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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| Eastern Red Cedar Roots March 17, 2016 Would an Eastern Red Cedar root system damage underground irrigation pipes? 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 | ||
| Are Royal Poinciana and Royal Empress trees the same? October 09, 2015 Hi, can you tell me if the Royal empress tree and the Royal Poinciana are the same tree? 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 | ||
| Information about person who handles invasive species at the Wildflower Center October 01, 2015 Would you please provide me a name, phone, and email address, of the person in your office who handles invasive species? Thanks, View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen privacy screen August 10, 2015 We are looking for a good plant(s) that would provide a privacy screen by our fence. We were looking at clumping bamboo (maybe black) because it grows quickly and it not too thick. The new plants woul... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is Canna glauca invasive? June 10, 2015 How aggressive is Canna glauca? I'm interested in planting one near a gutter downspout, but I'm afraid it will crowd out groundcovers (heartleaf skullcap and fall obedient plant) in the two location... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcovers to choke out invasive species in Virginia June 08, 2015 My yard has open woods and dappled light with clay soil. Thirty years ago we removed huge briars and since English Ivy was getting in by itself, we thought we would let it come; unfortunately, it not ... 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| Weeds from neighbor's yard are a problem. May 11, 2015 Our neighbor has let his front yard go wild. Many of these native wild plants are very invasive. How can I stop their spreading into our yard? There are too many to try & keep up with pulling them as ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What to do about bastard cabbage in the Austin area? May 08, 2015 I am noticing bastard cabbage taking over roadsides and medians at an alarming rate where a mixture of native flowers used to bloom. Is it allowable to organize efforts to pull the invasive plants ou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Looking for non-native Chinese Pistache tree April 23, 2015 Where in the Austin area would be a good place to find a nice sized Chinese Pistache to plant in my yard? 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 | ||
| Identification of mystery tree in Huntington Beach, CA March 25, 2015 Have a "tree" that has grown from about 18" tall to about 10' tall in a little over a years time. It has a central trunk that is about 3/4" in diameter at it's largest. It has short thin branch... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant native Lantana urticoides and not non-native March 09, 2015 San Antonio Water System does not want to assist invasive plants but we want to encourage Lantana sp but we need to know what Lantana camara hybrids are sterile View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| How to eliminate Sawgrass from a small lake in Lindale, TX? February 23, 2015 We live on a small acre lake (about 65 acres) and the majority of the lake is surrounded by what the locals are calling saw grass. From the description on the website, I believe they are correct. The... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Replacement for waxleaf privet December 15, 2014 i just removed some waxleaf privet due to reading about the invasive and allergy problem to it. Is indian hawthorn blueberry muffin any better? what shrub do you recommend? I want it to grow about 6-1... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Controlling non-native Pennisetum frutescens (Naked fountain grass) December 07, 2014 Three years ago I bought a pennisetum frutescans grass from a reputable online nursery. It gets no supplemental water, but it is taking over my yard. It is almost 7 feet wide now. Can you tell me how ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Does Acacia farnesiana (Huisache) have agressive roots? November 30, 2014 Hello, Do you know if the Huisache tree has an aggressive root system? I have a few in proximity to my septic draining field and I need to know if I should cut them down to prevent clogging of t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replacement for Amber Jubilee Ninebark in California November 22, 2014 AMBER JUBILEE bush separating my neighbor and me, is spreading its roots into our water pipes. Want to rip out. What plants are root friendly and also give you privacy? 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 | ||
| Nativity of various bulbs October 15, 2014 Are the following bulbs native? Chionodoxa forbesii Camassia leichflinii Crocus Sprint tommasinianus Barr's Purple Hyacinthoides hispanica Narcissus 'Actea' Scilla siberica 'Spring Beauty' ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Difference between invasive Chinese and Japanese wisterias and native wisteria September 12, 2014 Dear Mr or Ms Smarty Plants, Is there any way I can tell for sure if my wisteria is native? I bought it at a place when it was in bloom that sold a lot of native plants. I Would like to know for sure... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Aggressive vine with purple flowers in South Carolina September 12, 2014 Found an aggressive climbing vine with purple flowers in out vegetable garden. This garden was cleaned and new dirt, mulch and manure was put in in the spring. It was raked out after the infusion of d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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