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.
Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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.
Search Smarty Plants
| topic | question | |
| 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 | ||
| topic | question | |