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 | |
| Damage to yucca in San Marcos TX October 18, 2010 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, thank you for helping me with my buffalo grass is San Marcos TX back in the spring, my lawn is gorgeous thanks to you! I really need your help as someone sabotaged my beauti... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Getting USDA Hardiness Zones on our website from Yakima WA October 11, 2010 Since the Internet brings people from all over the United States, why don't you include the zone in which each plant can grow and survive. Or, is that too difficult to do? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| BEST SPACING AND EXPECTED HEIGHT FOR ACEROLA (BARBADOS CHERRY) IN COLLEGE STATION, TX October 09, 2010 What is the best spacing for Malpighia glabra plants and how tall will they grow in College Station, TX? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants that survive Central Texas weather September 20, 2010 What type of plants survive the Central Texas region weather for summer and winter? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Newly planted magnolia in Hedron NE September 19, 2010 We planted a Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star' in our landscape about 2 weeks ago. It is approx 7' tall. My question is should the leaves on it all be turning brown and crisp already or are doing some... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to make a lawn into a prairie in Arlington, Texas September 15, 2010 I am removing lawn grasses in order to start a native prairie meadow. After grass removal, I'll put down 1/2" of compost. I will broadcast wildflower seeds on the compost. If I mulch after broadcas... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Move Roses or Ornamental Grasses in Crown Point, Indiana September 15, 2010 I have two ornamental grasses that grew real wide this year. They are blocking three big knock out roses that are four foot tall and four foot wide. My question is which one would be easier to dig up ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need Native Plants for Ditch Stabilization in Texarkana, Arkansas September 14, 2010 I live in Texarkana, Arkansas. I have a ditch near the street in my front yard that is approximately 90-100 ft. long. It gets full sun. There is a lot of clay and rocks in the ditch. I need to fin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Annual plants for weed control in Pflugerville,TX? September 14, 2010 Can you suggest an annual or summer-dormant plant to mix with Dalea frutescens? The object is to discourage the spring-emerging weeds that precede the leafing out of the Dalea, so it should finish bl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Should I plant a potted Texas Star Hibiscus in August in Austin, TX? August 12, 2010 I bought a red Texas Star Hibiscus, in March, in a 6" pot and 2 ft tall. I repotted it to a 12" clay pot, put it under deck roof near edge, where it gets a bit of morning sun and filtered light res... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sumacs under live oaks dying in Austin August 08, 2010 Converted my yard to native plants last fall. All of the fragrant and evergreen sumacs are dying off one by one - they have never thrived. I ensure they get a good soaking at least once a week. I w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Brown spots on young redbuds in Lincoln TX August 01, 2010 I have lined my driveway in Lee County Texas with Red bud trees purchased both in Dripping Springs and in College Station. The 14 trees are of varying ages and heights (planted during the fall and wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant to cover retaining wall in Carlisle PA August 01, 2010 I have a block retaining wall in my back yard. I need to find a quick growing plant that will grow through late summer into fall and cover the wall with limited sunlight. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of honeysuckle bushes from Coaldale Alberta Canada July 30, 2010 I have 2 honeysuckle bushes that I want to get rid of. I am wondering if Honeysuckle bushes have very deep roots (are they hard to dig out?) I am 70 years old and didn't know if I'd be able to dig ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Perennials for flower bed in Humble TX July 28, 2010 I have a 10 foot by 10 foot flower bed that needs to be replanted and I am located in Houston, TX so what would be some good perennials to plant that are good to grow in this heat? I have been told L... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Perennials for mountain cabin in Southern California July 26, 2010 We have a mountain cabin at 7,000ft elevation in S. California. Please recommend native perennials. Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What to Plant Now feature? July 20, 2010 Would y'all at all consider having a "What To Plant Now" section" and/or a "What's Blooming Now" one. You are very generous with your information, but if I wanted to "go native", it seems tha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| White fuzz on pine tree bark in Dartmouth MA July 13, 2010 We have white fuzz on our pine tree bark? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock in American beautyberry in Birmingham AL July 13, 2010 We created a new garden area in our yard that gets full sun in the afternoon. I had a Beautyberry Bush that had seriously outgrown the area where we originally planted it (also full sun), so I transp... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Amendments for faster-growing trees from Bulverde TX July 04, 2010 What faster growing trees will grow in black gumbo clay that is about 12 inches deep above caliche rock in full sun with a sprinkler system set on 1 inch/week? How many and how much amendments such... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Digging up and transplanting wild plants in Alloway NJ July 01, 2010 I saw some wild growing black eyed susans in a passing field so I dug some up this weekend and planted them in my garden now they look like they are dying. Do you think they will come back next year ?... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Distance apart to plant Arizona ash trees in El Paso, TX July 01, 2010 How far apart can I plant two Arizona ash trees? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fertilizer producing leaves over flower production in Austin June 27, 2010 Can you please list which Central Texas perennials' will favor leaf growth over flower production when fertilized? I have many in the "Grown Green" booklet and need to know which flowering plants s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Annual flowers for fall planting in San Antonio June 22, 2010 What are some recommended annual flowers for fall planting in a small garden in San Antonio? Also any help on planting and cultivating would be appreciated. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Taking bluebonnets to Anchorage AK from Sealy TX June 10, 2010 Moving to Anchorage Alaska from Texas and I am bringing bluebonnet seeds to plant there. Will the moose eat these plants/flowers? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Puppy-proof plants in Denton TX June 04, 2010 I recently got a couple of puppies that stay outside in a fenced off area of the backyard. Of course, they love trying to dig under the fence and get out. I placed cement landscaping border stones alo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Penstemon digitalis not blooming in Hebron, NE. May 22, 2010 My Beardtongue plants are too close together. Can I transplant my Penstemon digitalis now, even though the plant is approx. 20" tall? It is not blooming. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why doesn't my Possum Haw have berries this year? May 20, 2010 A possumhaw holly has no berries as of mid-May. I planted this possumhaw last summer - it had lots of berries. Why would it have no berries this year? This spring I have two yaupons with lots of b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| What plants can be moved from Romulus MI to Cleveland TX? May 07, 2010 I presently live and garden in Michigan, but will be re-locating in the next year to Cleveland Texas. What plants, if anything, can or should I bring to Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need to know how to plant trees to create a windbreak in Ashburn, VA. May 06, 2010 I want to know how to plant trees to create windbreaks. I live on a slope of a hill, the front of the house is steep and the back of the house has neighbors in a cul de sac. I swear I live in a wind... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cold damage to Texas wild olive tree in San Antonio May 02, 2010 I have a Texas Olive tree that was unprotected from the 2010 cold winter here in San Antonio, TX. It is the end of April and there is no sign of growth on any of the branches. If the tree is still a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Use of fresh clippings from tree trimmers for mulch in Austin May 02, 2010 Hi, The tree trimmers are in my neighborhood (east central Austin) to clear the power lines and said I can have a load of free mulch. I am wondering if there is any harm in using the fresh mulch from... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting trilliums April 28, 2010 What's the best time to transplant white trillium on my property on the shore of Lake Michigan? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting dogwood in Baytown TX April 23, 2010 I live in Baytown Texas and was wondering if this would be a good area to plant a dogwood tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting a redbud in Virginia Beach VA April 21, 2010 I have a 5-6 ft. Redbud Tree and like to dig up and move to different spot in my backyard. How/what is the proper way to do it without killing the tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Damaged newly planted Gaura in Austin April 16, 2010 Hello yet again! This past Friday we attended the plant sale where we got lots of goodies to start a new bed. The plants were all planted on Sunday. All of them are doing fine, even beginning to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Laurel oak tree not leafing out in Pasadena TX April 13, 2010 Hurricane Ike blew down our red bud in the backyard. Had a large 25' laurel oak planted early March 2010. When it was put in the ground, the leaves were on it, but they were all brown and dried. T... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why isn't my recently planted Mexican Redbud growing in Georgetown, TX? April 11, 2010 I planted a container-grown Mexican Redbud in early March. As of April 5th, it is showing no signs of buds or leaves. Other redbuds in the area (possibly Texas redbuds) have been blooming for severa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Perennial blooming plants for Ashland MO April 02, 2010 I am beginning to create a flower bed in front of my house, I do not have a green thumb so I want to know what plants would come back yearly and I can plant now in Mid Missouri? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why is my 3 year old Redbud not flowering in San Marcos, TX? March 24, 2010 My Cercis canadensis var. mexicana, purchased at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, is 3 years old, very robust, but has never bloomed. Any explanation? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowers for sandy soil and sun in Wharton Co., TX March 23, 2010 I live in Wharton County. I am looking for flowers to plant in beds that have sandy soil and are well drained. The area receives sun all day until 5-6 in the afternoon. I would like to have flowers t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Eastern redcedar uprooted by snow in Arlington, TX February 14, 2010 During the recent snowstorm one of our juniperus virginiana fell over with the rootball looking intact and with a lot of soil all around it.Should we try to save it? It is approximately 20 feet tall ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Soil for native Chilopsis linearis and Salvia greggii February 08, 2010 I want to plant a desert willow and a salvia greggii in my small lot. The developer used sandy loam to fill in the small garden in the front. I am 73 and a bit impaired. Do I really need to remove ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grouping plants according to water needs February 05, 2010 Explain how appropriate design/grouping of plants of the same water needs would make irrigation scheduling easier? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting mature guavaberry in St. Croix January 22, 2010 I live on the island of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands and I have a Guavaberry tree that is about 25 to 30 years old, between 15 to 20 feet tall and about 6 feet wide that I would like ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hardiness of Euphorbia milii from Marble Falls, TX December 02, 2009 What is the hardiness of euphorbia mili, crown-of-thorns? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Prairie wattle for woodland area in Austin November 29, 2009 Can prairie wattle be grown in a woodland area? It would get part shade, with full sun for at least half a day. The soil is a bit rocky; location is Austin. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock in tulip tree in Cincinnati October 02, 2009 I planted a tulip tree sapling (3 feet tall at the time of planting) in May of this year and it sprouted! Unfortunately, I believe the top portion (nearly 2 feet) did not make it (the sapling only spr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Moving Century plants in Norwalk CA September 15, 2009 I have two large Century plants that are each 10 1/2 years old. One is 4'x5' tall and wide with about 8-10 small shoots. The smaller in about 3 1/2'x 5' with about 6 shoots. They've grown too l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Removing leaves before transplanting from Miami August 27, 2009 What is good idea to remove some leaves before transplanting a plant?? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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