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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| topic | question | |
| Privacy shield for Long Island, NY May 13, 2009 I live in Long Island New York (Smithtown), Zone 6, I think. My yard has mostly shade and I would like to plant something for privacy along my back fence because my neighbors house is close and their... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Privacy screen for Santa Rosa CA May 13, 2009 I am looking for a very fast growing privacy hedge/screen, 15-20 ft., requires not much pruning. I want an evergreen with not a lot of mess. The area gets full sun and after the plant is established... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen tree for privacy screen May 01, 2009 I live out in the hill country in Volente, TX. I'm looking for a fast growing, native evergreen tree variety that would make a good privacy screen. I don't want a hedge, but I do want to replace a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants under trees for privacy barrier in Fairview, TX April 29, 2009 I am looking for suggestions on what to plant for a Privacy Barrier. The area in question is a shaded area under a tree line of about 200+ feet long. I am hoping for year round coverage. The canopy... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Privacy screen for Rockwall, TX April 23, 2009 Dallas area privacy screen recommendations. I have about 125ft of wrought iron fence between my yard and the neighbor's and a drainage pipe that runs along the fence. The neighbor's property sits u... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Combining native shrubs for hedge in Austin April 15, 2009 Smarty, Please tell me what the definitions are for all the various water, soil moisture, drainage and light requirements mean. Are the definitions global? I live in Central East Austin and inten... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need drought resistant screen at Lake Whitney, Texas April 14, 2009 Need drought tolerant shrub for use as screen at Lake Whitney. Will have to survive with little watering. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Screen plant for Austin March 30, 2009 I live in Austin Texas and am looking for a small tree or large shrub that will obscure the view from my kitchen window into my neighbors. I am looking for an evergreen plant that gets no wider than ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Screening plants for Alaska March 28, 2009 Just purchased a house and want more privacy along the fence lines. Which plants would work well in the cold environment but provide privacy without taking over the yard. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Screening plant for pool in Cleburne, Texas March 15, 2009 I recently put in a very large pool. I need to plant something for fast growing, taller than an 6 ft fence for privacy. The property isn't so appealing behind my pool. When standing on my deck, I ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shrub to screen backyard and block noise March 14, 2009 I'm trying to find a shrub to screen my backyard and block noise. I want something I can plant along the 60ft of my back fence that would get between 8 and 10 ft tall. I would like something that att... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for screen in Colleyville TX March 12, 2009 My soil is pure sand that goes down as far as I can dig. I am needing native plants to use as a screen, that grow to be 6-10 ft. tall. Also, since my plantings dry out so quickly, would it be helpfu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wax myrtle for screening in Euless, TX March 04, 2009 We live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We need something to use as a screen along our back fence, to block the view of our neighbor's storage building. We are looking for a tall shrub that we can s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants to augment a privacy fence in Virginia Beach. February 24, 2009 I live in Virginia Beach, VA and I have a small back yard about 75 ft deep and 60 ft wide. We have a six ft privacy fence but still have many undesirable views over the fence I would love to block out... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fast-growing hedge for North Carolina. February 17, 2009 I am looking for a fast-grownig evergreen hedge that can be kept no taller than 6 feet. It will be grown in partal sun facing north View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hedge plant for Maui. February 17, 2009 Question: I live in Pukalani, Maui, Hawaii and would like to put a "living fence" around my yard for some privacy. Ideally, I want something that is going to grow fast and about 8+ feet tall for a h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Privacy screen for pool in Round Rock, TX February 09, 2009 We have a pool in our backyard and neighbors quite close on both sides. There is only a cedar fence between yards and we are desperate for some privacy! We are looking for a fast grower that will gr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Privacy screen around pool in Vermont February 08, 2009 I am looking for a plant or tree that doesn't lose its leaves or needles that can offer privacy around my pool but not grow tall enough to block out the sun in the early and late hours. Would an ever... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Privacy and noise screen in Austin January 17, 2009 Mr. Smarty, I purchased a home and notice that my neighbors seem to hang outside their garage on the weekends and thus causing some noise. I need some major privacy from this neighbor and I was think... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Privacy hedge for East Texas January 07, 2009 I need suggestions for a native shrub/bush as a privacy hedge for East Texas conditions. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Recommendations for a 700 ft. noise and privacy barrier in Georgia January 06, 2009 Need recommendation for a fast growing, non-invasive native plant for a 700' barrier (noise & privacy) in wooded area; the area is mostly hardwood with some pine, and a good understory is established... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native shrubs for wildlife and screening in Georgia December 22, 2008 I live in Bainbridge, GA. I have 3 acres and want to plant for wildlife. I would like to plant fast growing native shrubs along the 400' of road that will benefit wildlife and shield us from the tr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Spacing for wax myrtles as screen in Texas December 21, 2008 I have bought 30 wax myrtles, 15 gallon sized, and would like to plant them along my fence line, as a screen. How far apart is the recommended distance when planting plants of this size? Thank you! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Screening plants for edge of pond in Illinois December 16, 2008 I have a backyard pond that I am restoring, adding aeration, plants, etc. Unfortunately, there is a farmer that stores old equipment on the shore of my pond and refuses to move it. It is an eyesore.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen for privacy screen in Virginia December 02, 2008 Last year we lost a large pine that was part of privacy screen and we replaced it with two Eastern red cedars. There is still a substantial gap that won't be filled in by the cedars and we were cons... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreens to replace a screening line of pine trees December 02, 2008 Dear Mr. Smartyplants, I lost a "screening" line of pines along my back property line to powerline trimmers & a blight. The area is quite damp & the soil full of clay which is now acidic from the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native trees for privacy screen in Connecticut November 21, 2008 I am looking to replace a row of white pine trees with something else along the border between our yard and neighbor's yard. We only get afternoon sun and we need something that will grow to around ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hedge of native Purple Sage in Austin November 20, 2008 Hi, I would like to plant a dense hedge of Purple Sage that will hopefully grow from 6-8 ' tall and about 4' wide. I purchased the Silverado Sage Leucophyllum frutescens 'Berstar Dwarf' variety.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen hedge for screen in Austin November 02, 2008 We are looking for a tall, fast growing, drought tolerant, evergreen hedge to run along our ~200' back property line in West Lake, west of Austin, TX. This is at the bottom of a slope, and runs th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Privacy screen for garden and pool in California October 13, 2008 I need a fast growing screen for privacy. Here are the issues:1. we have a 3 story apartment building looking right into our backyard. so trees need to be at least 15' tall and dense. 2. we have a po... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for a barrier hedge October 13, 2008 Is there a native hedge I can plant to provide privacy? I have hostile neighbors behind me and would rather plant a hedge than put up a fence. I looked through the Virginia native species and didn'... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native evergreens for privacy in Crockett, TX October 12, 2008 I need advice on what tall evergreens I can plant along a fence line for privacy. I need trees that will be at minimum 8 to 10 feet tall at maturity, are aesthetically pleasing and provide privacy. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen trees for screen in North Carolina September 14, 2008 Recently moved into a new "cluster" development where homes are very close together. Need to plant bushes / trees for privacy and would like fast growing ones that are good in the south. Attempted... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tree for screening along road August 20, 2008 What would you recommend for a linear tree lined street that needs to act as a buffer to hide less desirable backyards of ugly houses. The road is on lake travis near austin, texas. was hoping for a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Privacy plantings in Texas August 16, 2008 Our home currently has a 4' chain fence. We are a family of 7 with younger aged children and are looking for more privacy. In lieu of a replacement fence, what would you recommend planting to provi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shrubs/trees for screen August 07, 2008 I need several trees/tall shrubs for a screen well away from the house. The important height range is in the 4-7' range for effective screening. Soil is caliche rich but can be amended, sun will be... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants to hide utility boxes July 16, 2008 What are suggestions for plants to plant around utilities boxes (3 of them clustered together) to effectively camouflage them but be attractive. We will outline a larger area in brick, plant evergree... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen hedge for constant rain June 24, 2008 We live in Washington State up north by Canadian border. We need a hedge that will survive the constant rain. We have tried cedar. They seem to turn brown and die,one at a time so we keep replacing th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shrub for privacy screen June 22, 2008 Hi, We live in Aptos near the ocean. However, what you suggest to plant near our fence to screen out the one story house behind us. They have a large tree near in their backyard that sits against our... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Screening plant for pool June 16, 2008 i am building a pool i have a neighbor whom im trying to shield out of seeing us. i would like to plant an evergreen tree the pool will be used year round. i need an evergreen that wont have an ov... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Privacy screen and windbreak plants June 14, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I am searching for ideal plants to provide a privacy screen and windbreak for the north side of my yard. I live in Pflugerville..the soil seems mostly caliche but hits limest... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen plants for a windbreak June 13, 2008 Our church has need to plant a windbreak. We would like fast growing native plants, preferably evergreen or really early 'leafers' to protect us from our windy season beginning in mid/late February.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shrubs for privacy screening in Dallas June 06, 2008 We have a small yard in Dallas with a four foot chainlink fence. Our neighbor has positioned his patio furniture to face our backyard. What kind of Texas native shrubs can we plant near our fence to p... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen screening shrubs for New York May 27, 2008 I need evergreen screening shrubs that aren't too deep. The shrubs are to be planted along an existing wrought iron fence, which is a few feet behind a children's swing set. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native evergreen for privacy screen May 15, 2008 I want to incorporate a tree in my landscaping near my house (10-15 feet) for privacy, what are the best trees that don't shed their leaves and have nice flowers and their roots wont destroy my found... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen shrubs for screen May 01, 2008 I'd like your recommendation for an evergreen shrub (flowers would be a nice bonus but not as necessary as the evergreen factor) or small tree with a height hopefully under 12' and a width hopefully... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants to keep children out of yard April 23, 2008 I WANT TO PLANT SOMETHING ALONG A FENCE LINE TO KEEP CHILDREN OUT OF OUR YARD. NEEDS TO GROW FAST BUT NOT POISONOUS View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deer-resistant screening tree/shrub April 17, 2008 Can you recommend a deer resistant screening tree/shrub? We would like to use privet but are not sure which variety or if the deer will really stay off it, we've had conflicting views! We live on th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for Liberty Hill TX in full sun April 15, 2008 We recently bought an acre of land in Liberty Hill, TX. We have a large planting area in the front that is devoid of any plant life. I would like to turn this into a semi shaded area with some annua... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native evergreen trees or shrubs for privacy screen in South Carolina April 02, 2008 RE: Wednesday - April 02, 2008 From: Johnston, SC Region: Southeast Topic: Native Trees Title: Native evergreen trees or shrubs for privacy screen in South Carolina Author: Barbara Medford Qu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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