas Bluegrass (for shady areas) and Blue Grama and Buffalograss grasses. What arguments can I g...
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College Station, TX
Using bamboo as a filter for odoras from a wastewater treatmen plant in College Station, TX
My wastewater treatment plant is considering planting bamboo to create a filter for odors between it and the neighborhood. Are there any native plant alternatives that would function as well (if not b...
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College Station, TX
Native plants suitable for clay soils in College Station, Texas
Where might I find a list of native plants suitable for clay soils in the College Station TX area?
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College Station, TX
Identification of heartleaf vine
Howdy!
I had a plant that I would like to replace but I don't know what it is, I was hoping you could help. It was a climbing vine with large (>6") heart-shaped leaves. The underside of the leaves ...
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