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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| Why doesn't my Rusty blackhead bloom? April 10, 2016 I have planted Rusty blackhaws the past several years..some bloomed the first year and every year since....and others 3 years old have not bloomed yet... Do all Rusty blackhaws bloom eventually or ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of stinging weed in Pearl, Mississippi March 20, 2016 I live in Pearl, MS. Yesterday I pulled a weed that right away started stinging my hand and in a few hours turned into stinging numbness. The weed has dark green heart shaped leaves with purple veins ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Eastern Red Cedar Roots March 17, 2016 Would an Eastern Red Cedar root system damage underground irrigation pipes? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| A puppy's challenge in the ivy February 23, 2016 ok.. so, heres the thing: my puppy &i often play with a frisbee toy in the yard (cuz the boy's got leaps!). however, it has become apparent that, simply put: i am a TERRIBLE frisbee player!! truly th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to Control Poison Ivy February 22, 2016 We have lots of Poison Ivy on a site we are clearing it is adjacent to a pond and children are around this area all the time. We are creating hiking paths. I have a lot of experience but I do not wan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Controlling KR Bluestem February 11, 2016 How can I control KR Bluestem in my 55 acre coastal bermuda hayfield? The field has a Farm Road along one side planted in KR, and now the hayfield is about 25 - 30% KR. Summer burn is fairly dangerous... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Should Mexican milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) not be used to attract Monarch butterflies? November 20, 2015 Should I remove Asclepias curassavica (Mexican milkweed) in my garden for threat of OE parasitic protozoan threat to Monarch butterflies? Is this threat as widespread as Chronicle implies? I had great... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with Mexican feathergrass October 24, 2015 I live in Austin. I've recently seen negative comments re: Mexican feathergrass. Is it native to this area? Is it becoming a problem? I have had it in my yard for years and never considered it a ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removing Persimmon plants from the base of Live oaks October 15, 2015 I live in Bastrop county and have hundreds of Texas wild persimmons at the base of my huge oak trees. Should I cut some of them? I am worried they are taking up water my oaks need. I like them but do... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possible allelopathic properties of Prosopis glandulosa (Honey mesquite) October 02, 2015 I want to plant a coral honeysuckle at the base of a mesquite tree. Anything in the mesquite that would inhibit the honeysuckle from growing? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Young huisache trees dying October 02, 2015 We have had several young huisache trees suddenly die. These trees are only three or four years old and were apparently healthy when they just died. They are growing by the curb on a city street and w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Controlling Cocculus carolinus vines August 04, 2015 I live in Oklahoma City and want to rid my yard and flowerbeds of Cocculus Carolinus vines, I already have a infestation, I cant count the number of vines that were already established before I found ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why is my Texas mountain laurel growing so slowly? July 22, 2015 I have a Mountain Laurel, Anacacho Orchid Tree and Desert Willow on the northern side of our yard - all three get full sun most of the day. The Mountain Laurel is closer to the east side. The other... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Getting Rid of Firecracker Flower July 16, 2015 We live in the Tampa area of Florida. We planted Russelia equisetiformis under some palm trees 10 years ago. It has grown deep among the palm tree roots. We want to kill the Russelia without harming ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Dead, brown Habiturf lawn July 07, 2015 I planted Habiturf seeds last fall and had a good lawn all winter. Now the grass is brown and dead. Did it drown with all the rain we have had? If so, what should I do now? If not, what should I do... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Protecting storm-damaged pecan and black walnut trees in TX June 29, 2015 Several trees on our property in northeast Texas were uprooted by a tornado. A pecan tree with a circumference greater than 93 inches was carried to the ground. Although it is completely horizontal,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Source of dry molasses near Mason, Texas June 21, 2015 Can you guys point me to a local source of dry molasses? I can get 50 lb bags from Amazon but shipping cost is almost double the cost of the product. I want to try it as a supplement to mechanical con... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will Crossvine damage stucco walls? June 17, 2015 The Crossvine I planted about a month ago is doing well. It is growing up a stucco wall and its little tendrils are sticking to (or into?) the stucco. Is this going to grow into the stucco and damage ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to Deal With Goutweed? June 12, 2015 Hi, I'm wondering what plants (groundcover) would best compete against goutweed. It's coming up all around some existing potentilla shrubs and some nice bulbs and prairie perennials. I would hate to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Controlling Devil's Bit in Collin County, TX June 05, 2015 I live in Collin County and our pasture has a growing section of Devils Bit taking over everything. I've been using 2,4-D on it with some success. What is the best method of control for this ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will the May 27, 2015 I'm becoming interested in rain gardens, and although Silphium perfoliatum does not appear to be a host for butterfly caterpillars and like most of the "giant tall grass prairie daisies" may be a b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| How to eliminate roadside thistles May 26, 2015 When we drive along the highway we see lots of wildflowers and no thistles in the median. How does the Highway Department keep the thistles out? Here in Kerrville, we are overwhelmed by thistles thi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Controlling weeds in Habiturf lawn May 16, 2015 What's the best way to get rid of weeds in a Habiturf lawn? Habiturf seems like a great idea, but even with no extra water and no fertilizer, it seems the weeds take over - K.R. Bluestem and various... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of potentially toxic weed in California May 08, 2015 Hi! Sorry about the error, I'm not very computer savvy! I have a weed that grows on my land; about 1 foot tall its flower looks like a Q-tip. My neighbor says it killed her horse! I can't find i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Oak Sucker Reprise May 02, 2015 ----Original Question---- SUNDAY - JULY 06, 2014 Title: Live Oak Suckers Reprise, Austin TX QUESTION: Referring to an entry dated March 11, 2011 about Live Oak suckers - what happened to the su... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Removal of Ashe juniper trees April 19, 2015 I have 15 acres with scattered huge oak and elm trees with tens of thousands of Ashe Juniper (cedar) trees 2” to 10” in diameter growing within the drip zone of the hardwoods. How do I take out the c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Dealing with live oak suckers in Central Texas March 05, 2015 Hi, I have a couple huge Live Oak trees in my back yard. Trunks are 4' in diameter. These Live Oaks produce a lot of root sprouts/suckers. I had always head that a tree's roots feed on water/oxyg... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Repairing the split trunk of a TX mountain laurel February 28, 2015 I have a fairly large mountain laurel that I just realized has a split down the trunk. Is there anything I can do to save it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants to replace Phragmites australis (Common reed) in Cedar Ridge Preserve February 25, 2015 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I live in the DFW area and volunteer at a preserve (Cedar Ridge). We are constantly battling the common reed, Phragmites australis, around the pond. I am wondering what shou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
February 17, 2015 This question may have more to do with chemistry than botany but I thought I would start here. My sister recently discovered that behind her Chili pequin plants, the brick was being dissolved leaving ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Skin Reaction form Cochineal on Prickly Pear February 16, 2015 I have severe burning and peeling skin on pads of fingers after touching "white stuff" on a prickly pear. White stuff tuned purple then burned skin even after washing hands. Skin has been cracking a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Landscape Fabric for Oak Suckers in Austin February 11, 2015 Can landscape fabric (covered w/decorative bark mulch) be safely used to control Escarpment oak sprouts? 70-year-old knees are tired of getting down to remove. Oaks are in Circle C area of Austin View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Eliminating Najas flexilis from a pond December 22, 2014 What method would be effective in eliminating Najas Flexilis from a pond? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Low Water Use Plants for a Pond Island November 06, 2014 We have a medium sized pond/tank with a small island covered in black willows. The pond loses a lot of water and we were told it was partially due to the willows. We want to remove them and replace ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Bermuda, not the only option in Memphis November 04, 2014 I'm building an energy efficient home in Memphis and want to extend that strategy to the landscaping. I'd like to plant native grasses, but this lot is surrounded by lots sodded with Bermuda grass.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What is the plant called wingspan? September 21, 2014 I have a lot of environmental allergies and saw a positive result for "wingspan" yet I cannot find ANY information online about that particular plant. I was told it's "tumbleweed" by the medical ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Desert Willow Roots from Lubbock, TX September 18, 2014 I have a very, very happy Desert Willow that has grown larger than we expected and is probably too close to the house. Do I need to worry about a cracked foundation or pipe problems? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problem with Pterocaulon pycnostachyum September 17, 2014 I have a solitary Pterocaulon pycnostachyum in my wildscape; it invited itself. Some years it does not flower at all (or the bloom is eaten before I see it), and its stalks (usually 4) are not ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Live Oak Suckers or ??? in Arlington, TX September 12, 2014 Do I have live oak suckers or an invasive plant? We bought a house a few years ago in Arlington, TX with two beautiful old live oak trees, and mostly just bare sand-dirt under them. Under one t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Update on controlling live oak suckers with newspapers, cardboard and mulch September 12, 2014 Can we get an update on the march 2011 topic of live oak suckers? I am wondering if the newspaper/cardboard/mulch layers continued to take care of the problem. Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Aggressive Plants in Pleasant Valley NY September 01, 2014 Are there any native plants that can out compete Japanese knotweed? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problem with Chinese Pistache tree September 01, 2014 We have a gorgeous Chinese Pistache in our yard, about 25 feet tall. We bought it for its gorgeous fall color. The problem is that it has never turned color for us. All the other pistaches in the neig... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Seed pod of Proboscidea louisianica (Deveil's claw) in New Mexico August 30, 2014 I found the most amazing seed pods of the devil's claw right here in Albuquerque. I thought it was a wood skeleton of a pterodactyl (flying dinosaur, I believe), but heard it's a devil's claw. Ok... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Magnolia species are allelopathic August 02, 2014 Have a healthy Southern Magnolia tree around 8 years old. It seems like everything I plant next to it dies.: Variegated Spirea, Stokes Aster, Hydrangeas. Is there something it secretes like the waln... 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 live oak suckers in Florida July 20, 2014 How do I kill emerging live oak sprouts coming from mature tree root system View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| cultivating the invasive Passiflora incense July 16, 2014 Hello! I have been collecting passiflora for a while now, recently I purchased a "P. Incarnata" from a local nursery where I have gotten a few other species to grow along my herb garden recently. No... 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 |  | |
| Live Oak Suckers Reprise, Austin TX July 06, 2014 Referring to an entry dated March 11, 2011 about Live Oak suckers - what happened to the suckers covered with newspaper and cardboard? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is Ruellia aggressive? July 06, 2014 Is Ruellia aggressive? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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