Native Plants
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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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| Replacing yellow bells with hibiscus from San Antonio July 03, 2012 Help! Will the roots of the yellow bells keep sprouting if I've removed the shrub? I'm replacing it with a hibiscus shrub. Will it do well in the same spot where the yellow bells were? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| A privacy hedge for a shady spot in Austin, TX July 02, 2012 What is a good choice for a privacy hedge in west Austin in a predominantly shady area? I'd like it to be 8-12 feet, along the fence, so as to obstruct the view of the neighbor's yard. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Foundation plants for Albuquerque. July 01, 2012 Hello, I live in Albuquerque. I am looking for some native/xeric low water usage plants for foundation plants for my home. They will be foundation plants for a two story home that has a large ponde... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants under an oak tree from Corpus Christi TX June 30, 2012 My project: To grow white turk's cap under an old oak tree I first planted St. Augustine sod this spring because we had many oak suckers around the tree. We mixed new soil and compost, and laid the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Safe grazing for donkeys and goats from Osteen FL June 30, 2012 I am having a very difficult time trying to find shrubs, hedges, plants, flowers, or trees etc. that are safe for donkeys and goats. We live in Zone 9 and have a small farm. I've had to pull every ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Installing limestone walkway around trees from Pflugerville TX June 28, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants:I wish to install a limestone walkway in my front yard, however, there are some roots(~ 1.25 inch) in the designated area. Will this hurt or kill the tree if I cut these away? T... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trees for Socorro NM June 28, 2012 I recently moved from Austin to Socorro, NM. I want to add 2 shade trees to my hot, dry garden. I am considering Arizona Cypress, Live Oak (Quercus Fusiformis - yes, they are native in NM, as well a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Propagating plant cuttings in cut potato from Columbia MO June 26, 2012 Hello. I belong to a garden group and one of the members posted a "tip" she found in an early 2000 garden magazine. I wanted to see if there was any truth to the tip? Basically the tip was to use... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care for non-native hybrid hydrangea from Traverse City, MI June 24, 2012 We just planted some new Hydrangea (Summer Beauty) that we bought at a local nursery. The plants are about 3' tall with blooms on the stalks. The blooms appear to be top-heavy as most all the stalks ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for 100 gal. pot by pool from Ft. Worth TX June 23, 2012 What North Texas evergreen — or combination of evergreen plants, bushes or trees — could thrive in a huge, 100-gallon clay pot (immovable!) that is situated in full sun year round in an exposed area n... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-native Philadelphus Innocence mock orange from Paris TX June 20, 2012 What is the best place in the garden to grow Philadelphus Innocence mock orange in Paris, Tx? Also, how long after transplanting do flowers occur? Any tips appreciated View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock in Chinkapin oak from Copperas Cove TX June 18, 2012 I have a newly planted chinkapin oak, appx 14' tall, in the Copperas Cove TX area. It has done great for the first two weeks. Now the leaves are yellowing (June) and beginning to dry up. I water it ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplant shock in non-native crape myrtle from Wesley Chapel, FL June 12, 2012 I just bought a 12 ft. crape myrtle and planted it, giving it plenty of water I think. After 3 days the leaves are wilting and flowers are falling off. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant rootbound tree now from Kerrville TX June 10, 2012 I purchased a Blanco Crabapple tree. Should I plant it now or wait until Fall? (It is currently rootbound.) Second question: Our Mountain Laurel has a dead trunk and one trunk has already died. I c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Cardboard or newsprint for mulch from Cedar Park TX June 09, 2012 What is your opinion on using cardboard and/or newspaper for mulch in flower beds or around trees? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Vine Choices Scarce in Beaverton Oregon June 08, 2012 Hi, I am looking for a hearty vine that we could use to cling to and cover a cement wall that is about 8 feet tall and 30 feet long. It is on the south side of our house but never gets direct sunli... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Overwatering Texas Mountain Laurel from Rosanky TX June 06, 2012 I just read your article in the Statesman about over watering Mt.Laurel. Now I know why my lovely 15 year old tree is dying. We put in new grass this winter and I watered too much. Is there any hop... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Failure to bloom of Esperanza from Austin June 06, 2012 I have an Esperanza plant. I've had this plant for over 5 years. Its in a large pot. The plant has NEVER bloomed. I fertilize maybe once a month and dont seem to be over watering, only when I notice ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Repotting non-native Agave ghiesbreghtii from Spring TX June 03, 2012 I've recently purchased an Agave ghiesbreghtii, and will need to re-pot it soon. I have some cactus soil mix as well as a few rocks to put in the bottom of its new pot. There seem to be roots comi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trees starting to die in subdivision in Hutto, TX May 31, 2012 I live in Hutto Tx, in a subdivision where everyone has the 2 trees planted in the front yard. My trees have started to die, and I want to find out what kind they are to find a solution View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Putting in native grass in June in Manor TX May 31, 2012 We are moving into a new-built house in the middle of June. We opted to not have them put in Bermuda grass as we wanted to seed a native mix. From my understanding, mid June will be too late to start ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How close can house be built to live oak from Austin May 30, 2012 We have a healthy 21" live oak tree on our lot and are planning to build a home in Circle C subdivision in southwest austin. The home foundation will be within 15' of the large live oak. Need your h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| When can native wildflower mix seeds be planted from Rosenberg TX May 30, 2012 I received a package of "All Native Wildflower Mix". The package says plant in Spring. Is too late to plant now or should I wait for next March? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Digging wild buttercup from roadside in Mechanicsville MD May 28, 2012 Mr. Smarty Plants, is it illegal to dig out wild buttercup in Maryland? I see them along the dirt road or just in the ditch. Since buttercup considered weed, I'm wondering what the law say about this... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need an evergreen flowering vine to cover a fence in Houston, TX. May 28, 2012 Looking for an evergreen flowering vine to cover my fence. caveat? one part of the fence is within 5 feet from the air conditioning unit which blows a lot of hot air, the area takes a day or two to dr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Oak trees shedding leaves in Denton TX May 27, 2012 In Denton, TX we have two mature Quercus buckleyi. It is May 11th 2012 and one of these trees has been shedding green leaves for the last week. The only changes we have made are: planted English ivy... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Yellow in pin oak leaves from Allen TX May 25, 2012 I have two pin oaks and one is completely yellow - a sign of iron deficiency and the other is starting to turn completely yellow as well. I've a proposal for iron deficiency but it is quite expensiv... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need options for smaller trees in neighborhoods in Austin, TX. May 25, 2012 Please discuss smaller tree options for typical Austin neighborhood yards. These houses are built close together on the sides, and only have smallish back yards. They just don't have space for big 50... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shade trees for Tucson AZ May 25, 2012 I need to plant some "fast growing" trees or shrubs on my southwest yard in order to reduce the heat in my bedroom. What do you suggest? I live in Tucson, Arizona. Thank you in advance. I'm... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Huisaches in pots from Houston TX May 20, 2012 I have special (and probably weird) affinity to huisaches (acacia farnesiana). As a child I used to admire the three that elegantly guarded our backyard looking almost like fingers reaching for the s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Adding Wildflowers to Corpus Christi May 20, 2012 I have a dry sandy yard, full sun in Corpus Christi with lot's of stickers mostly, want to transform to wildflowers. When should I plant, how should I prepare soil, should I dig out stickers? Which w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growing a Texas Mountain Laurel in Pennsylvania May 20, 2012 Can I grow a Texas Mt. Laurel in Lancaster, PA? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Cultivar of Cercis Canadensis from Haskell OK May 16, 2012 We have a Hearts of Gold Redbud that first had dark edges to many of its leaves (about 2 weeks after planting). It now has multiple leaves w/ medium-dark brown spots on them. Are we looking at some ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pollinator garden for Belen NM May 16, 2012 Trying to set up a flower garden to attract bees and butterflies. Can you tell me what would be best to grow. I live in Belen, NM. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problem with magnolias and yaupon in Prosper TX May 13, 2012 Problem with Little Gem magnolia - 3 little gems planted next to a fence, in Prosper, TX. Planted 3 years ago, 2009, one of the trees is now withering. The other 2 are doing fine, the one has leaves... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| A year and a half old live oak tree is doing poorly in Nevada, TX. May 08, 2012 We planted a live oak tree about a year and a half ago. the tree is still rather small. The leaves are of a vibrant green, however the leave have only grown through the center of the tree and not out... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Restoring the woods in Central Austin. May 08, 2012 I live in Austin, south central between Red Bud trail close to the low water bridge and Bee Caves road. My question: I want to make the wooded sections of my yard attractive. They have filtered sun... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with evergreen sumac in San Antonio May 03, 2012 I planted 5 5-gallon (approximately 2 feet tall) evergreen sumac in early January. Since that time they have sprouted out new shoot with new leaves several times - every time the leaves have wilted a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Steep slope from Charlotte NC May 03, 2012 I live near Charlotte, NC and I have a very steep sloped area from the edge of our front yard down to the road. It's a huge eyesore mainly because it is red clay dirt and has nothing growing on it. W... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Live oak wobbling in the ground from Austin May 02, 2012 I have a live oak that was not planted firmly in the ground by the subdivision builder's landscapers. The entire tree is wobbly to the touch and it has come close to dying as result of windy condit... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Scorched leaves on Red Maple from Lufkin TX April 30, 2012 I have a Red Maple that we planted in Lufkin, TX about a month ago and fertilized about 2 weeks ago. We water the tree often. The leaves have become scorched looking on the outside of about 1/3 of t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Construction problems on site in Mansfield OH April 28, 2012 Last year we had a rectangular above ground pool put in the person who "leveled" for use did a terrible job and basically dug a huge hole for us to put our pool in. The back side of the pool is abou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Male and female possumhaws for berries from Georgetown TX April 23, 2012 Do I need to plant two ilex decidua (possumhaws), a male and female to have red berries on the tree in the winter? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shrub that will grow outside in Zone 5 from Millbrook NY April 21, 2012 Is there any shrub, tree or other sort of plant that will grow well in zone 5 in a very large container outdoors? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Moving a large red horse chestnut tree in Jackson MI April 20, 2012 I have a red horse chestnut that is maybe 12 inches around, can I move it after the sap goes down about 10 miles to our new place? Sadly, I cannot afford to hire a tree truck. What are its chances? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| When do you put out bluebonnet seeds in Bastrop, TX? April 17, 2012 When do you put out bluebonnet seeds?? I hear fall but don't the seeds pop out of dried up plants in early summer? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Progress of Habiturf lawn from Round Rock TX April 12, 2012 I sowed Habiturf seeds almost two weeks ago in well prepared soil--no grass or weeds, well tilled with compost. After sowing, I lightly raked the soil. I have watered twice/day, allowing it to dry s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need plants for new wrought iron planter in Spicewood,TX. April 10, 2012 I live in Spicewood, Texas, and have just purchased some really nice wrought iron window boxes for my patio railing. What would be the best and prettiest plants to use? Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transferring a palm tree from Florida to Pennsylvania from Reading PA April 06, 2012 Is it legal to transport a small palm tree (12" high) from FL to PA? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Replacing non-native invasives with native grasses and wildflowers from Round Rock TX April 04, 2012 I have a small piece of property (1.5 AC) East of Austin, Texas that get's overgrown with weedy vegetation (johnson grass, dandelion, and some tall yellow flowering plant that I see all over the medi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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