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
North Richland Hills, TX
Soapberry tree problems in North Richland Hills, TX
We have a small grove of soapberry trees. The city recently reconstructed the street and added a side walk which now sets as close at 1 foot from the nearest tree. Everything seemed fine until they ...
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North Richland Hills, TX
Looking for a shrub to provide shade to the west side of a home in Ft. Worth, TX
We are on a corner lot and are looking for a tall tree or shrub to block the west side of our house. There is only a 5 foot area space between the sidewalk and side driveway where we want to plant th...
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North Richland Hills, TX
Shrubs, groundcovers, and grasses for shade in North Central Texas
Updated (2009-10) information about shrubs / ground cover /grasses recommended for North Central Texas - Complete back yard re-landscaping under a lot of trees, shady areas, regular bermuda, St Augus...
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Richland Hills, TX
Native understory plants for shade under live oaks
I have large live oak trees in my front yard. I would like to start North Central Texas native landscaping under them, where no grass will grow. Do you know of some plants that would do well in ful...
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N. Richland Hills, TX
Small drought-resistant shrub for northeast Texas
I am replacing the formal hedge of hollies along the front of my house and was planning to use mostly Inidan Hawthornes, but now I'm reading that they are very prone to disease, are there any low gro...
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Watauga, TX
Shade tolerant groundcover plants for Tarrant County, Texas
I live in far NE Tarrant County (Ft Worth), TX and need a groundcover that can tolerate complete shade and poor, rocky, clay soil. I need mostly for erosion control, and needs to be relatively low
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Hurst, TX
Blueberries and non-native squash in Fort Worth
Blueberries in North Central Texas-Fort Worth In sun or shade? Got only male blossoms on my squash last year why?
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Hurst, TX
Grass for sunny Texas lawn
We lost our front yard(bermuda) last summer/fall due to grubs(we think). When and what type of grass seed do we do this spring to plant a new yard? We can't afford to lay sod. It's mostly sunny. We ...
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Hurst, TX
Lily of the Valley growing in Red River County, TX
Mr. SP, I just returned from Red River County, TX where I observed Lily of the Valley growing in a very old cemetery. Is this unusual for this area of the country?
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Hurst, TX
Replacing Weeds with Native Plants in Dallas Area
I have a large oak tree in my front yard and lots and lots of miscellaneous weeds (clover, chickweed, stickers, etc.). I am wanting to grow grass in my front yard, that is shaded pretty much most of t...
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Hurst, TX
Need Advice on Rescuing Winecups in Hurst, Texas
My grandmother's back yard used to be filled with the wild wine cup flowers, but they disappeared for years, due to (I think) flooding caused by runoff from housing development. Last spring I noticed...
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Haltom City, TX
Winter- and drought-resistant plant for North Central Texas
I would like to know is there a good winter and drought resistant flowering bush for my area. I would like something with bigger flowers like azaleas or roses maybe bigger, that will not grow anymore...
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Haltom City, TX
Partial shade plants for underneath ash tree in Tarrant County, Texas
I have a BIG Ash Tree in my front yard that blocks out most afternoon sun. I generally get morning and evening sun. I am looking for something to plant around the base of the tree so my yard doesn'...
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Haltom City, TX
Native plant list for Haltom City, TX
We're planning a native plant demonstration garden and need help. Can you email me a list of plants that will grow well in North Central Texas. We need to include those that will grow in full sun, sh...
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Bedford, TX
Wildflowers for sunny garden in Bedford TX
I live in North Central Texas around Bedford. I have clay soil which I have been building with soil to enrich the soil foundation.
I need a wildflower garden that receives at least 6 hours of su...
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Colleyville, TX
Environmental factors that affect lifecycle stages of maidenhair fern.
What are the environmental factors that can affect the lifecycle stages of a maidenhair fern, particularly A. trichorleopis?
Thank you
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Colleyville, TX
Oak sprouts in flower bed in Colleyville TX
We have a raised flower bed in our back yard that includes 2 live oak trees. We have a TON of shoots that keep popping up and make our bed look very untidy. My husband doesn't think the shoots are ...
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Colleyville, TX
Planting Purple Threeawn (Aristida purpurea) and Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Do you have information on planting Purple Threeawn and Little Bluestem? Also are there any inherent problems when planting…things to avoid, etc. Wanting to plant as ornamentals in the North Texas D...
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Colleyville, TX
Native plants for screen in Colleyville TX
My soil is pure sand that goes down as far as I can dig.
I am needing native plants to use as a screen, that grow to be 6-10 ft. tall. Also, since my plantings dry out so quickly, would it be helpfu...
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Keller, TX
Identification of purple wildflower shaped like a bottle rocket
Dear Smarty Plants,
the other day while driving north on 281 from San Antonio I noticed a purple wildflower that was shaped sort of like a bottle rocket, seemed to have leaves similar to verbena and ...
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Keller, TX
Possible invasiveness of non-native Eragrostis curvula
I have just moved to Keller, TX and am trying to establish a xeriscape plan for our property. I chose to plant weeping love grass as I learned it was a native plant and did not require fertilizing, a...
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