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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| Identification of possible wild plums thickets May 19, 2008 I have several "thickets" of small shrub/bushes on my land that I hunt on. These small trees are usually 5-7 feet tall, always grow in thickets of ten to up to sixty or so bushes. They are always lo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hummingbird plants and Indian Hawthorn May 13, 2008 I live in The Woodlands in a new section of homes. I planted some hummingbird plants in full sun and they did ok last year for 4 months, then lost all their leaves and died when the winter came. At ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bloom on non-native Agave attenuata May 13, 2008 I have an Agave Attenuata that has grown a long and unsightly stem.Is there a way to cut the plant portion off and re-root the plant without killing the petal portion? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fast-growing, deer resistant native plants for Kerrville, TX April 28, 2008 I'm looking for a plant that will spread quickly and thickly on a very steep slope. The area to be covered is 60'long x 5'high and is crumbly limestone with full sun and very dry. We have a large... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Eco-friendly trees for parks in Brownsville, TX April 26, 2008 Which are the best eco friendly trees for parks? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of a vine with thorns and blue berries. April 22, 2008 > Hello, > We have acreage in Butler County, PA. I recently discovered a vine that I can't identify. It's has many small spines all over the stem, then very large and stiff thorns. It has dark gr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native shrubs that can be pruned to shape in Austin, TX March 31, 2008 We have some shrubs in our NE facing front yard in Austin in the Steiner Ranch Area. The shrubs are native, and give good flowers in spring and summer, but are not trimmable and I want something like ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Distinguish between Huisache and Goldenball Leadtree March 23, 2008 How do you distinguish between Huisache (Acacia farnesiana) and Goldenball Leadtree (Leucaena retusa)? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trees to replace Ligustrums, and evergreen vines for privacy screen January 21, 2008 We had 3 ligustrum trees growing along a creek bank in our back yard and under the City of Austin power lines. Our backyard is on a terrace about 7 feet above the creek's flood plain. The Ligustrums ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant identification December 24, 2007 I have a question about a plant that looks like a fern that has small red looking flowers and has thorns. Also it is very small (probably 2-3 inches tall). I'm just wondering what it is cause it grow... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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