Native Plants
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Smarty Plants Question Topics
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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| Holes in trunk of Monterey Oak in Austin, TX. May 05, 2013 My Monterrey Oak (about 4 in diameter) has a problem. It started budding out and had a few leafs, then just quit. It had what I thought was new buds that would develop, but didn't. Then, the exist... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Screen of Thuja Occidentalis on fire-damaged property in Bastrop TX May 04, 2013 I want to plant a screen of Thuja Occidentalis on the east side of our driveway. It is in the burn area of Bastrop, TX. None of our trees survived. Will Thuja Occidentalis grow here? I saw some specim... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Failure to bloom of one of two Texas persimmons from Wimberly TX May 04, 2013 Last year my son planted two texas persimmon trees. One is blooming ok this year and the other is not. It does not seem dead. What can I do or is is in fact dying? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Trees & shrubs, low water, no maintenance, disease & pest resistant May 04, 2013 We need few Trees and shrubs to meet the following needs: - Low Water or best with a taproot for Ground Water - Clay Soil in Steep Slopes (25-40 degrees) - Low or No Maintenance. (hillside, no trim... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wild plum tree failing to bloom from Simonton TX May 04, 2013 I have a wild plum tree that has been in the ground for 3 or 4 years and it has not ever flowered. Why? I don't know what kind it is. I dug it up from a friends yard. Her wild plum trees have flowere... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Oak Bark Loss in Arlington, TX May 04, 2013 I have multiple oak trees in my yard (in north texas) that have begun to lose their bark in small chunks. I'm in the middle of the city so their are no deer and yes it's been a dry 2 years but this... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Privacy screen from Temecula CA May 04, 2013 I live in Temecula and need a fast growing tree by our pool that is good to block neighbors house. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Privacy screen from Simpsonville SC May 04, 2013 My neighbor cut down his part of our shared woods so now we see his whole "outside patio area". What kinds of fast growing shade loving trees and shrubs can we plant on our property line that will c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| When is it time to remove diseased oak trees in Belton, TX? May 03, 2013 When to give up on my live oaks. We lost/mostly several live oaks since 2011 and the drought. One, died from the crown, one large mass at a time, and now resembles a 10' totem pole with scraggly gro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is it normal for the bark to fall off an oak tree in Austin, TX May 02, 2013 Is it normal for live oak bark to fall off when touched? I am afraid to get near them? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is any part of Mountain Laurel poisonous to goats from Belton TX May 02, 2013 We are considering planting Mountain Laurel in a field where we keep goats. Will any part of the Mountain Laurel be poisonous if eaten by the goats? If it would be poisonous, could you suggest some o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Flowers under pine trees from Elkhart Indiana May 02, 2013 I have a number of pine trees at the back of my lot and would like to plant flowers under the tree. What can I plant? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growing non-native grapefruit from seeds from Austin April 30, 2013 Can you grow ruby red grapefruit trees from seeds? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rocky Mountain Juniper Grazed by Deer April 29, 2013 I have four Colorado red cedar (Juniperus scopulorum). The deer have eaten from their height down. Now these narrow top to bottom evergreens have only tops left. Will the bottom fill in if I protect t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identifying Rhus lanceolata in Texas April 28, 2013 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I think I've identified two small trees, 4 to 5 feet high at the back fence line and two in the front yard flower beds as prairie flameleaf sumac (or at least some kind of s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Privacy screen for barn from Washington TX April 27, 2013 We live on a large ranch and have someone now next to us that built a barn on our fence line that we want to make a tree barrier to hide it, so we need to plant trees that will grow at least 15-29 fee... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Will arctostaphylos grow in Austin, from Murrieta CA April 23, 2013 I currently live in Murrieta, CA at 2,000 ft. We planted 800 native plants on our slopes so they were extremely drought tolerant. One of my favorites is the Arctostaphylos family that will take the fr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Long Island Barrier Beach Plants April 22, 2013 I live on the south shore of Long Island on a barrier beach and am landscaping my property as a result of Sandy damage. I am going with a sand base, and I am looking for suitable trees and shrubs for... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wilting American Smoke Tree in Texas April 21, 2013 I planted a young American smoke tree last fall (mid-November) and it put out a good show of tentative new leaves this spring. Then to keep the tree form I clipped some little shrubby start ups at the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Privacy Screening Plant for New York Narrow Site April 20, 2013 I need privacy screening on the side of my house in Mount Kisco, New York located 40 miles north of New York City. The area gets plenty of sun but is somewhat narrow. What evergreen bushes or trees ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Privacy Screen for Heavy Clay and Full Sun in Louisiana April 19, 2013 What would be a fast-growing plant for privacy in Louisiana? I have heavy clay and full sun. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Anacacho orchid not leafing out in Georgetown TX April 18, 2013 February 2012 I planted 2 4-ft anacacho orchids which did well. This spring, they have yet to leaf out or even bud. There is green, however, when I scratch the stems and some suckers at the bottom of ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Fast growing non-invasive flowering tree from Carlsbad CA April 17, 2013 Looking for fast growing flowering tree with non-invasive roots. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Climbing options for a Coral honeysuckle in Austin Texas April 16, 2013 Regarding Coral honeysuckle, what is the best support to encourage continued spread, chicken-wire/fencing? Currently the plants and vines are on fencing and beginning to fold over. I'd like to add... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting Eve's Necklace from Round Mountain TX April 16, 2013 We have dozens of small Eve's necklace plants coming up in our large yard. I would like to share them with my friends who aren't so lucky. Many years ago, I tried to transplant one, and it didn't... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Privacy Screen Tree for Patio in NC April 15, 2013 What is a good tree to plant in front of a brick wall/fence to provide privacy and not compromise the structural integrity of the wall? The brick fence is my neighbors but I need privacy as they can s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting Seedling Texas Mountain Laurels April 15, 2013 I have two mountain laurels that I grew from seed. They are in pots, but the roots have grown through the bottom and into my flower bed. The trees are about 6 feet tall. They have already bloomed. So ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Privacy screening from Phoenix AZ April 14, 2013 I live in the center of Phoenix, Az. On the eastern side of my house we have some 2 story condos next door. The width of the side yard is about 12'-15' and it gets lots of shade. I also have my powe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Survivors of a Cedar Elm thicket thinning. April 12, 2013 I thinned a thicket of cedar elm saplings, but a few are now leaning excessively. Will they straighten up over time or should I go ahead and cut them too? Thanks!! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replacement evergreens under power line in Wisconsin April 11, 2013 I have to replace evergreen trees in a privacy screen due to borer damage. The screen is below power lines so the replacements cannot be tall. I would like use bird and pollinator friendly replaceme... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Fast growing shade tree for East Texas Piney Woods April 11, 2013 What is the fastest growing shade tree for E.Tx.Piney Woods? We have an area that desperately needs protection from the summer heat. The site is comprised of gumbo clay and there are no other plants t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native trees of Hornsby Bend in Austin, TX April 10, 2013 We are looking for a list of the trees occurring along and in the vicinity of the Colorado River at Hornsby Bend circa 1820. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shade tolerant plants for Waynesville MO April 09, 2013 We moved to Waynesville, MO (gardening region 6) and when we bought our house there was a nice looking gardening area in front of the house. It is shaded moderately by a Redwood Tree and was "occupie... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Life expectancy of Desert Willow in Tucson, AZ April 06, 2013 What is the life expectancy of a Chilopsis linearis under ideal circumstances. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Trees for property in Nevada April 06, 2013 Mr. Smarty Plants: I would like to plant trees in between Crepe Myrtles than put up a fence along the paved road. The temperature ranges from 27'F to 130'F. It is a full sun all day and I will i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-native crape myrtle resistance to deer from Annapolis MD April 06, 2013 Is Crape Myrtle tree resistant to deers? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flower color under large pine tree from South Elgin IL April 05, 2013 I have a very large pine tree that I would like to plant some flowers under. I have hostas, stonecrop and fern, but like to add some color. What do you suggest? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replacement for shade grass in El Paso TX April 05, 2013 We currently have a Honey Mesquite tree with thinning bermuda grass underneath in our front yard. I suspect that the filtered shade is killing the bermuda. I was thinking of planting Buffalo Grass, or... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning Trees in Austin, TX April 05, 2013 I have lots of green growth sprouting on the trunks of mature trees. Should I trim them off? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Space between trees from Blythewood SC April 05, 2013 I'm planting 4 green giants in a back corner of my yard. I also have a kumquat tree to plant. I have somewhat limited space. What is the minimum spacing between the four green giants and the green gi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is oak leucanium an invasive species in Texas from Laredo TX April 02, 2013 Is Parthenolecanium quercifex considered an invasive species in Texas? Does this insect attach itself to redbuds? I spotted and removed from my small 5ft Texas Redbud last year. It seems that it has ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Bugs eating new growth on Mountain Laurel shrubs from Dripping Springs TX April 02, 2013 What is eating the new growth on my mountain laurel shrubs? One plant has red bugs and the other has black (could they be love bugs?). Is there something I can do to preserve the new growth? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Slow development in Shumard Oak from Porter TX April 02, 2013 We had two Shumard Oaks Planted in Sept of last year (2012). About a month later, they started browning and dropping their leaves (no color change). Now I noticed on one of the trees the buds have sta... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growths on Shumard Red Oak leaves from Katy TX April 01, 2013 Our beautiful Shumard Red Oak has developed lots of light green grape like growths on the leaves. Please inform us what this could be and how we should treat it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Hurricane damage on oak in Houston April 01, 2013 We have a very large oak tree that survived our last hurricane with lots of lost limbs. Then there was the drought. We have lost three large limbs on separate occasions on non-windy days. I love this ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will corn fall victim to allelopathy from hackberry in Clarkridge AR March 30, 2013 Will my corn be inhibited by a nearby hackberry and if so would it help to cut it down? I understand that sometimes the soil is full of the chemicals the tree produces. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is yellow tulip poplar alive from Gilbertsville PA March 30, 2013 How can I tell if my yellow tulip poplar is alive? thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Planting petunias around base of oak tree from Houma LA March 30, 2013 I live in south Louisiana and I want to plant petunias. Can I plant petunias around the base of an oak tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-native dwarf palm leaves yellowing in Katy TX March 30, 2013 1 month ago we planted dwarf palms, the leaves are turning yellow, does this mean we are over watering them? If so how much water do they require? Is there anything we can give them? We also have a fa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Apples, pears and geraniums in Kipling, Saskatchewan March 30, 2013 My geranium's leaves became yellow - Why? Where can I buy a good nice apple tree? Will apples and pears grow in south Saskatchewan? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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