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 grasses and shrubs for Houston project November 21, 2008 I am working on a project in Houston. As part of the sustainable approach of the project, I would like to plant native / adaptive, non-invasive grasses and shrubs. It is key that they use little wat... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen native shrubs for hedge in Austin November 20, 2008 Please help! Looking for an inexpensive, fast growing shrub or tree to plant along 200' fence in our backyard. Lots of sun (southwest side) but I wouldn't call it dry. Hoping for something that k... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hedge of native Purple Sage in Austin November 20, 2008 Hi, I would like to plant a dense hedge of Purple Sage that will hopefully grow from 6-8 ' tall and about 4' wide. I purchased the Silverado Sage Leucophyllum frutescens 'Berstar Dwarf' variety.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Small area native plant gardening for an apartment November 14, 2008 Mr.Smarty, We live in an apartment and are fortunate to have a small area, 5'x5', and so want color! Here in Houston the winters don't freeze much and the summers are HOT. Luckily, we are in the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pale leaves and brown tips on Tecoma stans in Austin November 12, 2008 I have a Tecoma Stans planted in a large galvanized container in a sunny spot. It has grown very fast in the last few months and flowers regularly, but the leaves are pale and the tips are turning bro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Necessary sun exposure for Eves Necklace November 12, 2008 How little sun can the tree Eve's Necklace receive and still be happy and healthy? I have an intended spot that gets about 3, maybe 4 hours, some of that will be hot afternoon sun in the summer. Th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Indoor lantana tree dropping leaves November 06, 2008 I purchased a lantana tree,a lantana hybrid that is only tolerant to 32 degrees. We are zone 5 so I brought it indoors and it only gets the morning sun, and 85%of the leaves have fallen off. The leav... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deer eating creosote bushes (Larrea tridentata) November 04, 2008 We have Creosote Bushes (Larrea tridentata) that grow wild on out 10 acres. The deer eat those plants all year 'round. Probably more in the dry times of the year. Just wanted to let you know that t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| List of Central Texas native shrubs October 28, 2008 Need to find a list of Central Texas native shrubs. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Repotting of lemon cypress for drainage October 26, 2008 Hi, I bought a lemon cypress tree in a nice tin, It is in Plastic and the bottom has about 1.5" of water with no drainage in the plastic or tin. It will be kept inside. Does the plant need to be in... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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