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
Poolville, TX
New gardener on lawn for Poolville TX
I have never had the opportunity to have a nice yard until recently when I got married. My husband loves a nice yard and we have worked very hard and put in hours of work. We are learning by trial a...
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Springtown, TX
Propagating magnolias from Springtown TX
I am trying to find out how to plant Magnolia tree seeds and what has to be done with them prior to planting, if anything and what type of soil to use.
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Springtown, TX
Identity of a plant that may be a horse apple (Maclura) in Springtown, TX.
I have a tree that I think is a crab apple, however, I can't find it in any collection on internet. The fruit looks like light green colored apples, however, they are very hard and very course textu...
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Runaway Bay, TX
Ground cover for a sunny hillside in TX
For many years I have had two beds of English Ivy under medium size pine trees. Home is on a hillside, moderately rocky. Last Spring my yardman persuaded me to severely trim lower limbs of the pines t...
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Weatherford, TX
Plants for shady courtyard classroom garden in Weatherford, TX
I am wanting to create an outdoor classroom area in the courtyard of my school. The courtyard is enclosed by all four sides and the building is two stories high. It does not receive much sunlight. Mos...
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Weatherford, TX
Care in planting native Shumard oaks
I am going to plant 3 shumard red oaks on the west side of my property. The land is basically rocky. What should I put in the holes to help the tree grow?
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Weatherford, TX
Replanting a Desert Willow
My desert willow was damaged badly in a winter storm and had to be taken down. Do I need to remove the old root system below grade when I plant a new desert willow?
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Weatherford, TX
Flowering plant for gravesite in Weatherford TX
I want to plant flowering plant of some kind at parent's grave site in Weatherford, TX. The family cemetery is on a limestone hill with no irrigation or ability to water other than nature. Would on...
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Weatherford, TX
Identification of a vine with red berries in Weatherford, Texas
I have found a vine with red berries that I would appreciate an ID for. How can I send you a photo or two of it?
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Weatherford, TX
Viability of Texas madrone tree in Weatherford, TX
I live in Weatherford, Texas (Parker County). Will a Madrone tree make it ok here and who sells them?
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Weatherford, TX
Smarty Plants on seed balls
Do you have the recipe for Wildflower Seed Balls? It's where you mix dry wildflower seeds, compost, red clay, and water to form a seed ball and then you throw it. I think the ratio is 1 part seed, ...
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Weatherford, TX
Lookink for bulbs of German Blue Bells in Weatherford, TX.
I am searching for a plant that is called "German Blue Bells". They are tubular as seed. Like tiny iris only bands around the tubular. The flower looks like a morning glory with an off set bloom....
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Weatherford, TX
Sun loving plants for flower bed by the pool in Weatherford Texas
We have a 40' long x 2 1/2' wide flowerbed along our pool. It is in full sun with the pool deck across the front and a 6' privacy fence across back. Also, the level of the bed is 18" below the l...
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Weatherford, TX
Plant identification in Parker County, Texas
Hi. Growing alongside a country road, here in Parker County I photographed what I thought might be cardinal flowers. However, in searching books and on the net, I cannot find any quite like these. ...
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Weatherford, TX
Effect of unusual wet weather on desert willows
I live in North Central Texas and have 3 beautiful Desert willow trees that are usually in full bloom. I've kept them pruned to form a nice full tree shape but now they are losing leaves and looking ...
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Weatherford, TX
Problems with transplanting cenizo in Weatherford TX
I tried to transplant a Silverado Sage into a large pot but within 1 day it started wilting. Could it be the soil? I used potting soil not soil from the ground which is a sandy soil.
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Weatherford, TX
Need information about grasses for cattle grazing in Weatherford, TX.
Need info on what I can plant for cattle to graze thru winter. grasshoppers and drought have decimated
our coastal hay for past 2 yrs.Is there anything we can treat all the weeds with besides chemic...
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Weatherford, TX
Native grass and wildflower possibilities for Weatherford, TX
I live in Weatherford, Texas - 20 acres and would love to have a prairie or soft cover throughout the year (less mowing). What do you recommend? I don't know anything about this ... So, feel free to ...
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Weatherford, TX
Why is my Chinkapin oak losing its leaves this spring?
We have a chinkapin oak that was planted about two years ago in our front yard. This year it leafed out nicely but about a month ago the leaves began to roll up, then dry out and fall off. It seems ...
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Paradise, TX
Grafting Pecan Trees
I have planted two pecan nuts and now they are about 4 feet tall trees, they have not been grafted but can I graft one of the trees to the other and vice versa and expect pecans from then, they are he...
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PARADISE, TX
Encouraging native grasses to flourish
We have been trying to restore the yard around the house with native grasses and forbs for the last two years. The soil is clay and nothing seems to grow. We have distributed 5 truck loads of mulch, p...
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