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.
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?
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
| topic | question | |
| Ground cover for shade from Atlanta GA May 28, 2012 I am looking for recommendations for a ground cover. I live in the Atlanta, Georgia area and have a large shady slope on which I would like to use low maintenance/water native ground cover. What wou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Stabilizing a lakeside slope from Bracey, VA May 24, 2012 We are trying to beautify and stabilize a relatively large lakeside steep slope with a southern exposure in central Virginia. The soil is characterized by red clay and shale rock. How can we turn this... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shrubs and small trees for a slope in NY May 21, 2012 We are looking for a living wall made of shrubs / small trees - no more than 25' for the top of a steep creek bed. We are looking for the best erosion preventing types. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need suggestions for native grasses to stabilize hillside Lago Vista, TX. May 20, 2012 I was hoping for some advice. We live on a hillside near Lake Travis. 10-12 years ago I removed all cedar trees. There is approximately 1-2 acrees of steep land between our residence and the lake. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion Control in Bartlesville OK May 10, 2012 What kind of plants can we use to stop erosion and loss of bank on a creek that is mostly shaded? Is there any free advice/plants for people that are losing land due to water levels rising/dropping? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Steep slope from Charlotte NC May 03, 2012 I live near Charlotte, NC and I have a very steep sloped area from the edge of our front yard down to the road. It's a huge eyesore mainly because it is red clay dirt and has nothing growing on it. W... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Construction problems on site in Mansfield OH April 28, 2012 Last year we had a rectangular above ground pool put in the person who "leveled" for use did a terrible job and basically dug a huge hole for us to put our pool in. The back side of the pool is abou... 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 |  | |
| Plants for pond, for incline and area with poor soil April 23, 2012 I have three plant recommendation questions for Austin, TX. 1. I have a large pond that I would like to put native aquatic plants in. What are some hardy aquatic natives I could put in? The pond ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants to stabilize a bank in VT April 10, 2012 I am looking for suggestion on what plants might best be suited for aiding in the stabilization of a very steep bank above Lake Champlain. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion Control in a Mid-Atlantic Shoreline April 09, 2012 My family owns a riverfront property off of Machodoc Creek which runs into the Potomac on the Virginia side. The water is roughly 3 feet deep at the shoreline and concrete cylinders are used to contro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for steep clay bank in Summerfield OH April 07, 2012 Hello, We have a steep 15-20 foot high bank behind our house here in southern Ohio. Probably 50 ft.long. What could we plant for beauty and erosion control. It is nasty clay soil with lots of shale an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowering Deer Resistant Ground Cover for Dry Rocky Soil: Alabama March 26, 2012 My question has been partially answered in the FAQ but I live in Birmingham where the soil is clay and rocky so it's a little different. I want to plant on a rocky slope (small rocks like the size of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Riverbank retention in VA March 26, 2012 I need some groundcover/bank retention for a Virginia riverbank in mixed sun and shade. I want to plant something native to VA. the area is out of the water but subject to occasional (4-5 times per y... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Dealing with rain runoff on a slope in Austin March 24, 2012 Our lawn is a year old and slopes at about a 45 degree angle with a lot of small holes and tiny gullies from water run-off. I have tried packing them with soil, but it washes away in the rain. Would ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Erosion control for a North Carolina creek side February 29, 2012 Hello Mr. Smarty Plants! I noticed a question on your website recommending NC native grasses and plants to help prevent erosion on a sloping backyard, including the use of an erosion blanket. The pl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need plants to control erosion on a hillside in Nashville, TN. February 28, 2012 Recently, a rogue contractor scraped all the sod off of my Tennessee hillside. Now the clay soil is exposed and washing away quickly. The hill slope is approximately 30 degrees. In the spring I'd ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a hillside in WI February 18, 2012 I live in Wisconsin and am currently doing a research project on plant variation on the north and south sides of a hill. I was wondering you could suggest any books to me that would address this issue... 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 | ||
| Deer resistant plants for Pittsburgh PA January 30, 2012 What shrubs can I plant on a wet slope that gets partial sun that will help control erosion? They need to be something the deer won't eat! We have lots of deer. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Restoring tornado-damaged property in Alexander City AL January 29, 2012 Dear Mr Smartypants, We were struck by the outbreak of tornadoes last spring and our wonderful woods are now unsightly sloping pastures with erosion problems.. many stumps and coils of roots. We are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for steep lakeside bank in Minnesota January 17, 2012 I am new to MN and would like to plant some pretty plants on my steep lakeside bank. What type plants and flowers should I plant to prevent erosion, but not block the lake view? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Chesapeake Bay Erosion Control from White Stone VA January 14, 2012 Native Wetland Plants for Chesapeake Bay Erosion Control -- I have a wooded lot (pine and hardwoods)leading to 4-5 ft. wide flat shoreline edged with riprap. What native wetland plants survive salt wa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Ground cover for Connecticut sandy gravel bank January 11, 2012 What ground cover plant can I use on a sandy gravel bank behind my house? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| slope stabilization in Massachusetts January 09, 2012 My family and I recently put in a 120 x 100 horseback riding ring. It had to be built up in the back and, as a result, there is a 10 foot slope which could use stabilization. What plants native to Mas... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| topic | question | |