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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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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| 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 | ||
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