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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| Protecting a new patio from oak roots September 01, 2008 Hello, I have just formed up for a new patio. I have a Live Oak tree about 2' away from the patio. It has a trunk diameter of about 10", I believe 20-25 years old. Problem: I have 2 large roots in ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Washingtonia palms need to be skirted? August 31, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have five Washingtonia palms on my property that have never been skirted and look rather shabby. The interesting thing is that they have thrived (20-30 ft) here to begin with... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yellow, pale green leaves on Cedar Elms in Texas August 30, 2008 I have had several cedar elms of various sizes planted in our yard over the last 10 years. Only the largest has dark green, healthy looking leaves. All the others have yellowish, pale green leaves. Th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pecan tree transplant in Elgin, TX August 26, 2008 Hello, Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a question about how to encourage a very young pecan sapling to grow, and whether I should use mulch to do so. I live in Elgin (Bastrop County) and the soil is extr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hedge for steep slope by sidewalk in Wisconsin August 25, 2008 I have a fairly steep slope from the sidewalk to my yard. The space is about 48" high, 30" deep and 120' long. I was thinking that a boxwood hedge would fill that space nicely but no one else aroun... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tree with tap root for small area August 24, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: I'm looking for a tree with a tap root to plant for shade on the side of my patio. i have about a 4 foot area to plant in and it's 8 feet to my neighbors house. ..maybe somet... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wilting of Mountain Ash in Wisconsin August 21, 2008 What type of disease would cause a Mountain Ash to entirely wilt? The bark on bottom of tree is opening up and is spongy feeling. No sign of any disease until last month and it quickly wilted with b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Damage to native elm in Texas August 20, 2008 We had a major landscape renovation done over the winter. One of the trees, an elm about 10 yrs old, remained in the bed although plants around it were removed. The tree has suddenly started turning... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Avoiding cedar elm because of allergens August 18, 2008 Hi. Cedar elm, Ulmus crassifolia, seems like a wonderful, tough, drought tolerant native tree. I'd like to plant several to shade buildings. I'm being discouraged from doing so because Cedar elm ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Leaf fall from Cedar Elm planted in clay August 17, 2008 I saw the answer to leaves falling off a cedar elm planted in clay. However I planted a Cedar Elm in my back yard. I dug a hole in the grass then planted and put grass back on top. I water every other... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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