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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| Corkscrew willow damage to roof in Detroit, MI. August 13, 2009 I have a corkscrew willow (Detroit, MI) that is huge and whose branches hang on top of the asphalt shingles of my mobile home. It has now been discovered that these shingles, under the branches, are ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hail damage to Cenizo in Austin August 03, 2009 We have some Texas sage Silverado. After the latest hail, they look very sad. If about the half of plant is OK and the other half looks dried/dead?, should we prune the dried half? Are they ever comin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplant shock in my Nuttall Oak tree in Moore, OK. July 23, 2009 I had a Nutall oak tree planted; it is 5 inches in diameter and about 24 feet tall. It was planted in March of this year, leafed out ok; now since June 20th I have had a large quantity of the leaves t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trimming dead blooms from turkscap in San Antonio July 10, 2009 Great answer to the Turk's Plant question. But, I can't seem to find an answer to mine. I've had Turk's plants for years and cut them back as you suggest, but have always been confused about wha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Brown leaves on possumhaw holly in Grandview TX July 02, 2009 What would be likely causes for brown leaves on possumhaw holly? We have 2, one was planted in spring 2008, and a slightly larger one planted late winter/early spring this year. Most of the leaves a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will the blooming stalk of my century plant eventually tip over? Yes June 24, 2009 I have a century plant in bloom. Will the stalk eventually tip over? Would appreciate any Internet references on the subject. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care for penstemons in South Jordan, UT June 21, 2009 I have Firecracker Penstemons and they bloomed beautifully this year. How do I trim them and when? Will they continue to bloom throughout the summer? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| How to prune my Linden tree? June 17, 2009 We have a 15 yr old Linden in the backyard. North side of home. It can use some pruning at the lower branches. Which branches do we prune and when? Also we have some river birches back there. Oth... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) June 05, 2009 Thank you for your answer regarding when my tulip tree will flower. I also understand it can/will grow to over 100 feet so should we be pruning it a certain way to keep it contained? thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Center of Yucca filamentosa looking rotten in Howell, NJ May 31, 2009 I live in central NJ. I planted some Adam's Needle Yucca in my garden around 5 years ago. Since then, they kept growing and ended up developing three trunks off of the main trunk. I noticed recentl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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