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.
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Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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 plants for Pflugerville, TX in blackland soil March 21, 2008 Mr. S-P, I'm perusing the plant sale list for a couple of tall shrubs to plant on the sunny southwest side of my house, in Blackland soil. It is generally dry there because of the sun, but can ge... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Buffalo grass and other native grass for lawn in Central Texas March 17, 2008 Hi, I live in Cedar Park, TX - recently moved to into a newly built house. I wanted to put some native grass (like buffalo) in the back yard. - My back yard has slope (away from house) and front... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Instructions for composting in southeast Texas February 18, 2008 Do you ever offer composting classes? I live in Houston and would like to start composting in my backyard... are there any particular books you would recommend for composting in SE TX? Thank you! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Shredded hardwood for mulch December 07, 2007 I intend to landscape a section of my new property. but want to wait until the cold weather has passed. I have pets that will be contained within a fenced-in area that has some wild grasses but also ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Xeriscape demonstration garden October 30, 2007 I am working with the city of Schertz to rejuvenate a xeriscape demonstration garden. We want to plant a hummingbird/butterfly garden using native plants. The current bed is currently overrun with ber... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Removing St. Augustine, replacing with native plants October 06, 2007 Hello Mr. Smarty Plants, always excited to talk to the Green Guru himself. I've recently purchased a house in South Austin and am interested in establishing a small, 500+ sq ft, prairie grass and wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Seed regrowth through mulch September 06, 2007 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants: I have planted a perennial and wildflower garden and would like to put mulch down to control the weeds and retain moisture. Will the plants that drop their seeds be able to re- ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Encouraging native grasses to flourish August 23, 2007 We have been trying to restore the yard around the house with native grasses and forbs for the last two years. The soil is clay and nothing seems to grow. We have distributed 5 truck loads of mulch, p... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Appropriate mulch for strawberries in Maine July 31, 2007 Can mulch (like cedar mulch- kinds used in flower gardens) be used between rows of strawberries? Can you also suggest how far apart lupine species need to be so that they wont interbreed? Thank ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Advisability of landscape cloth in native gardens July 18, 2007 Is the use of landscape cloth healthy or unhealthy in native gardens? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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