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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| topic | question | |
| O.K. to grow grass under a live oak? November 26, 2014 Is it a bad idea to plant grass around a mature live oak? We have erosion issues and trying to keep mulch in the beds around the tree groves is a challenge, even with edging. Much of the native dirt... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Planting a meadow garden in Pennsylvania November 16, 2014 I live in Saxonburg PA near Pittsburgh PA. I want to put a meadow garden in my back yard. We are building a home so there is no established yard yet just trees and weeds. Where do I start . What... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shade grasses for central Texas November 16, 2014 We are new to the area and bought a home this summer that has lots of shade in the very small backyard. The problem is that there was new sod laid in the backyard which now is 50% dead. We do not kno... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Bermuda, not the only option in Memphis November 04, 2014 I'm building an energy efficient home in Memphis and want to extend that strategy to the landscaping. I'd like to plant native grasses, but this lot is surrounded by lots sodded with Bermuda grass.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fall Wildflowers for Helotes, TX October 20, 2014 Dear Smarty, Could you please suggest a few colorful wildflowers for a sunny area. I live north of San Antonio, TX and would like to plant some flowers in October but I want something that has been ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Horseherb planting in Richardson, TX October 18, 2014 What is the best time to plant 4" pots of Horseherb? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Fall Flower Planting in Abilene, TX October 14, 2014 Are there any flowers that can be planted in the fall in Abilene Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| How to Identify Male and Female Texas Persimmon Trees October 07, 2014 I have just learned that Texas persimmon trees are either male or female. Is it possible to tell which is which when buying one? I am planting on 50 acres near Blanco. Do I need one of each? I'd ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting and Pruning Callicarpa August 21, 2014 I saw the previous question about Callicarpa from the guy in Texas and I have two questions based on the response. In SW Vermont, is late fall still the best time to transplant my Callicarpas? Also, i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Making a pollinator garden August 11, 2014 Hello, I have a ditch right by my house and I want to turn it into a pollinator garden using native plants. My problem is, right now it's so full of weeds that we have to mow those down so soon. For ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growing Texas star hibiscus in Central Texas August 11, 2014 Hi there, I purchased a beautiful Texas Star Hibiscus that I want to plant in my yard. Unfortunately, my yard being in Travis Heights, I hit a lot of caliche when digging. To plant some other nativ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sages in Catasauqua, PA August 08, 2014 I want to buy a Texas Sage tree but I live in PA. Can I bring the tree indoors during winter? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growing pecan and fruit trees near Canyon Lake, Texas July 07, 2014 I just bought a property on the north side of Canyon Lake in the Hill Country of Texas. Most of the trees around are cedar, and a few live oak. I know I have seen beautiful Pecan trees as well as seve... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need for smaller tree with less invasive roots from Ft. Worth TX June 07, 2014 The sycamore in the front yard has developed roots larger than the branches. They have decided that the water and sewer lines are perfect to acquire their water from. For this reason it will be coming... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Drought tolerant grass for small lawn from Woodbury TX June 07, 2014 Trying to establish small lawn area, needs to be drought tolerant, water wise. Have tried Turffalo with poor results. Recommendation please. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Adjustments to soil level change around tree from Austin May 29, 2014 I am moving in to a new construction home in south Austin, builder has leveled the ground and sodded the front yard, I have a post oak in the front and because of the changes to the landscape the tree... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with Habiturf in Austin May 10, 2014 I have been trying to establish a Habiturf lawn in my back yard. It is approximately a 1,000 square foot area and this last seeding was the third over about one and a half years. I just recently over ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Appropriate use of redbud from Austin May 04, 2014 I am considering purchasing a hearts of gold redbud; I am also xeriscaping my front yard. I live in Austin,TX. Will this tree do ok in full Tx sun (8+ hours) with once a week watering? If this... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Late planting plum tree from Lago Vista, TX May 01, 2014 I have two plum trees in plastic containers that I purchased in March. For a lot of reasons, we didn't get them planted. I have kept them alive by watering consistently, but I am now wondering what... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Live oak leaves not dropping from Austin April 29, 2014 We had a 65 gallon live oak planted last October. We watered it regularly and it was green all through the winter. In March the leaves started to turn brown but never dropped, as they should have. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replacing river birch from Maple Grove MN April 22, 2014 How soon after taking out a river birch clump tree and grinding the stump would we be able to plant a new birch clump? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Planting Mountain Laurel grown from seeds in Argentina April 09, 2014 Hello, I was transferred to Cordoba, Argentina 2 years ago from San Antonio, the climate hereis similar to S. TX, anyway I brought some mountain laurel seeds with me and they have been in 2 gallon pot... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Planting under Pine Trees in Pocatello ID April 08, 2014 Hi I was wondering if you could give me some ideas of what I could plant under and near some pine trees for my area. The trees are huge and so it is also constant shade where I want to plant. Thanks f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Help with Habiturf from Bertram TX March 24, 2014 I am a resident of Bertram..about 45 min northwest of Austin. I have 1.33 acres of land with my home on it. My front pasture is pretty nice native grass but my backyard is full of weeds. I'm guessing... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Use of hand-held seed spreader from Robstown TX March 20, 2014 I am planting native turf grass and prairie grasses as part of a backyard restoration on my 1.6 acre home site. My problem is good seed dispersal for the chaffey grass seeds. Have you have any luck... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native species of tree for Rockwall TX March 19, 2014 Hello, I am attempting to plant a native species of tree 20 miles east of Dallas, Texas (Rockwall, TX) in honor of my brother's marriage. He is a biologist and a huge supporter of native species.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Sheet mulching before planting Habiturf from Grand Prairie, TX March 03, 2014 Have you tried sheet mulching as a bed prep and to kill bermuda grass before planting habituff? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native grass mix for Bastrop County, TX February 25, 2014 I plan to put in a small lawn on a tract of land near Rosanky, TX in Bastrop County. There are scattered oaks but the yard space will be mostly open. Soil is basically sandy. Is there a good native... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Source for information on Habiturf from Utopia, TX February 25, 2014 During a recent Central Texas Gardener TV show, someone from the Center mentioned that your Habiturf was going to be available as sod from someone in the San Antonio area this spring. Is that true an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting bluebonnets to garden from Columbus TX January 30, 2014 Is it possible to transplant bluebonnets from pasture to garden and if so when is the best time to do this? Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Bluebonnet Planting in January in Lockhart January 23, 2014 My husband has yet again failed for the second year straight to put out the bluebonnet seeds in our backyard back in October. Is it too late now that it's mid January for me to get them in the groun... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wildflower Meadow for Poth, TX January 22, 2014 I recently cleared some underbrush from a virgin pasture, with large oaks and mesquites scattered through it, and was wondering if it was too late to plant wildflowers? If not, what varieties of wildf... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| January good time to plant live oak in January from Manor TX January 19, 2014 I want to plant a Live Oak in January. Is this a good time to plant it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| A Native Tree for Ardmore PA January 15, 2014 I am looking to plant a native tree in my back yard. The yard is small and gets mostly afternoon sun. Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need a native pine tree for Austin, TX. December 21, 2013 Is there a native pine tree that you would recommend for the Austin, Texas area? We're considering the Colorado pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) or the Papershell pinyon (Pinus remota)? Would either of the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| When to plant wildflowers in California December 10, 2013 When is the best time to plant wildflowers in California? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Incorrectly planted anacua from San Antonio November 22, 2013 I purchased a 12' anacua tree from a local nursery about 18 months ago. It was not planted correctly (root bound, rolled into a hole about 3" larger than the pot) but is still alive with the number... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need a shade tree to plant in Houston, TX November 18, 2013 Hi, i'm looking for a shade tree to plant on the southwest side of our house, both to make our backyard more enjoyable and to improve energy efficiency. We really like Live Oaks, but they just take t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tree removal from Austin November 18, 2013 Unfortunately we need to cut down a Spanish oak (11" diameter, over 50 feet tall) that is leaning against our upper story deck (if it falls, the roof, deck, and steel supports may be crushed). A lim... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Young pecan trees with leaf and branch problems from Gatesville TX November 18, 2013 I have a young pecan tree that had very rapidly browning Leaves. They became brittle and so did the branches with affected leaves. The branches soon fell off. We treated with fungicide during that pro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Rose bush varieties and time to plant from Hutto TX October 31, 2013 What rose bush varieties are recommended for the Hutto Texas area and what time of year is the best time to plant into ground? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Annual ryegrass and Habiturf from Austin October 31, 2013 We've decided to put Habiturf in our freshly cleared back yard that was overgrown with sticky burs and crabgrass, but now that it is fall, would you recommend putting in a cover crop of annual ryegra... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Medium-sized trees for Central Texas October 25, 2013 I need some help figuring out what 2 trees to plant to replace 2 trees that are being taken down on Monday. The input we've received from the company doing the tree cleanup is to go with a chinkapi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Law against planting cottonwood in Madison WI October 08, 2013 I was told that there is an ordinance against planting cottonwood trees in Madison, WI. Is this true? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Brown leaves on Burr Oak from Dripping Springs TX October 05, 2013 We have recently planted a 15 gal. burr oak in an correct hole with great soil and plenty of watering in. We have noticed some brown leaves. Should we be worried? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Trees for Plum Grove, TX October 05, 2013 Sorry Mr. Smarty pants, my question is I live in Plum Grove Texas, I have 5 acres and NO TREES. What trees were on the property were either taken out by Ike, or the twisters that followed. I have boug... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Grasses for a prairie in southeast Texas September 30, 2013 We have a small place (about 100 acres) in Colorado County, Texas, on the Colorado River north of the town of Weimar. We are gradually clearing (bulldozing) the woods of cedars. One particular spot ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shade tolerant low shrub for Houston September 28, 2013 Please suggest a shade loving shrub that doesn't get more than 3' tall for a foundation planting along a front porch in Houston, TX. I prefer native, drought resistant if possible. No nursery person... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Maintenance of milkweed from Austin September 12, 2013 I help plant and maintain a Monarch Waystation Garden in San Leanna, Texas (South Austin). Should milkweed plants be cut back during the winter? Last year we cut them back a bit late and some died c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Starting shade-tolerant ground covers in New York September 10, 2013 Hi, I have seen some of the posts for shade-tolerant ground cover on the east end of Long Island and my question is process related. Now that I've identified the grasses/plants I need to keep my fro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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