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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| Lilac bush roots dangerous to house foundations August 06, 2008 Are lilac bushes dangerous to the foundation of a house? There is a lovely white-blooming lilac that grows against the house outside my bedroom window. My ex-husband said that the roots would destro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock in Texas Star hibiscus July 31, 2008 Why is my Texas star plant wilting and now is starting to turn yellow? I just bought it from a nursery and put it in a new pot. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will desert rose (Rosa stellata) survive in south Florida July 30, 2008 I have a mature desert rose and I wanted to plant it in the ground. I live in southwest Florida.I want to know will it survive and should I wait to plant it next year? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of previously-planted perennials July 23, 2008 HI I JUST MOVED INTO A NEW HOUSE THIS YEAR THE PREVIOUS OWNERS PLANTED A LOT OF BEAUTIFUL PERENNIALS BUT I WANTED TO PLANT OVER ONE OF THE PERENNIALS THAT I REALLY DO NOT CARE FOR. IS THAT POSSIBLE? I... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning blue potato tree (Lycianthus rantonnei) July 14, 2008 I wrote earlier about a blue potato tree(Lycianthus rantonnei) the top appears dead but if you break a branch it is still green, what would happen to it if I cut all the branches forming at the bottom... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Information about blackleaf elderberry July 03, 2008 I was given a blackleaf elderberry. Do I plant this tree in shade or sun? Also, does it require a lot of moisture? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to bloom in hybrid lantana June 30, 2008 I live in Austin and have planted the newer lantana varieties which bloom with orange and pink flowers.They have been planted in full sun and get watered 2 times a week for about 15 minutes.They do no... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-blooming Tecoma stans in Fredericksburg, TX June 30, 2008 We have an esperanza plant purchased last year from Walmart and planted outside before winter. It flowered excellently last year. Just before winter we cut it back to about a foot. So far this summer ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Buffaloberry from Grandma June 25, 2008 I have a "BUFFALO BERRY" that my Grandma brought back from South Dakota.It is approx.8yrs.old.All was well until this spring.It was budding out when we had a very hard freeze and got 3" of snow.Now... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Improperly prepared building site in Virginia June 24, 2008 Hi, I have a question about planting on newly-built homesite. We just moved into a new home in DC suburbs (Northern VA) and the landscape is the worst of the builder grade. There are prickly junipers ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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