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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| Native evergreen vine for St. Paul MN June 17, 2010 I am looking for a native vine that will stay green, or at least keep its leaves, throughout the winter. The vine will be grown on a trellis between our house and our neighbor's, and we want to keep... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will wisteria grow in LaQuinta CA? June 13, 2010 I have moved to the desert, near Palm Springs, CA from Omaha NE where I was an avid gardener. I would like to know if wisteria will grow in this environment, with temps up to 120 several weeks each su... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Short flowering plant that will grow in sand in Black Creek WI June 03, 2010 I would like to know what kind of flowering plant would grow good in sand? A short plant. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting Lupinus perennis and Lupinus polyfyllus together in NH June 03, 2010 I got a seed package with both Lupinous perennis and polyphyllus combined. Would they be okay to plant together in NH? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen large shrub/small tree for screen in Houston May 26, 2010 I live on the west side of Houston Tx. I need an evergreen large shrub or shorter tree between myself and a busy neighborhood road. There is a power line above this so we would like something that e... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Can I grow Pawpaw in Central Texas? May 25, 2010 Do you have any tips for growing pawpaws (not papaya) in central texas? It appears to be at the edge or slightly beyond its range, but maybe if I'm nice to it.. Thanks View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Arborvitae and flower garden fighting for space in Seattle WA May 22, 2010 Hi, I put in dozens of Arbovitae, mature evergreen trees, 4 yrs ago for privacy. They are doing well, but I was surrounding a flower garden which now appears to be suffering due to the root system of ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why doesn't my Possum Haw have berries this year? May 20, 2010 A possumhaw holly has no berries as of mid-May. I planted this possumhaw last summer - it had lots of berries. Why would it have no berries this year? This spring I have two yaupons with lots of b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Are globe mallows (Sphaeralcea spp.) harmful to dogs May 20, 2010 My dogs eat the wild globe mallow plants in my yard. Could that be harmful to them? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trumpet vines on wall in Longmont CO May 18, 2010 I purchased three trumpet vines to plant on the NW wall of my house back in 2002. Although the leaves are a beautiful healthy dark green, none of them have ever bloomed despite regular fertilizing pe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen plants safe for horses in Louisville, Kentucky May 16, 2010 I have a horse farm in Louisville, Ky. I want to plant evergreen plants along the walls in front of the horse barns. What types of plants are not toxic to horses can I use? Thank you so much for all y... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fast growing shade trees safe for livestock in pasture in Nashville GA May 13, 2010 I would like a list of fast growing shade trees that are safe for cows and horses in a pasture. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Severely cutback sloping soil in Dripping Springs TX May 09, 2010 We have 5.5 acres off Henly Loop just north of Hwy 290 about 10 miles west of Dripping Springs, TX. The former property owners carved out soil from a sloping area to get soil for the driveway. Doing ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sap flowing from live oak trees in Austin May 08, 2010 I have live oak trees in my backyard,17 to be exact. I live in Northwest Austin, in Williamson county. There are two live oaks growing about 4-5 feet apart in the center of my yard. One appears to ha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to thrive of Texas Mountain Laurel in Austin May 02, 2010 I have an adult (over 25 years?, 20 feet tall?) Mountain Laurel next to my house in Austin. The winter of 2009/10 it lost most of its leaves. It did bloom and leaf out this Spring--not vigorous espec... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-blooming parsley hawthorn in Madison MS April 25, 2010 I have a parsley hawthorn that has never bloomed. It is thriving in a low area under tall pines. It gets filtered sun most of the day with more direct sun in late afternoon. I don't know the age but... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Best fertilizer for live oak trees in Central Texas April 22, 2010 What is the best fertilizer for live oak trees in Central Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to bud out of Shumard oaks in Floresville TX April 16, 2010 Question: I have a Shumard red oak (9-10ft tall) that I planted last October as its leaves were turning a brilliant red color. However, it's the only tree that did not bud this spring. I scraped t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Locating Rudbeckia cultivar in San Antonio April 16, 2010 Hello, I’m searching for one-gallon plants of Rudbeckia fulgida var. speciosa “Viette’s Little Suzy” to purchase either from a San Antonio or area nursery or through a mail order Texas Grower. Is th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Small flowering tree for Burbank IL April 14, 2010 Looking for a semi-dwarf flowering tree resistant to disease and insects. Current flowering crab has fire blight. What would you suggest planting. We live in a Chicago IL suburb. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Eliminating Claytonia virginica in Varna IL April 13, 2010 How do I get rid of or control Claytonia virginica? It is starting to take over my lawn. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ashe Juniper not doing well in San Antonio April 08, 2010 A large ash juniper (mountain cedar) in my yard appears to be sick or dying. Approximately 1/4 of the canopy has very sparse needles/green foliage stuff and shaggier than normal bark. It's not brown ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tree transplants having problems in Manchaca TX April 03, 2010 I have recently transplanted a Mexican Buckeye, Chinquapin oak, and Sandpaper tree that I have been raising inside since they were seedlings. They have now developed a browning of the tips of their l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Information about non-native Feijoa sellowiana (pineapple guave) April 01, 2010 Does a pineapple guava thrive in Austin, zip 78735? What height does it grow and what watering is needed? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for eroding hillside around garage in St. Paul MN March 28, 2010 We live in St Paul, Minnesota. Our garage was built into a shaded hole close to the bottom of a small hill. We need to find plants that can retain soil around the garage but will not have root syste... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Are Chanticleer flowering pears toxic to horses? March 28, 2010 Are Chanticleer flowering pears toxic to horses? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of invasive plant March 26, 2010 I have found an invasive plant species in Martindale, Texas that I would like to identify for family members. It is taking over their pasture and is difficult to eliminate. It has not bloomed yet but... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trimming of Aster ericoides in Philadelphia March 20, 2010 Should I cut back my Aster ericoides, ‘schneegitter’ in the spring? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bluebonnet party for April 17 in Brenham TX March 15, 2010 I wish to have a Bluebonnet party. I planted seeds in the spring and fall and the plants have come up like crazy. Given our unusual weather, when can you predict they will peak.?? I was planning t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| New York State Shrubs to Screen Home from Traffic March 11, 2010 I am looking for a native New York bush/small tree which I can use along a road to screen my home from year-round car traffic. The area is not terribly wide and the soil is OK. I am willing to prune a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Central Texas plant to grow in cavity in cedar (Juniperus ashei) February 27, 2010 Is there a CenTX native that would be happy in a one-gallon cavity in a Cedar tree? I'd like to disguise an amputated limb. I'd consider a Bromeliad or Staghorn fern, but would prefer a native. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Scale on non-native Loropetalum in Lincoln, NE February 26, 2010 Hi,I have found lots of scale insects on my Loropetalum (esp the young leaves) and ended up spraying some white oil to get rid of them. Unfortunately, I might have overdone it and the young shoots are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What are the native fruit-bearing plants in North America? February 16, 2010 What are the native fruit-bearing plants in North America? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why won't my Campsis cultivar flower in Lowell MA February 08, 2010 I bought a Campsis trumpet vine cultivar in 2006 and planted near my fence in my yard hoping to cover the fence with the vine. Well 4 seasons later the vine has grown about 5 ft. in area but has yet ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Anacacho orchid tree (Bauhinia lunarioides) and the freeze in Austin February 03, 2010 I just wanted to say that your answer in today's Austin American-Statesman about recent freeze damage to Anacacho orchid trees was right on for ours as well. We're in north central Austin and all t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Dwarf evergreen heath plant from Norcross GA February 01, 2010 I was reading a book that mentioned a "dwarf evergreen heath plant and wondered if such a plant exist. It is suppose to have leathery leave blooms with white flowers that produce red berries used fo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trees that aren't poisonous or don't have poisonous berries for dogs January 20, 2010 What trees are not poisonous or have poison berries for dogs? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| When can bluebonnet seeds in freezer be planted in Midland TX January 12, 2010 I have a large pkg of bluebonnets in my freezer that I had planned to plant in October and forgot. Is January too late for Bluebonnets to come up in March-April? A year ago in Spring my brother and I... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Replanting a blue agave in Rio Rancho NM January 11, 2010 I have acquired a Blue Agave, approximately 4-5 ft high. It still appears quite healthy. It was used over the holiday season for display purposes in a liquor store. Unfortunately, the root ball has be... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning Bald Cypress in Wylie, TX January 02, 2010 I have a 6 year old bald cypress that sustained damage to the upper portion of its trunk a couple of years ago. Since that time it has grown more outward than upward and developed a rounder shape. I... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Period to maturity of gooseberries in Bismarck AR December 29, 2009 How long does it take to produce gooseberries after planting? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native Indiangrass as a hedge December 13, 2009 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I would like to create a grass hedge as a foundation planting for a portion of our garden. One side of the planting is a concrete sidewalk to our garden shed, the other side wil... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cutting back woody plants after freeze in Leander TX December 10, 2009 I have several woody shrubs in a prominent location. Now that the leaves have frozen, how far back should I cut them? These are Flame Acanthus, Salvia ballotiflora, and Aloysia macrostachya, but I w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with non-native plumbago in San Antonio November 21, 2009 Plumbago problem. Live in San Antonio. Planted about 7 of these last spring, all from same store and at the same time. They are HUGE, blooming, thriving, except for the two on the end. They're in a d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with non-native nectarine in Gilbertsville PA November 20, 2009 I live in southeastern Pennsylvania. I have a mature nectarine tree maybe 14 years old. It has a greenish grey spotting on the trunk and branches, the fruit always turns into the brown mummies and f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting a tulip poplar in Virginia Beach VA November 10, 2009 Hi. I would like to plant a Yellow Poplar, 'Tulip Tree' in my front yard. I will not be able to plant this tree until after November 15th. The tree will receive direct sun and will be exposed to hea... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to thrive of newly planted magnolia in Irving TX November 10, 2009 I planted four Little Gem Magnolia (Magnolia Grandiflora) in my back yard during first week of October 2009. One of them seem to be dying because its leaves have turned very brown and the leaves are c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Germination of Passiflora suberosa in Monterrey Mexico October 26, 2009 Hello, I need recommendation on how to germinate Passiflora seeds. I have a Passiflora suberosa plant, not on your database but native, and have fresh fuits of it. They look very much like a blueber... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Brown dead spots on arborvitae in Hillsboro OR October 12, 2009 Hello. I live in Hillsboro, OR and have several mature arborvitae as a privacy screen in my backyard. They are on our side of a black chainlink fence separating our yard from a drainage area maintaine... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to thrive of pecan trees in Las Vegas NV October 11, 2009 In April this year I purchased two 8-foot tall pecan trees in 3-foot square boxes from a local nursery and planted them here in Southern Nevada. I'm sure I dug a large enough hole to provide plenty ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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