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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| 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 | ||
| Viability of Taxus canadensis (Canadian yew) for Buffalo, NY February 28, 2008 I live in Buffalo, N.Y. and am gradually naturalizing my back yard. The previous owner built a 6' fence along the western edge of the yard and planted a straight line of arborvitae, which are now abo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Source of seeds for helianthus salicifolius (Willowleaf sunflower) February 27, 2008 Where can I purchase seeds for helianthus salicifolius? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Care for a non-native Syringa vulgaris (lilac) February 19, 2008 I inherited a lilac bush when I bought my house. It grows in a bed right in front of the house but grows away from the house, not in a straight up and down manner. This winter we had a 12" snow fall ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to eradicate chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata) February 10, 2008 How do I get rid of a invasive ground covering plant called Camelion without hurting the ground so I can plant something else? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native trees and shrubs for bloom various times of year February 10, 2008 I live in Southwest Austin and have a garden that spans the length of our back fence. It gets approximately 6 hours of sun. We currently have two trees (which we think are Bradford Pears) and three ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bur oak bark damage done by deer February 03, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: Just noticed that deer have been rubbing the bark on good sized, but young, bur oaks planted last spring. Mostly in one spot on one side of the trunk. Will this kill the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Determination of the sex of Mexican persimmon (Diospyros texana) January 30, 2008 Last spring, I planted a persimmon fruit from a Mexican Persimmon. I now have 6 small seedlings coming up. Since they all came from the same seed source - 1 black persimmon, will they all be male tree... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native non-invasive plant seeds for Oregon wedding January 21, 2008 I study invasive plants and I am interested in native plant re-vegetation. I am also planning a wedding in July. We thought a nice party favor would be wild flower seeds. I have people coming from ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Texas natives that are shade tolerant for Austin, TX January 21, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I am looking for Texas native plants that are shade tolerant....specifically agaves (How about the Century Agave and the Queen Victoria Agave?) and something to add a splash ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Promoting bloom in Chocolate Summer Mimosa January 11, 2008 Please help! I purchased a Chocolate Summer Mimosa from one of our local nurseries. It was a brand new plant to them and they don't really know much about them. I planted it just 3 years ago as an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care of a sedum indoors December 16, 2007 I have a coworker who has trusted her Sedum Burrito plant into my care because it is not doing well in her office. It appears to need repotting, as it is very crowded in the pot it came in and is dif... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Seed germination for sugar maple (Acer saccharum) December 15, 2007 How can I germinate sugar maple?(step by step, please) I have some seeds but can't make them grow directly outside, so could you recommend a method which takes place inside?! I've heard something ab... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of vine with translucent red berries in Tennessee. November 30, 2007 During the month of November I have seem in Nashville, TN a vine which appears to be native or a handed-down plant growing behind a restaurant site on a chain link fence. It was loaded with cluster... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trimming of cordgrass plants November 20, 2007 We have planted more than 150 cordgrass plants (spartina bakeri) along the edges of the small pond at our condominium complex to try to prevent any further soil erosion between the buildings and the p... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of mature agaves November 20, 2007 Hello- we live in Austin, TX and have a bed of different varieties of agave. They are near the walkway to our house, and are so out of control they pose a hazard to our guests walking up to the house... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Cross pollination of orange and crapemyrtle November 05, 2007 I have a crapemyrtle tree growing 3 feet from a navel orange tree. This summer a shoot grew from the ground 5 inches from the orange tree. The shoot looks just like the orange tree but the leaves were... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-blossoming trumpet vine November 05, 2007 About 9 years ago I started a trumpet vine, from seeds that I got from plants that were invading an empty home. I saw how invasive it was. It had worked its way into the windows and front porch and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possible disease on Eastern Redbud October 06, 2007 Our Eastern Redbud appears to be suffering from our recent drought. The leaves are turning brown in July/August on a few branches. A few black spots appear on the leaves before they turn brown. Ot... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Webbing on the bark of a hackberry tree. October 03, 2007 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants. We have a large hackberry tree in our back yard that has what appears to be extensive spider webbing covering large areas of the bark at the trunk . . and extending well up th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Resources for wildlife garden in Maryland September 10, 2007 I've recently bought a home in Cambridge in Dorchester County on Maryland's Eastern Shore. I want my small garden to have native plants that will sustain birds, butterflies and visiting wildlife. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cool, wet summer effect on evergreen sumac August 28, 2007 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I have 3 evergreen sumac bushes that I planted as a screen between my house and my neighbors two years ago. They are located in a part of our yard that receives a lot of runof... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identifcation of four o clock-like flower August 25, 2007 I've run across a flower I cannot find any information on. I saw it in West Virginia. I know that a pix might be needed to identify, but, since this is somewhat unusual, I thought possibly you might... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growth rate of trees August 20, 2007 What is the growth rate of the following plants. (How wide and tall each year? They are all in 1 gallon pots right now.) 1. Agarita 2. Anacacho Orchid 3. Silk Tassel. Is there anything that can be ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is Rosa rugosa poisonous? August 04, 2007 Are beach plums from a Rosa rogosa poisonous? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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