Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty 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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| Damage to ruellia in Monroe LA October 26, 2009 I have hundreds of Ruellia Brittoniana. Dwarf Katie White, Katie Blue and Katie Pink. I am finding holes in some of the leaves, Some just have notches chewed out of them. Some of the leaves have... 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 | ||
| Viburnum insect damage October 08, 2009 I have a highbush cranberry that gets covered in 1/4in black bugs every spring. It makes lots of holes in the leaves. What are they and how can I get rid of this insect.I have tried neem oil but it do... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Purple sage with black residue on leaves in Georgetown TX October 02, 2009 I have 2 very healthy tx. purple sage that have developed a black residue on some leaves, and is a "sticky" substance..any ideas what this is and how to treat??? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Caterpillars attacking mountain laurel in Marble Falls TX August 27, 2009 What are the caterpillars that eat up our mountain laurel? Nothing left but a few stems. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Disappearance of leaves on desert willow in Tucson AZ August 08, 2009 We have a Lois Adams Desert Willow (Tucson, Az). The leaves will pump out and then a day or so later, all of the leaves are gone. The only bugs we've seen on it are very, very small ants. Could this ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with iguanas in Ft. Lauderdale FL August 04, 2009 I live on the intracoastal waterway near Ft. Lauderdale,FL and I am having problems with iguana. They will not eat lantana or buttercups; however is there a poisonous ground cover, preferable with fl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Worms on blackeyed susans and daisies in Tuckerton NJ July 30, 2009 I have black eyed susans and white daisies planted together. Not sure if this makes a difference. Today I noticed that there are tiny worms on both the plants they are almost the size of silk worms. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What causes peach fruit to ooze sap? July 27, 2009 I have a peach tree at our new house. The peaches are small and yellow but appeared healthy. Now it looks like they are oozing or weeping sap out of several places on each one. I dont know if its a di... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why are there gnats in my houseplants? July 22, 2009 I have flying brown gnats in my house plants. Can you tell me why? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fungus gnats on house plant in Edwardsville IL July 16, 2009 I recently purchased a Trailing Perennial Plant, and I am seeing a lot of gnats flying in my house. Could this be the problem? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Food for wild rabbits in Shiro TX July 15, 2009 There are usually 1-2 cottontail rabbits sharing our 4 acre habitat that are suffering due to the lack of new growth caused by drought. Is there anything I can plant after this summer that would provi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Can tulip tree sap be used to make syrup in Bunker Hill IN? July 10, 2009 I was just wondering if tulip tree sap could be used to make syrup. I saw the sticky stuff on the leaves and decided to taste test it and it was very sweet, unfortunately I later found out that I was ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Tree leaves being chewed in Austin July 04, 2009 We planted a Texas Redbud tree, and Monterey Oak (Mexican White Oak) in the front yard this spring and both have had their leaves eaten or chewed by something I cannot find on their leaves. At first I... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Removing yaupon hollies from yard in Austin July 04, 2009 We recently moved into a home w/ way too many and much too large (20-30') yaupon holly's in the back yard. I had some of them cut down, but they keep coming up from the roots of the old trees. How ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Blueberry bushes failing to leaf out in Haines Falls, NY June 25, 2009 Blueberry bushes planted in spring in upstate New York; no leaves, only the stem. How do we know if they are alive? Blueberries do very well in that area known as Haines Falls, New York (mountain a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with beheaded non-native Gerbera daisies in Cooperstown, NY May 31, 2009 I planted my gerberas in my perennial bed - as usual. Something is beheading them and leaving the blooms along side the plant. Some of the bloom is eaten but most of it is right there. I have t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with tomatoes in tubs in Campbellton, TX May 30, 2009 I have my tomatoes planted in big black plastic tubs, they are starting to wilt and dry up. I have put Sevin dust on them for bugs. I haven't been over watering. Could you please tell me why they are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why are the eastern red cedars in Bastrop/Travis County turning brown? May 11, 2009 I live on the Bastrop/Travis county, TX line and have many eastern red cedars on my property. About 10 of them are dying and it has happened quickly with the onset of the warmer weather. I noticed d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Snails in my flower beds May 06, 2009 I live in Kingwood, Texas (north of Houston). I have been inundated with snails in my flower beds in my front & backyard. I really didn't want to use a pesticide, but they were eating all of my flo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Japanese beetles in Port Monmouth, NJ April 08, 2009 I have searched your web-site in the hopes of not repeating or bothering you with a question not in your field. I am hoping you can help me. I live in Port Monmouth, New Jersey. Last year many of my ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Termites found in dying/dead plants March 19, 2009 Recently I have noticed that when investigating native plants that have passed on, such as my deceased Erythrina herbacea, often times I find termites in the remaining central stem. It has been extre... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bare spot in Prairie Phlox in Austin February 25, 2009 I have Prairie Phlox in my garden that I have had for about 4 to 6 years. I got the original plant from the NPSOT at their booth one year at the Wildflower center. It is really lovely in the spring wh... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pest on leaves of native Texas persimmon in Laredo, TX February 20, 2009 I have a transplanted a Texas persimmon tree from the wild. It has some globes in the leaves. It seems like some pest injected something from underside of leaves. Any suggestion? What is happening t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mosquito repellant plant? January 18, 2009 Is there such a thing as mosquito repellent plants? If so, what are they? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What flowers will ducks and swans not eat? January 11, 2009 I live by ducks and swans. They love eating my flowers. Any suggestions on what flowering plants they won't eat? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Small white bugs on indoor hibiscus in Ohio November 25, 2008 My Hibiscus has small white bugs on the leaves with small white residue. Looks like very small pieces of white rice. This white rice is also covering the UNOPENED buds and making them fall off. It ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Black coloration on Star Magnolia is probably sooty mold. November 21, 2008 I have a star magnolia where 90% of the bark has turned black. It almost looks burned. The tree has decent buds set for next spring. What is causing the bark to turn black? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Topical treatment for poison ivy rash November 12, 2008 I would like to know a topical treatment for the poison ivy rash View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Landscaping for slope in Kansas City October 08, 2008 We have a down sloping back yard and patio on the lower area. We need some water absorbing plants near the foundation and some in the front of the house, where water isn't a problem. We are allergic ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yellow jackets on non-native crape myrtles September 25, 2008 Hey Mr. Smarty Plants I have only 1 question. I have several Crape Myrtles that have numerous amounts (alarming) of yellow jacket bees on them. who what where when why etc? Should I be concerned? tha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Webs on trees and porch August 21, 2008 i have webs all over my semi covered porch in my back yard. i have noticed these small webs are also on the trees in my backyard. what are they and are they dangerous to the trees or my family who sit... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to keep persimmons from staining patio August 10, 2008 We have approximately 4 female persimmons bearing fruit around our back patio. Birds are carrying the berries to our patio and eating them which leaves a dark stain on our patio. I'm having to go o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Possible webbing bark lice on oak tree August 08, 2008 We live near the Center and have a large live oak tree in our yard. Recently the lower trunk has been covered with thin, white weblike material (not sure if spider web). What could this be and is it d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bugs on yucca plant in New Jersey August 06, 2008 I noticed small bugs ALL OVER 4 established yucca plants all near each other. They may look like Halticotoma valida but I'm not positive. There is no brown on the leaves except for the large amount... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to thrive of Lantanas August 06, 2008 Here at work we have 4 beautiful yellow Santanas(should I say had), the leaves have started to turn brown and no longer blooming. Appears to have a fungus or disease. Please help! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| White spots on Hibiscus leaves August 06, 2008 My hibiscus trees have white spots or splotches on the leaves. What is it and what can I do to get rid of it? Also, the birds are eating my tomatoes faster than i can grow them. I've used the owl &... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tulip tree with white spots on leaves in Mississippi July 31, 2008 I have a tulip tree in my yard that blooms in the spring that is about 10-15 years old. However just this past week or so we have noticed that there is lots of white spots on the leaves and the branc... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cotton plant for yard in Plano July 27, 2008 I wish to plant a specimen cotton plant in my yard - will it grow in Plano, Texas, do you have any tips for maintaining them, and will they survive freezing temperatures? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Loss of leaves from globe willows in Utah July 26, 2008 I have four globe willows that have been in my back yard for the past 6 years. For the past month they have been losing their leaves from the bottom up. We had aphids in some of our other trees and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Catalpa and maple with dying branches in Wisconsin July 07, 2008 We have a northern catalpa in our front yard. It's been there for about three years now and is probably 25' high. This year it appeared to be doing great. It flowered and then all of sudden last ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Mites in soil of house plants June 25, 2008 Hi there! I recently noticed tiny silver mites in the soil of my plants that I only notice after watering. These plants are indoors in on a window ledge (a dwarf palm, aloe plant and Hawaiian Scheffle... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Apparent disease in peach tree in Austin June 12, 2008 I have a peach tree that the leaves are "bleeding" out on. The leaves are continuing to get paler and paler. There are no peaches on the tree this year either. What can I do? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Secretions of fluid from crepe myrtles June 09, 2008 On my crepe myrtle tree I have dozens of 1/2-inch-long narrow bugs that seem to secrete tiny drops of fluid. They appear on the branches of the tree. Are these harmful to the tree? Do I need to do ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cause of yellowing buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) June 07, 2008 We are getting large yellow areas in our buffalo grass lawn and think this is probably due to grub worms. Are grub worms the likely culprit and if so, what is the best way to get rid of them? We don... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sap drips from Sophora secundiflora May 30, 2008 We have an old Mountain Laurel (sophora secundiflora) about 20 ft tall. It blooms pretty well and seems healthy. We are wondering why it drizzles a non-sticky sap in tiny drops. Hold out your hand and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Asclepias with whitish discoloration May 26, 2008 I have red/scarlett milkweed planted in my yard. The leaves have a whitish discoloration on the top of some of the leaves and it is spreading. What is it? What do I do about it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of red and black insects on Yucca May 10, 2008 I have little red and black insects on my soft leaf yucca and I don't know what they are or how to get rid of them. They make the leaves rusty looking. Do you have any idea what they are or how I can... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problem with Eupatorium greggii April 27, 2008 At the Garden's fall plant sale in 2006, I bought some Eupatorium greggii. It did very well last year. Recently, the entire plant looks like it is just wilting from the top down, as if it has some so... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Insect infestation, identification and treatment April 21, 2008 help! I have an infestation of small flies in my flower/vegetable beds. They seem to be eating the leaves of just about everything. I've tried to find out exactly what they are, but haven't had any ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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