Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
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Plants to grow between patio pavers March 15, 2013 We'd like to use poured concrete pavers for a deck. What grows well, whether it be grass or other, between these. We'll have 4-6" between 4 foot pavers. And would love to find something that does... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native lawn grass for Seabrook TX March 12, 2013 We want to seed our lawn in Seabrook, Tx.77586 with a Natural Grass replacing our St. Augustine Grass. I think there is one that is drought resistant (only water it twice a month.) and that does not g... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Trees and other plants for privacy along lake shoreline March 09, 2013 We are purchasing a new home that has a 2 acre lake. We would like to add some plants/trees for privacy around the shore line. Can you suggest something that would fill in nicely and is strong enoug... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Weedy buffalo grass from Dripping Springs, TX March 07, 2013 I have a buffalo grass lawn. It is thin and filled with weeds. I would like to find a solution to improve my lawn. I prefer a native grass but I need to be able to control the weeds and I am not ph... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Tropical Texas landscape from Houston March 04, 2013 Do you know of any public (or at least photographed) place in Texas that has been landscaped entirely with native "tropical-looking" (i.e. evergreen but NOT conifer and NOT succulent/arid) species? ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Propagation of Texas sage from Bastrop, TX March 01, 2013 Am I wasting my time trying to transplant texas sage runners? Any advice? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Care for non-native Centipede grass February 27, 2013 My lawn is Centipede. I have created a new lawn area. Can and when should I seed/overseed my lawn? I have Rye in the new area. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
What is a lawn broom from Cibolo TX February 15, 2013 Concerning gulf muhly grass you mention using a lawn broom to get rid of the dead stalks. What is a lawn broom? What does it look like? Where can I purchase one? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Unrecognized grass in Habiturf from Spicewood TX February 07, 2013 I purchased 2 bags of Habiturf from the Wildflower Center and planted it in late September. Now, early February, the predominant grass is not any of the 3 supposed components of the Habiturf, but look... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Trimming inland sea oats from Waco TX January 30, 2013 Re: Inland Sea Oats and trimming back in early spring "It passes through most of winter a soft brown, but becomes tattered and gray by February, a good time to cut it back to the basal rosette." ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Ground cover for Brooklyn, NY January 25, 2013 Hi Mr Smarty Plants, I'm looking for a fast growing ground cover for my Brooklyn, NY back yard. The area is nestled between 3 buildings and a fairly large tree, so most of the day its shady, but ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need suggestions for plants for a 45 degree slope in Falls Church, VA. January 23, 2013 Have a 45 degree hillside 50 feet wide by 60 feet long on north side of 26 story building. Very little sun with the need for soil retention plants. Would like a native plant or plants to cover area... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Mexican feathergrass from Pflugerville, TX January 23, 2013 How deep are the roots of Nassella tenuissima? I'm looking for something that could possibly discourage my neighbors' bermuda grass from encroaching into my native plantings. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need help fighting grass burs in La Grange, TX. January 22, 2013 I have 4 acres of wildflowers planted in my front yard. Unfortunately, grassburs have crept in & I need to control them with a pre-emergent. Will this keep the wildflowers from blooming? Also, would l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Restoring a prairie from Austin January 11, 2013 Restoring a mixed grass Blackland Prairie? Prairie Plant Succession? We are trying to establish climax species when an area is in a pioneering phase. Does the soil chemistry or biota change during ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Winter groundcover for shaded backyard in Austin January 10, 2013 I live in south Austin and have a shaded backyard. During the summer, the lawn died and the ground is now bare. I'd like to plant some kind of winter grass or ground cover that will hold the soil i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need plants for steep slope in Knoxville, TN. January 10, 2013 I have several steep banks that have to be weed-eated each year every week. Do you know if there are any kinds of ground cover that would take over the weeds on these steep dangerous banks. I live in ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native Plants for Shaded North Slope in Ohio January 03, 2013 I have a shaded north hillside which needs erosion control plants. Mostly moss and very thin grass grows there now. Please help! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for oak shade from Whitney TX December 24, 2012 I live in Whitney, Texas and have a number of beautiful Live Oak trees in a portion of my yard providing deep shade. Asian Jasmine grows in about 5 ft circle around them and then nothing! I have walk ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Low-maintenance grass for retention pond December 21, 2012 I would like to know what would be a low-growing grass to put down for a water retention pond. We have clay and rocky soil. The incline of the sides of the retention pond are about 20 feet with gra... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Sources for native plants from Austin TX December 19, 2012 Hello. I am currently planning a Texas native plant garden. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find the seeds/bulbs/roots/plants for some of the natives at local nurseries: Indian Ricegrass (Achnatherum ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native bamboos from Scroggins TX December 16, 2012 Can you please recommend a NATIVE bamboo for NE Tx? We live in the Piney Woods in a lake community. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Ground cover under Spruces from West Chester PA December 06, 2012 Trying to get a native groundcover (or any grass/wildflower/fern) planting established under a small stand of spruces. Established stand (30+ years old), so lots of needles on ground. Just about tot... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Propagation of rain, oxblood, and copper lily bulbs November 30, 2012 I have Rain Lily, Oxblood Lily, and Copper Lily bulbs out of the ground, that are putting out some green growth. I would like to plant them soon. Is it okay to plant now and in December, or do I hav... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
When to stop mowing Habiturf for seeding from Austin November 14, 2012 I planted a native Habiturf lawn in my back yard last spring/summer and it is doing very well. The how-to mentions allowing the turf to seed out once per year to help maintain the lawn. Is there a bes... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identification of grasses for grazing from La Luz NM November 05, 2012 I live in southern New Mexico. I have pictures of a few types of grass that I can't find anyone to help me identify with a name for livestock food. Can you help me with it? If so I can send the pi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Erosion control from Lakeland FL November 03, 2012 What native Ground cover is best for erosion control on slope of lake-front? Prefer not too invasive for this northern facing area behind a seawall and near large Oak tree. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Grasses for horses in Austin October 27, 2012 Hello Mr. Smarty Plants We just bought 4.5 acres in Travis County off HWY 290. We have 3 horses we keep on it but there is very little grass in the pastures. What is the best type of grass to seed ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Groundcover for Bonsall, CA October 17, 2012 I live in Bonsall, CA. (San Diego) I have 3 acres, flat and sloped that are graded dirt. (DG and sheep poop from previous owner). It is getting close to mud season and I'd like to plant winter cover... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Groundcovers for Kingsland TX October 11, 2012 I am looking for a list of native ground covers and grasses(not lawn grass). View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Revegetating a hillside in western Washington state October 10, 2012 Removing several downed trees across my dock demolished the native plants growing on the hillside and the contractor pulled out their remains. The area faces east on an open freshwater bay. Close to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Propagation information from Queens NY October 04, 2012 Hello. I would appreciate information on when to plant the following plants. I found on the USDA website that all these plants could withstand the cold. ALthough they can withstand harsh weather, ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Lawn grass for Erath County, TX October 02, 2012 We live in Erath County in TX on ranch land. We are relatively dry. Our soil is combination of clay and red soil (brought in for building pad), and sandy. We have a sloped area, about 30%, that we w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Nutgrass in Lakeway TX Habiturf September 30, 2012 I just installed a new septic system with drip field. Planted habiturf over the whole area. The habiturf is doing good, but I was away for a while and the nut grass has taken over several areas. It s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need plants for a slope in KY. September 29, 2012 I have a slope in my back yard that is mostly a slate shelf, grass and Weeds will grow but not well, very spotty. I am wanting a ground cover that blooms. Would like to not have to mow. This is a ve... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Removing St. Augustine for natives in Grapevine TX September 29, 2012 We have St Augustine in our yard and we hate it. It guzzles water, we have to cut it often, and it's thick and hard to work with. Anyway, we want to replace it with a combination of some kind of g... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Grasses for Erosion control in Iowa September 27, 2012 We have a sloping yard in the midwest that gets 2-4 hours of sun during the warm weather. When we have large rainfalls, the water just pours down the slope causing a lot of erosion to the surrounding ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Non-native, and/or invasive bermudagrass, St. Augustine and Pistache from Houston September 24, 2012 Our St. Augustine lawn died suddenly this summer from either chinch bugs or grub worms (or both?), and a multitude of weeds and native Bermuda have taken over the area. Now that the weather has cooled... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Weeds in Buffalograss from Edmond OK September 20, 2012 We have a patch of buffalograss surrounded by patio/flower garden/vegetable garden. We like B-grass, but are getting a lot of weeds despite preemergents, and some bermuda had appeared. Are there h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Non-native, invasive rescue grass in meadow garden in Smithville TX September 20, 2012 Despite numerous efforts, a solid field of cool weather rescue grass keeps desired wildflower and grass seeds from successfully growing on my "vacant" lot in town. I plan to I put out a 6 ml plasti... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need information about grasses for cattle grazing in Weatherford, TX. September 16, 2012 Need info on what I can plant for cattle to graze thru winter. grasshoppers and drought have decimated our coastal hay for past 2 yrs.Is there anything we can treat all the weeds with besides chemic... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Low maintenance grass for shade in Conroe, TX September 15, 2012 What is the best low maintenance grass to plant in front lawn shaded, no traffic area? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for streambank area in Oregon September 14, 2012 I am ready to replant a streambank area with native plants..what do you recommend for the Willamette Valley in Oregon? Thanks much! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Planting buffalograss from Surfside Beach SC September 14, 2012 How do I plant buffalograss along a lake? Do I just spread the seeds? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Yard grass that cows like to eat in Dale, TX September 03, 2012 I need to know of a good grass seed to plant in the yard that will also be eaten by our cows. Prefer one that doesn't have any type of stickers/cocker burrs. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Deer resistant plants from New Braunfels TX August 31, 2012 I have a 1/2 yard covered by a tree, shady. Bermuda grass previous owner planted has all turned brown this summer. I don't have lots of money to work with but would love to landscape that side of fr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need plants to replace cedars on a 40 degree slope in Boerne, TX. August 28, 2012 My backyard is a roughly 40 degree slope that is covered with cedars. The slope is basically all rock, what can I grow here to replace the cedar which drink too much water. I would still like the area... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native plants both deer resistant and good for erosion from North Oaks MN August 23, 2012 We have several partially sunny areas on hills that are prone to both deer and erosion. Our goal is to reduce runoff in an effort to preserve the watershed that provides tap water to many citizens of ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Slope Erosion control for Fairview NC August 19, 2012 Please recommend plants to help with soil erosion on a slope. The soil is red clay and area gets full sun. The slope is approximately 12' x 12'. I live in Fairview, NC View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need suggestions for native grasses to stabilize hillside Kerrville, TX. August 18, 2012 We have a steep slope at the back of our property in "caleche" territory in Kerrville. It is about 80 feet wide by 40 feet and ends at a wash. It is outside of our fenced yard and we are in city lim... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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