Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members 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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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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| Native Texas Trees from Seed for Fence Line July 07, 2016 My parents have an unirrigated fence line on their property that they want to grow evergreen screening plants along. Given the difficulty of establishing nursery grown plants in such an unirrigated a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants Needed for a Shaded, Rocky Slope in Alabama July 06, 2016 I live in Alabama where the soil is clay and rocky. I've tried planting on a rocky slope I have but, it's also shaded. Not even Juniper will survive on this slope. I've spent thousands of dollars tryi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| White and Violet Flower in Missouri March 17, 2016 When I was small I came into contact with a plant that gave me cold sweats, chills and hallucinations. All I remember was it bore a single flower with a little white and a lot of violet. It had a dark... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of vining plant with red berries in California January 28, 2016 We found a vining plant next to and growing in our stream with gorgeous purple leaves in the fall after frost and a few sporadic clusters of smooth small red berries with little thorns on the vine. We... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shrub Recommendation for Chain Link Fence in DE January 26, 2016 What shrub would you recommend for covering a chain link fence and providing a screen between mine & my neighbors yard? They have kids, so it would have to be non-toxic. I'd like flowers/berries for ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Climbing Roses for the Pacific Northwest January 23, 2016 I'm trying to find out which types of climbing roses may exist in the Pacific Northwest. I live in western Washington, and I have a small yard with several large hedges bordering it. I'm growing hai... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Thorn bushes for a fence in Puerto Rico November 17, 2015 I'm looking for thorn bushes that grow in Puerto Rico. Want to use as fence to keep wild life in. Thanks, at least 5 ft tall so dogs can't get out. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tree with light-colored bark, thorns and long white clumps of flowers August 18, 2015 I bought a tree at the LBJWC plant sale a couple years ago but lost the name of the tree. I'm finally ready to plant it in the ground and would like to learn more about what its needs are. Can you ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Fast Growing Shrub for Oceanside New York Site April 17, 2015 Can you recommend a tall, fast-growing shrub for a sandy location (near an ocean beach in New York) in full sun? I’m looking for a privacy shield. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of thorny bush February 26, 2015 We found a small thorny like bush in our hay field near the fence line yesterday. It has thorns and each thorn has new nodes along the thorn. it is a frosted like white at this time. It is early febru... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning Citrus Suckers October 06, 2014 Mr. Smarty Plants, you are the only person that has "not" insisted that the little balls on Satsuma and lemon trees were clumps of bugs. They are surely what you described in the answer to my previo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shrub with thorns, black fruit and citrus fragrance in Michigan September 19, 2014 I'm not sure that my plant is a native, but I'm hoping to find some answer. There is a small patch of roadside shrubs on my property which I've been unable to identify. They have simple opposite ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Fuzzy Citrus Fruit on Satsuma and Lemon Trees September 13, 2014 A man asked you about fuzzy little small fruit-like balls that looked like tiny lemons. I have huge numbers of these on both my mature Satsuma and lemon tree this year. I get 100's of really great f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of tree with outrageous thorns August 10, 2014 Can you identify this tree? It has these outrageous thorns on its trunk. They are in clusters and are anywhere from 1" long to 4" long or so. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Fast-spreading desert-type tree with thorns in yard July 21, 2014 There is a fast spreading tree in my backyard - many multiple almost symmetric flat green oval leaves on either side of the stem (sort of like a moringa tree but this is not that). Grows straight up, ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Controlling a shrub/tree with lots of thorns and flowers similar to beebrush, but lots of thorns July 08, 2014 I live in Horseshoe Bay, Llano County with 1.5 acres of natural habitat. There is a plant that I have always called Cat's Claw but in researching Cat's Claw, I may have misidentified it. It has a fl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problem garden strip in Austin May 22, 2014 Currently I live in the west half of a duplex. There is a small strip of dirt about two feet wide between the wall and the sidewalk in the backyard. It faces west, meaning it only gets sunlight duri... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Control of non-native invasive Japanese Barberry from Enfield NH April 22, 2014 I recently bought a home that is bordered by woods and a sizable area of invasive Japanese Barberry growing on a steep hill in and around a stone wall making it that much harder to dig up. I've alway... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant ID from Cocoa FL April 18, 2014 I am trying to identify a plant that looks like a rose bush. It has rose-like thorns. The leaves are green, slender, acute at the tip, slightly unequal at the base and the leaf stem grows closer to ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Edibility of Washington Hawthorn berries from Williamsport PA February 22, 2014 Please tell me if Washington Hawthorn berries and leaves are edible and if so, how to prepare them. Thank you! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of vine with seed cluster that looks like a 3D star October 28, 2013 I found a weird vine on the creek bank with seed clusters that look like a 3D star they also have hair like thorns on them. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Thorny plants for a security perimeter in Austin TX October 16, 2013 Hello, I am trying to establish a security perimeter around my property that incorporates thorny or otherwise deterrent shrubs and vines. Can you recommend some attractive native plants that would su... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with Savannah holly from Livingston TX October 05, 2013 Our Savannah Holly standards, planted in spring 2012, are now 10' tall, with 2-3" caliper trunks at the base. Some are in decline or have died. We thought the ribbons holding them to the nursery's ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant identification of thorny shrub in Tennessee October 03, 2013 I have a mid to dark green thorny type bush growing on my land in Cosby, Tennessee. I am originaly from NJ and I have never seen it before. The stalk is varigated and the thorns are plentiful and very... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| New thorn/bush tree in Central Texas September 23, 2013 In Central Texas, over the last 5 years we have seen a new variety of thorn bush appear. It has very long thorns much like mesquite tree but thorns are every inch or so along the branches. The tree is... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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