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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| Plants for a bare clay slope in North Carolina December 22, 2011 Hi - I live near Raleigh North Carolina (border of the coastal plain and Piedmont). I have about 1/2 acre that was excavated for a geothermal heating/cooling system and now I need to stabilize it a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need to Stabilize River Bank in Kentucky December 20, 2011 My home borders the Ohio River. I have lost a great deal of soil to the river. I am looking for plants with tight root systems that are water tolerant to protect my shoreline. Thanks View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a lakeside bank in NC November 07, 2011 Our association is looking to plant a huge sloped area that runs down to Lake Wylie. We want to plant something that is good for erosion and that does not grow too tall so that we keep our view of th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Water eroding corner in Austin October 25, 2011 I live close to the Wildflower Center. My yard slopes - as do my neighbors' yards to one corner in my yard. The result is constant moisture in one corner. The rest of the yard is caliche, rocks (m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants to stabilize sandy slope in Massachusetts September 23, 2011 Dear Mr. Smartypants, I am working on a small public housing project in Chelmsford, MA, northwest of Boston. We have a steep, sunny and SANDY slope and I am stumped as to what to recommend that wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion at edge of driveway in Abilene TX August 26, 2011 My lawn suffered a great loss of grass over the winter and the soil at the edge of the driveway is washing away with watering and the occasional rains that we have. I am trying to get the grass to gr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Liriope spicata for erosion and dust suppression from Bonifay FL August 16, 2011 I want to plant Liriope 'spicata'. I know it can be aggressive and that's what I want. We live on dirt road and need something by road for help in erosion and it's also hard to mow this are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Stabilizing a sand bank in VT August 13, 2011 We have a summer cottage in Burlington, Vt. and need to stabilize a mound of sand. The "bank" we are trying to stabilize has partial sun and faces south. It measures approx 4' high and is 30' long... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Ground cover for a slope in MD August 04, 2011 Looking for a groundcover to hold a shady slope undercut with tree roots in Maryland and to prevent further erosion. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion blanket question from Antimony UT August 03, 2011 I want to use an erosion control blanket for a hill and want to know what type I should purchase that would allow planting seeds and them growing up through the blanket View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Looking for grasses for slope around retention pond in Florida August 02, 2011 I live in St. Petersburg, FL on a large retention pond. Most of my neighbors on the pond have seawalls. I do not nor do my neighbors to my left and right. I am interested in colorful grasses to put... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Restoring a slope in the Mississippi sandhill region August 01, 2011 We are building on 5 acres (leaving 60% as is, natural). Only building a small (900-1200 sq ft house) & clearing 1 acre of the valley for a pond. There is a steep slope (where we had to put field dra... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion prevention on shady Pennsylvania stream July 28, 2011 I'm looking for a few species to plant along a stream channel to help reduce erosion during heavy rains. The soil is moist and in full shade. Ferns and thorny bushes are the only current vegetation... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for slope in central Alabama July 26, 2011 Our home is atop a 20-25' eastern facing sandy loam slope in central Alabama. It was previously covered w/ kudzu. After 3 yrs. of eradication of the kudzu we are ready to plant with native grasses/pl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need suggestions for landscaping along a creek in Lenoir, NC July 25, 2011 I live in Lenoir, NC and would like to landscape my creek bank that is about 90 feet long and is 200 feet from my house. I thought about evergeen bushes maybe rhododendron; some grasses; a few trees ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for slope on Orcas Island, WA July 21, 2011 Hi! What a great site! Okay, I have a home on Orcas Island, WA. We live here from about June through September, but only visit once a month or so the other times of the year. We are looking for somet... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a property near a conservation area in MD July 18, 2011 Can you tell me what native plants and the type of landscaping that would be good to plant in front of a forest conservation area that is on a steep hill behind our future house? It is located in Manc... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for steep bank in Pennsylvania July 12, 2011 What do I do with a very steep bank with hard clay soil to stop erosion and to look nice. Is there a ground cover that would help? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for vertical cliff in Pismo, CA July 11, 2011 Need help with erosion control on an 80' steep to vertical, top-soil, south facing cliff, Pismo CA (central coast) area. Terracing not an option. Prefer native, colorful plants that will give the bes... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Can Carolina wild petunia be planted over septic tank in Nokomis FL July 10, 2011 Could you tell me the root depth of the Ruellia caroliniensis/ Carolina wild petunia? Trying to determine if I can plant it over septic tank. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants to stop erosion on creek side July 05, 2011 I need plants for a westside slope to a creek that will help with erosion, need fast growing and likes lots of sun. Thank you, Mr. Smarty Plants View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native grass for erosion control on Shoal Creek in Austin, TX June 22, 2011 What is the best grass seed for erosion control in Austin, TX - Shoal Creek goes through my back yard and I need to seed some areas and it gets lots of sun. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for curb appeal from Birmingham AL June 16, 2011 My front yard is on a down hill slope. Can you recommend some plants that would be good for creating curb appeal that will be planted up against the house? We need some that are short around 2 feet ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Preventing Soil Erosion in Elgin, Texas June 06, 2011 I live in Elgin,TX and our property is basically a slope with dense oak and cedar trees on the back of the property. The soil is sandy loam. What type of native plants or grasses can I plant to stop... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grasses for erosion control in sand on coastal Georgia May 01, 2011 I've been tasked with identifying native grass varieties or mixes (Coastal Georgia) that can be used for erosion control on sandy slopes created from dredged river sediment and that receive lots of s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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