Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

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.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
<< previous 1 2 next >> 
61 Results:   10  25 50 100 per page


topicquestion
Improving Bluebonnet seed contact with soil
November 06, 2015
I have a five acre field in Blanco County, much of which is covered by bluebonnets. There are several species of native grasses as well. Would it be beneficial to disk or otherwise disturb the soil ...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Wildflowers to complement Mexican hat in Texas
October 22, 2015
We have 10 acres in Driftwood that has Mexican Hat pretty much everywhere that is not shaded. We are looking to add additional wildflowers to them in order to have color earlier and later in the seas...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Invasiveness of Oenothera speciosa?
October 02, 2015
Hello! I received a large package of Oenothera speciosa seeds and would like to plant them this month. I've read elsewhere that they can choke out out other plants and am wondering to what degree thi...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Wildflowers of April wedding in Liberty Hill TX
September 02, 2015
We are planning a wedding for April 9 in Liberty Hill, TX (78642) and live on several acres. We would like to plant wildflowers on the land to use for bouquets and centerpieces. Could you please recom...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Wildflowers for April wedding near Austin TX
August 31, 2015
Home wedding April 2016. Live North of Austin.on 200 acres ranch and would like to plant wildflowers. What to plant? When to plant? Flowers that will sustain in vase or bouquet?
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Wildflowers for an Indiana septic drain field
August 29, 2015
We just had to have a septic system replaced due to our state highway consuming some of our front yard along with our original septic. Since this has happened, our lateral lines now lie in our back ya...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

When to harvest native grass seeds?
May 29, 2015
We are trying to restore native grasses to a small pasture between Oak Hill and Dripping Springs. Last spring (2014), we seeded a mix of sideoats grama, little bluestem, dahl bluestem, and sprangleto...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Wildflowers for floodplain near Denton, TX
March 22, 2015
Hello, I am a member of my HOA board and am researching the possibility of filling in our floodplains with wildflowers. Currently the floodplains are grass only and span a few acres. Our goal is to t...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Groundcover for Road Frontage in NC
March 12, 2015
I need a fast growing ground cover or perennial flower for 1,000 feet of road frontage about one acre that will choke out weeds. I do not want to do much ground prep or any ground prep. I do not want...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Compatibility of mixed ground covers with St. Agustine grass
March 04, 2015
My husband and I live in Northwest Austin. We have removed lawn from our front yard and replaced it with mulch and some trees and other plantings. We would like to replace the lawn in our backyard ...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Seeds to plant a short grass prairie near Houston
February 21, 2015
I want to plant a prepared area 20x40 with strong midday sun in Houston. I would like a short prairie meadow with lots of flowers. Where do I get the seeds and is this the time to plant them as I wo...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Native Plants for Year Round Interest
February 16, 2015
I'm involved in a paradigm shift from traditional bedding plants (petunias, zinnias, begonias, etc.) to native plants. I realize that native plants have natural life cycles where they look pretty bad...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

wildflowers with interesting seed heads for winter interest
January 09, 2015
I am looking to establish a wildflower meadow this year, and I want to include wildflowers that have interesting seed heads for winter interest. What would be your recommendation? Thanks!
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Planting a meadow garden in Pennsylvania
November 16, 2014
I live in Saxonburg PA near Pittsburgh PA. I want to put a meadow garden in my back yard. We are building a home so there is no established yard yet just trees and weeds. Where do I start . What...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Making a pollinator garden
August 11, 2014
Hello, I have a ditch right by my house and I want to turn it into a pollinator garden using native plants. My problem is, right now it's so full of weeds that we have to mow those down so soon. For ...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Restoring a native prairie
July 28, 2014
Can you recommend a consultant to help my husband and me re-establish a native prairie on approximately 25 acres near Fredericksburg, TX? Does the Wildflower Center have such a consulting service? ...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Wildflower Meadow for Poth, TX
January 22, 2014
I recently cleared some underbrush from a virgin pasture, with large oaks and mesquites scattered through it, and was wondering if it was too late to plant wildflowers? If not, what varieties of wildf...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Revegetation of school site with meadow plants from Austin
December 23, 2013
We are revegetating a hill country school site (typical calciferous soil stripped of vegetation & minimal topsoil) with a native seed mix equal to Native American Seed "Meadow Mix". We have an abund...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Grasses for a prairie in southeast Texas
September 30, 2013
We have a small place (about 100 acres) in Colorado County, Texas, on the Colorado River north of the town of Weimar. We are gradually clearing (bulldozing) the woods of cedars. One particular spot ...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Use of cedar/juniper mulch in wildflower meadows
August 31, 2013
What to do with freshly shredded cedar/juniper mulch? We have a pile of freshly ground cedar mulch that we can either keep in a large pile until it has composted(but the neighbors are complaining), or...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Timing for mowing wildflower meadow
August 29, 2013
Last spring (2012) we planted a wildflower/shortgrass meadow on a caliche slope surrounding the back of our house. We terraced with rocks and spread some topsoil thinly before sowing the seed. It di...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Wildflower garden for Driftwood, TX
August 20, 2013
I would like to plant wildflowers in a fairly large field on a slope. The slope is a little rocky and is located in Driftwood, TX. I have been thinking about a mixture of Bluebonnets and Indian Blank...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Developing fields with native plants from New Egypt NJ
July 24, 2013
I have several acres of fields that I want to develop with native grasses and flowers. I would like to know the best time to mow the fields so that bushes and volunteer trees don't take over and that...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Recreating a wildflower meadow, central Texas
July 02, 2013
We have an acre on our property that has bluebonnets. Unfortunately, it also has other plants that we don't want -Johnson grass, nettles, burrs. We plan to do a controlled burn in the fall and re-...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Creating a wildflower meadow
May 18, 2013
I have an area 1-6 acres worth that is currently grass that I would like to overseed with wildflower seed. The local native plant nursery says that would be a waste. I don't really want to kill gra...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Restoring a prairie from Austin
January 11, 2013
Restoring a mixed grass Blackland Prairie? Prairie Plant Succession? We are trying to establish climax species when an area is in a pioneering phase. Does the soil chemistry or biota change during ...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

High mowing equipment for Llano TX
November 03, 2012
We're trying to follow your wildflower meadow recommendation "if your meadow has tall, warm-season native grasses, wait until late summer or early fall to mow, allowing them to elongate, flower, and...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Non-native, invasive rescue grass in meadow garden in Smithville TX
September 20, 2012
Despite numerous efforts, a solid field of cool weather rescue grass keeps desired wildflower and grass seeds from successfully growing on my "vacant" lot in town. I plan to I put out a 6 ml plasti...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Difficulty with Clay Soil from Palm Bay, FL
August 22, 2012
I had a very nice little native shady area behind my house for over 40 years, but now it has been cleared except for a 100 foot tall live oak in the center of this raised mound (50' x 80'). I've be...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Mowing frequency of native lawn from Georgetown TX
August 18, 2012
I have a native grass and wildflower lawn. At what frequency and when should the lawn be mowed?
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Wildflower field for sewage leach field from Olga Washington
August 01, 2012
I am interested in planting a large native wildflower field at a resort in the San Juan Islands in Washington State. It would be over a sewage leach field for many cabins and bathrooms. Are there any ...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Drought tolerant ground cover for Midlothian, TX
June 17, 2012
I'm looking for a fast, low ground cover. That is drought tolerant for a large slope.
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Meadow garden for Colorado Springs CO
June 03, 2012
We recently purchased a restored home on a mesa just above the downtown area of Colorado Springs on the front range. The previous owners seeded the front lawn with blue gramma and told me that all I ...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Ground cover for a bank in PA
April 28, 2012
I live in Landisburg, PA, (zone 6). I need to find some ground cover for a primarily full sun bank that is roughly 10-12' down over the embankment and up to 100' long. This area wraps around our po...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Herbicide use in bluebonnet field in Blanco, TX
April 10, 2012
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have the best of both worlds and the worst of both worlds. I’ve been throwing bluebonnet seeds for 6 years on our property near Blanco, and when it rains, as it has this year...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Should the herbicide Ornamec 170 be used on unwanted grasses?
March 15, 2012
I have a lovely wildflower garden in a field behind my house; unfortunately, the wildflowers are being smothered by grasses. I understand that Ornamec 170 can be used to control grasses in wildflower...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Wildflower Lawn for Round Rock, TX
March 04, 2012
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I live on the west side of Interstate 35 in Round Rock. I have a very sick St. Augustine lawn that I would like to replace with some sort of wildflower mix. I like the look of...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Information about pre-1920s biodiversity near San Antonio
February 12, 2012
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: I am transforming my .3 acre urban yard three miles north of downtown San Antonio into a native wildscape. I am planting all native plants using your website, books, and nea...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Landscaping large area in Webster KY
February 10, 2012
We just bought a house that we fell in love with. The land around it . . . well it has GREAT potential but is seriously lacking at the moment. Trying to get the farm up and running leaves very litt...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Preparing for planting wildflower meadow in Austin
January 02, 2012
We are in the midst of prepping beds for wildflower plantings in the spring. We spent the last month pulling up our existing lawn and invasive grasses so we are now wondering how to secure the beds f...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Groundcovers for Miami, FL
November 10, 2011
I live in Miami, Florida. I have a medium size Bismarck Palm in my front yard. What would be a good ground cover other than grass around this palm?
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

When to reseed wildflowers in a drought year?
October 18, 2011
My acreage with extensive wildflowers was mowed in 2010 before annuals had seeded. Only a few returned this year. Considering the predicted lonterm drought should I postpone reseeding this fall?
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Blue wildflowers for Massachusetts meadow garden
September 30, 2011
I am restoring a 1980's era barn in Massachusetts. To celebrate the roll-out of the restored barn, I would like to plant wildflowers in the hayfield next to the barn (aprox. 3 acres). I would like ...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Wildseed Planting in a drought
September 14, 2011
Due to the extreme drought and no rain in the near future in central Texas would it be prudent to have a wildseed planting in October?
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Non-native bermudagrass in meadow in Allen TX
August 17, 2011
What is the effect of not killing or removing bermuda grass when converting an area to a prairie meadow in Allen, Texas? Most articles describing how to create and establish a prairie meadow suggest ...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Short wildflowers to interplant with grass in PA
July 05, 2011
I live in NE PA and would like to grow short wildflowers throughout my yard mixed in with my grass. Is this possible? If so, what would be a good match for my zone? I will be mowing the grass once a w...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

How to make a lawn into a prairie in Arlington, Texas
September 15, 2010
I am removing lawn grasses in order to start a native prairie meadow. After grass removal, I'll put down 1/2" of compost. I will broadcast wildflower seeds on the compost. If I mulch after broadcas...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Early, middle and late blooming flowers for pollinators in East Texas
July 05, 2010
On our farm in northeast Texas we are participating in a Conservation Program through the NRCS. We have to plant 4 acres for pollinators--early blooming, middle blooming, and late blooming. I need t...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Wildflower garden for a drain field in Olivet MI
June 27, 2010
I have a large area that is currently lawn over a drain field. I would like to turn this area into a wild flower garden. Will the wild flower roots, etc. cause any concerns or damages to a drain fie...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

Native xeric grasses for Colorado
June 24, 2010
Tired of mowing - replacing western exposure full sun lawn with native xeric grass. Please explain the pros and cons of Bouteloua Gracilis (Blue Grama) and Bouteloua Dactyloides Bella (Bella Blue Gra...
View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer

topicquestion

<< previous 1 2 next >> 
61 Results:   10  25 50 100 per page