Native Plants
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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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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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| Non-blooming Texas Mountain Laurel March 30, 2008 Two questions: 1. My mountain laurel (10 yrs old) has never had blooms. Is this a gender plant issue? 2. I have been seeking a groundcover that grows in shade and will take foot (dog) traffic. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning of native perennial blooming plants March 22, 2008 Hello - I am still a newbie at using Native Texas plants (but loving them!), and I need pruning assistance. When (and how much) do I prune: hot lips salvia, hummingbird bush (anisthcanthus wrightii... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Branching on plants March 14, 2008 Hi Mr SmartyPlants, I would like to cause my cerus peruvinesus (sp?) to branch low to the ground and another plant to branch higher up..what causes branching & how can I duplicate this? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Improving blooming on mock orange March 03, 2008 I have a now 6 yr. old mock orange shrub in the garden which has never bloomed, darn it. I have fed, not fed, mulched, not mulched, sheared, not sheared. What gives? Will it ever bloom, or shall I ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care for cultivar of native Bignonia capreolata February 05, 2008 I planted Dragon Lady Cross Vines at the end of the fall last year. When would be the best time to trim them. I live in the Dallas area. They look kind of beat up right now and I thought if I trimmed... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning of crepe myrtles January 27, 2008 I have three crepe myrtle trees in my yard. When do I trim back the branches? What if I waited too long to trim them back? Can I still do it? How far do I trim them back? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trimming native salvias in January January 17, 2008 I have heard you can trim Hot Lips, Raspberry and other salvias back severely in January, to about six inches from the ground. Is this correct? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mimosa shape November 27, 2007 I planted a summer chocolate mimosa, and although it has bloomed lovely foliage, it has two main branches growing in a vee shape. Is this normal? Do I need to do anything to spur the growth in a more ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Winter trimming of Greggs mistflower November 11, 2007 Do I cut my gregg's mist back to the ground for the winter or just leave it alone? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shaping of native hawthorns October 21, 2007 I have three young hawthorns that were propagated from a nearby Blackland prairie stand. If I limb them up, will that encourage them to branch more near the top, or will it just ruin the form altoget... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trimming of Pineapple Sage and Salvia Greggii October 07, 2007 I live in Central Austin. My question is: When is the best time to trim back Pineapple Sage and Salvia Gregii? How far back should these plants be trimmed? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Control of out-of-bounds Virginia creeper September 16, 2007 Our Virginia creeper (Woodbine) has outgrown its planned location this past summer. What is the best way to prune ivy stems for next years controlled growth? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trimmng and fertilizing yucca September 07, 2007 Should I cut the stalks of the Yucca that have already bloomed or wait until they dry? How often should I fertilize? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Leggy purple coneflower August 20, 2007 Last year I planted purple coneflowers and this year when they bloomed they were extremely tall & leggy. I'd like next year to get them to be shorter and fuller. How do I do that & is it something ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deadheading cannas and geraniums August 17, 2007 I'm new to gardening. Your help would be appreciated. 1) I think I read that canna flowers can be deadheaded so they will continue to bloom throughout the summer. What part is actually taken off? ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Repair of broken branch stump on pecan tree July 18, 2007 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, big fan. Recently one of my pecan trees had a large branch break off, about 4 or 5 inches in diameter. The strange part was there was no clear sign of what caused the damage, i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removing fading blooms from iris June 19, 2007 Iris maintenance: when blooms begin to fade do I pluck off just the bloom? cut off the entire stalk? leave it alone? Some blooms grow on stalks without leaves and some on stalks with leaves. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| When to prune Texas betony (Stachys coccinea) May 28, 2007 I bought Texas Betony plants several years ago at Wildflower Days. They are thriving, but a bit leggy. Somewhere I read that they should be cut back several times during the year. Now I can't find... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Care of Spanish Dagger (Yucca treculeana) after blooming May 27, 2007 I live in Austin and have a 5 ft spanish dagger in my backyard. Now that it has bloomed and the flowers have withered in May, should I cut off the center stalk or will it bloom again from the same st... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Should black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta) plants be cut back May 02, 2007 I have black-eyed susan plants that were beautiful last year and flowered for a long time. Do they need to be cut back and if so, how much? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Should wax myrtles (Morella cerifera) be pruned? April 26, 2007 We planted Wax Myrtles in our backyard as a wall for privacy from the lot behind ours. Should we prune or cut back the tops periodically to get more fully developed bushes or let them grow naturally? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning for Spring January 21, 2007 When should I cut back (and how far should I cut back) the following plants in order to promote growth in the spring: Salvia gregii, Salvia leucantha, Ruellia (Mexican petunia), Plumbago, Sku... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Winter trimming and shaping of native perennials November 08, 2006 Granted, it's a bit early, but for planning purposes: What is the best care for shrub-like woody perennials, like Lantana, Copper Canyon Daisy, Salvia greggii, Chile Pequin, Eupatorium wrightii, Pav... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning of Hamelia patens, Firebush June 23, 2006 I have a Hamelia Patens (Fire Bush) it says it will grow to 12 feet high and 5-6 feet across. Can I keep pruning it to about 5 feet without damaging the shrub? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning time for Smoke Tree (Cotinus obovatus) February 13, 2006 Gentlemen: I have a Texas Smoke Tree (Cotinus obovatus). It's doing very well & I wish to prune it before its leaves come out. I understand there are a few trees you don't prune, among them birch. I... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Conditions for wisteria bloom on Ontario, Canada November 05, 2005 I live in Ontario Canada, and about 4 years ago I bought a shrub which was called wisteria. I loved this bush when I visited a cousin out in British Columbia. The problem is it has no trouble growing ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on Fan Scarlet-Cardinal September 02, 2005 I have a lobelia x speciosa (Fan Scarlet-Cardinal) plant and was wondering if I should dead head it after blossoming so that the plant continues to flower. Can you help? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on pruning Clematis August 26, 2005 I would like to know about pruning clematis. The one I have is getting very large. Should I cut it back, and if so, in the Spring or Fall? I live in Michigan. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on mockoranges May 25, 2005 I live in Colorado where it is common to have 1 or 2 late frosts. I planted 4 littleleaf mockoranges (Philadelphus Microphyllus) 2 years ago and they are pretty much in full sun most of the day. I h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cutting back, pruning and dividing native plants April 21, 2005 I am wanting to cut back, or prune, and divide many of my native plants but don't know how. What should I do? I bought them all at the native plant sale at the center last fall. We have a family ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning a Wafer Ash to make it upright February 11, 2005 How do I trim a Wafer Ash? It lays on the ground. Is that normal? Does it need to be upright? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Late winter pruning of native Texas Sage January 27, 2005 I have several Texas Sage bushes that have started to get very woody and have growth only on the top. This seems to have led to a definite listing to one side. Should I trim these to the ground or... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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