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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| What to plant between patio flagstones in Austin, TX? May 16, 2011 I would like to plant something between my flagstones on the patio. Something that doesn't require a lot of water, low growing, and can stand a little to moderate traffic. It is in a shade to partly... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shaded Trellis Plants for Georgetown TX May 14, 2011 What native plants work well on a trellis that will be placed in an area that remains shaded most of the day? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for shaded area under pecan trees May 11, 2011 The east side of our Houston home has a 15 foot strip overhung with pecan trees. The shade by the start of summer is so dense that grass dies pretty quickly. I'd like to keep enough grass for the k... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Low water use tree to shade pond in Burnet TX May 10, 2011 I'm in need of some shade at a 1/2 acre pond, but I don't want a tree to consume so much water that it will lower the water level. During droughts the little pond needs all the water it can get. Som... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shade tree with non-aggressive roots for next to pool in The Woodlands TX April 26, 2011 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants. We live in Spring, TX and are looking for a full-sun shade tree to plant in a large planter (about 6'x6') next to our pool. We want the tree to provide shade for our full a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Year-round ground cover for sun/shade April 24, 2011 Looking for a native ground cover for shade and middle afternoon/evening sun. Would like it to cover all year. I planted aguga and it froze. I have two large beds (I used about 70 4in plants for ea... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shade tree with no roots to interfere with patio in Lake City FL April 24, 2011 I have a 4x4 area surrounded by cement patio but would like a tree for shade that does not have roots that will mess up the slab. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Partial shade plants for underneath ash tree in Tarrant County, Texas April 20, 2011 I have a BIG Ash Tree in my front yard that blocks out most afternoon sun. I generally get morning and evening sun. I am looking for something to plant around the base of the tree so my yard doesn'... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ornamental shade grasses for Dover AR April 16, 2011 Ornamental shade grasses for sandy soil or silt, part shade, or even vines. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Annabelle hydrangeas blossoms drooping to ground in Wilmette, IL April 10, 2011 I have a row of Annabelle Hydrangeas that become very heavy and droop over the entire width of the bed. I would like to know what I can use for support so that they will stand up and allow me to plan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sun and shade landscaping in Coppell TX April 03, 2011 My two-story home in Coppell Texas faces north. The houses are ten feet apart. The sun leaves the front yard late-0ctober/early-November. It is March 24 and the beds are still in house shade. In s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| North-central Texas shrubs for part-shade March 30, 2011 I need a shrub that will be OK in shade (2-3 hrs a day max.), in fairly well-drained soil, will grow to around 8 ft. tall and 4-6 wide, for the region between Denton and Gainesville. If it flowers, al... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Choice of shade trees from the City of Austin March 29, 2011 I have a choice of three shade trees from the city of Austin. They are Live Oak, Elm, Cedar. Although I am happy to have a free tree, I think the choices are not the best for my home. I have a small ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shade trees for NC March 22, 2011 What fast growing non invasive tree would be good to plant in a sub-division that could possibly shade my 2 story house? I would like it to have a tap root system so that it is strong in windy condit... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deer resistant, drought and shade tolerant plants to go under oak tree in Austin March 21, 2011 What is the best deer resistant, drought resistant native plant to grow under my huge Oak tree? Grass does not grow. Will iris bloom? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Container plants for shade in Austin March 15, 2011 I reside in 78739. Just moving here from So Cal (where all plants are perennials), I'm looking to create a good "Shade loving" Container for near my front door. I'm looking at 'Summer Wave' Wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native Shade Tree for Central Texas February 26, 2011 My parents are buried in Round Mountain Cemetery close to Marble Falls, TX. Can you recommend a tree or shrub we can plant to shade their graves? We need something that can survive and grow in the h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wildflowers for a shady spot in IL February 26, 2011 I have a low-sun spot on the side of my house in Chicago, IL. I would really like to turn this spot into a wildflower garden. Could you suggest some native IL flowers that might work in this spot? ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wet & Shade in South Austin February 19, 2011 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants - I live in south Austin (S. of Ben White) in a new development. Our houses are fairly close together, so there's little sun between them. The issue is that when it does rain, ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shade-loving Grass for the Houston area February 09, 2011 I have an ash tree that completely shades the majority of our front yard and is not allowing the St. Augustine grass to grow. Is there a shade-loving grass good for the Houston area? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Looking for a shrub to provide shade to the west side of a home in Ft. Worth, TX February 07, 2011 We are on a corner lot and are looking for a tall tree or shrub to block the west side of our house. There is only a 5 foot area space between the sidewalk and side driveway where we want to plant th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-poisonous trees to shade horse pasture in Leesville SC February 07, 2011 Please list NON-poisonous trees for horses in South Carolina. I would live to plant a few trees along the fence of my horse pasture and in my horse pasture for shade. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-Poisonous, Shade Tolerant Vine for Austin February 01, 2011 Hello, I live in northwest Austin and have a very shady wood fence I would like to cover and was thinking about a vine. I have a toddler and a dog so anything poisonous is out of the question. I woul... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for small pots in sun in Austin January 24, 2011 Hello Mr. Smarty Plants! We are renting our house, so while we have a yard, the landlord would prefer us to only add plants to his landscaping in pots. I have filled some large ones, but have been una... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shade trees for horses in Merced, CA January 21, 2011 I would like to plant some trees to provide shade for horses in the pasture. What native trees are drought resistant (water may be spotty in the summer) yet safe for the animals? I live in the Calif... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deer Resistant Plants for Dry Shade in Manor, Texas January 14, 2011 What deer resistant blooming plants will do well under a huge oak tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need Shade Trees for Entry in Poway, California January 14, 2011 Hi - Our front door gets a lot of afternoon sun, so we'd like to plant a couple of shade trees near the entry way. Unfortunately we don't have much room between our entry path and the driveway, so... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native ornamental grass for part shade in Austin December 22, 2010 Hi. I am looking for a fast-growing hardy ornamental grass that will grow in partial shade in south Austin that is not considered invasive. Unfortunately I purchased a few of the Pennisetum setaceum r... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Erosion control on partially shaded slope November 27, 2010 Mr. Smarty Plants, I live in Atlanta, GA. My house is on a hill, and I am beginning to have erosion at my backyard porch (concrete slab, on the corners especially). The soil is mainly red clay, a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Tough grasses for shade November 24, 2010 What kind of grass/groundcover can I put in our backyard that is shady/dry and has 50 lb. high energy dog traffic? Was considering Horse Herb but not sure, as it sounds like you can't get rid of it,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Hedge for a shady spot November 12, 2010 In the Statesman you recently provided good suggestions about a privacy screen. I need a hedge that will grow under a huge old oak tree. Will wax myrtle or red cedar work for us? I have yaupon and m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Landscaping north facing wall November 08, 2010 We live in the Dallas area and have a north facing home with a large, bare wall. I would like to plant a tall, flowering shrub that will look nice all year round. Or are there flowering vines that a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Good evergreen screen and some shade plants for Plano Texas November 03, 2010 We live in Plano Texas. We have 15' between our house and our neighbor. We want to plant a divider/screen of something evergreen, about 6-15' (6-8' is better) and narrow, about 2-3' wide between t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What habitat would my Antennaria solitaria like in Red Bank, TN? October 26, 2010 I want to know what habitat my mystery plant will like- sun, shade, dry or moist. I think it is an Antennaria solitaria or Little Pussytoes. I got it at a native plant sale here in Chattanooga. It has... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for narrow planter boxes in San Antonio October 02, 2010 We have a narrow flower planter box in three sections above a french drain in front of our house. The box is about 2 feet high (filled with Gardenville soil) above a french drain covered with filter ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need evergreen hedge and groundcover for shade in Carmel, Indiana September 27, 2010 Our property is bounded by a fencerow that is wooded and mostly shaded by mulberry and hackberry trees during the growing months. We'd like to create a 5'+ tall evergreen barrier on the property li... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen shrub for part shade in Austin September 21, 2010 I am planning a pocket prairie on the north side of my house. Where I am struggling is finding an evergreen shrub that will grow about 6-8', be native and provide semi-privacy in front of a bedroom ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Want salt, shade, drought tolerant plant for Rochester, New York September 21, 2010 I am looking for a ground cover plant for western NY to grow on a strip alongside a road that gets very little sun in summer (lots of tree branches shading it). It gets a lot of road salt in winter a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Erosion control for steep shady hillside in Massachusetts September 02, 2010 What would be a good plant for erosion control on a steep, very shady hillside in Massachusetts? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grasses for shade in McKinney TX August 19, 2010 Dear Sir, We have lived in the same house for 25 years and when we originally moved in we had St. Augustine sod installed and for several years it did very well until my trees started getting bigge... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Container plant for shade in Austin August 07, 2010 I am very new to gardening (have already killed two plants on my front entryway), and I looking for a couple recommendations for for a potted plant that I can place on my entryway porch. It is shaded... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover for shade that is drought tolerant August 02, 2010 Can you suggest a ground cover or plant that loves shade and is drought tolerant in the Austin Region? If the two do not coexist can you suggest a ground cover for shade. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native shrub for shade in New Braunfels, Texas July 26, 2010 Recently moved to New Braunfels and purchased a house whose backyard consists of giant oaks. Unfortunately there is a chain link fence along the back of the property. I would like to plant a native f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Screen and shade for pool in Michigan July 18, 2010 We recently moved to a new home that has a pool. There is no shade nor privacy. What types of trees, plants would you recommend for our small backyard? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Leaves turning brown on geum in Mountlake Terrace WA July 12, 2010 Assuming a geum is North American . . . mine are turning brown unlike any time before. They get watered occasionally and then dry out. Is there something special I should be doing for geums? They get ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need mowable ground cover for shady area under trees in Lake Charles, LA. July 12, 2010 I live in Southwest Louisiana. I have a large portion of my back yard that is very shady because I have large trees in the yard. The area dries up fairly quickly after a heavy rain, so it isn't extre... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deer resistant plants for area under grand fir (Abies grandis) in Idaho July 08, 2010 What can I plant on a slope under Grand Fir trees in North Idaho, zone 4 - anything deer resistant? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Flowering plants for shady garden in Bastrop July 02, 2010 We live in Bastrop, 8 miles west of the Historical district. We have a small flower garden in a shady spot around 25 feet from the back patio of our home. We'd like to find out what native plants, f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for steep slope in shade in Iowa July 02, 2010 I work for a small non-profit shelter here in Dubuque, Ia. that has a very steep slope behind the building that needs some sort of plant or grass planted to stop erosion. The slope gets little to no s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shade loving plants with color for Irving, Texas July 01, 2010 Looking for shade loving perennials or annuals with color - native and low water. Live in Irving, Texas. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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