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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| Management of xeriscape garden and rock mulch December 09, 2007 I have a large xeriscape garden; unfortunately, it is located near some pear trees which drop tons of leaves each fall/winter. The garden is difficult to clean of leaves until I cut back the plants. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to get rid of devils club (Oplopanax horridus) November 22, 2007 please tell me how to get rid of devils club!!! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of mature agaves November 20, 2007 Hello- we live in Austin, TX and have a bed of different varieties of agave. They are near the walkway to our house, and are so out of control they pose a hazard to our guests walking up to the house... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shaping of native hawthorns October 21, 2007 I have three young hawthorns that were propagated from a nearby Blackland prairie stand. If I limb them up, will that encourage them to branch more near the top, or will it just ruin the form altoget... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of bramble under live oaks and replacing with groundcover September 26, 2007 We have several large live oaks on the front of our 12 acre property in Hockley, Texas. Under and around each oak is an extensive amount of bramble which we would like to remove so that we can enjoy ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bloom stalks on agave plants September 26, 2007 Hi, We have Agave plants in our garden for years. But in the past few weeks, we noticed a giant asparagus looking thing growing out in the middle of the plants. We don't know what it is, but every d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Diagnosis of problem with Parsley hawthorn August 06, 2007 I have a Crataegus marshallii (Parsley hawthorn) that is about 3 years old. It leafed out this spring and flowered lightly. As the summer has progressed, though, the leaves have been dropping premat... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Juniper as host of cedar-apple rust July 17, 2007 Thanks for the helpful advice on the Eastern Red Cedar. I was wondering if you could ease my mind about a potential problem. I have read up on some of the native plants in my area in a very good book ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Control of Smilax bona-nox (saw greenbrier) June 15, 2007 We have some property near Round Mountain, Texas. Under and in the oak trees is a vine that has a heart-shaped, shiny leaf and nasty thorns. I'd like to know the name and how best to try to get rid... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Thorns on non-native orange trees March 04, 2007 I just moved into a new home that has orange trees in the yard. The tree trunks and limbs are thorny. What kind of oranges are they? How should I care for them? Is it ok to cut off the thorns so t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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