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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| Determination of the sex of Mexican persimmon (Diospyros texana) January 30, 2008 Last spring, I planted a persimmon fruit from a Mexican Persimmon. I now have 6 small seedlings coming up. Since they all came from the same seed source - 1 black persimmon, will they all be male tree... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen replacement for liveoaks with oak wilt in Austin January 26, 2008 One day after moving into our very first home and first home in Texas (just north of the Wildflower center in Sendera Southwest Austin) we discovered that all of our Live Oaks have Oak Wilt. After tre... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fruit trees for South Austin. January 25, 2008 I live in South, South Austin, just a pinch West of 35 near 1626. I would like to plant some fruit trees in the back yard. Anyone will sell fruit trees, but they don't always grow. What fruiting var... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Moving a red oak away from the house foundation January 24, 2008 About a 3 weeks ago I noticed a 5 ft. red oak growing in my flower bed. I hadn't noticed it growing up through my shrubs until the leaves turned bright red. The problem is that its coming up about tw... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Possible fungus growing on mountain ash (Sorbus sp. or Fraxinus sp.) January 20, 2008 We have a mountain ash with something growing several feet off the ground that looks like duckbills or mushrooms. Can you tell me what is wrong with it. We lost one mountain ash tree to something an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Inflorescence of the American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) December 28, 2007 What kind of flower inflorescence do sycamores have? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native landscaping plants for Sherman, Texas December 19, 2007 We are starting from scratch on landscaping our new yard. We live in Sherman, TX and I would like to use plants and flowers that are native to Texas and have a good chance of surviving. What are you... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Information about Lemon Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) December 16, 2007 Lately, I've been seeing references to a tree/shrub called a "lemon cypress tree". It looks like a standard Italian cypress, but the foilage is yellow. I cannot find any reference to this plant e... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Seed germination for sugar maple (Acer saccharum) December 15, 2007 How can I germinate sugar maple?(step by step, please) I have some seeds but can't make them grow directly outside, so could you recommend a method which takes place inside?! I've heard something ab... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Red oak (Quercus shumardii or Q. buckleyi) for small yard. December 13, 2007 Hello, I want to plant a red oak but my yard is not large. I'm looking for a red oak that is medium size in width. The height is not so much of a concern. From what I've read, the Shumard is m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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