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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| 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 |  | |
| Sprout from a non-native sago palm in Poinciana FL October 16, 2013 I have two mature (10 years old)sago palms. One of them sprouted a new "head' at the top of the trunk. It is competing with the original one. It is not a pup coming from the root area. Can I cut it ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sprouts from stems of plants from Happy Yard IN September 28, 2013 Is it normal for a plant to start a sprout from its own root system next to the stock/stem? Is it trying to regrow? 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 |  | |
| Transplanting large Silverado Sage bushes from Mesa AZ August 19, 2013 We just bought a condo with three Silverado Sage, each one is 6-8 ft tall, trained to grow as "trees" with bare branches for the bottom 4 feet or so, and beautiful flowering branches on top. They ar... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Rose care for Austin August 18, 2013 I am a transplant from the Pacific NW and need to relearn rose care for Austin. When is the best time to cut back the roses, or do I even bother? I also need to find out how far back I can trimming a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Recovery of an agarita having been cut down from San Antonio, TX August 16, 2013 I had an agarita adjoining a cedar and a volunteer hackberry in my yard. The tree trimmers were supposed to cut out the hackberry but unfortunately also cut the agarita back to the ground. How long ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Taking down a Century Plant blooming stalk from Fair Oaks Branch TX August 09, 2013 Our century cactus looks like it's in the final stages of blooming and I read on your site that the original plant dies. Can we go ahead and cut down the tall blooms? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Will catalpa roots damage a nearby swimming pool? July 13, 2013 Will a catalpa tree cause problems to my swimming pool? It is 8 feet away and I cut all the branches off every fall. It then grows back to about 6 feet in diameter an makes a great garden feature but ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Care of poppy plants July 10, 2013 I bought a tiny poppy grow kit at Target for 99 cents. Amazingly, they have grown into numerous large and very healthy plants, though they don't all appear to be the same species. Some have grown to ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Oak roots damaged by ax from Austin July 03, 2013 Hello. I am attempting to create my own tiny copy of the Wildflower Center within my yard. I'm using all native, drought tolerant plants. My front yard is full of live oaks. I used a sod cutter la... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning non-native Chinese fringe flower from Austin June 24, 2013 When is the best time of year to prune Plum Delight? And how severely can it be cut back? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning Ageratina havenensis from Magnolia TX June 18, 2013 I planted a Eupatorium havanense last year here in the last sandy finger of the piney woods; it gets full sun in a well-drained raised bed, where it flowered well. I pruned it fairly close, and it cam... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Can Monterrey Oak be topped into a bush from Austin TX June 16, 2013 I received a suggestion to use Monterey oak as privacy hedge by topping the small tree and letting it bush. I can't find any pictures or info on this being done though. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Getting a senna to fill out from Irvine CA May 30, 2013 I have a Senna of some kind, started from a seed by a friend. I got it as a small,six in high) seedling. After two years it is now blooming beautifully, but is a single thin stem 4 feet tall with ve... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning of tree poppy from Livermore CA May 29, 2013 We have a Dendromecon rigida which has been in place for about 10 years and is doing fine. But the older growth gets dry, brown and crinkly, while the newer growth is bright and lush. I would like t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Yaupon sprouts from Bennettsville SC May 29, 2013 I have Yaupons in a flower bed and they have too many shoots to pull up, can I spray them with roundup and not kill the bush and what strength should I use? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| How to deal with suckers on Flame-leaf Sumac May 20, 2013 Hi! It seems you can have too much of a good thing! Our flameleaf sumac is taking over our yard. There are multiple shoots appearing in our flower beds and in the lawn. How do I get rid of the unwante... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Suckers from Oak Tree Roots in Austin May 17, 2013 Hi. I am a home owner in Austin TX with several live oak trees. We love them and want to keep them healthy. We have a nice landscape in the back yard and I’m wondering if you can answer a quest... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting and care of Desert Willow in Golden Valley, AZ. May 17, 2013 I got a desert willow to plant in yard. Some of the leaves dried out before I could plant. Will that stop the tree from growing into a decent size tree or stay as a shrub? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning practices from Austin May 16, 2013 I need to do some pruning in my front beds and I know nothing about plants. From what I have been able to identify I have bicolor irises, plumbago, Japanese Aralia. I don't even know where to begin o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of pods when pruning Tecoma stans May 10, 2013 When pruning Tecoma stans for growth and shape control,should I cut off the pods? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Lilies not blooming from Austin May 03, 2013 Last December 8, you published a letter in the Statesman that I had written to you regarding Rain Lilies, Oxblood Lilies, and Copper Lilies. The were sprouting in my garage in a bag. You recommended... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Rocky Mountain Juniper Grazed by Deer April 29, 2013 I have four Colorado red cedar (Juniperus scopulorum). The deer have eaten from their height down. Now these narrow top to bottom evergreens have only tops left. Will the bottom fill in if I protect t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with Blackfoot Daisy from Lewisville, TX April 23, 2013 I planted a row of Melampodium leucanthum (Blackfoot Daisy) last spring at the front of the front yard, next to the sidewalk. It's full sun, east facing, unamended black clay gumbo soil. I put mulc... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Century Plant April 20, 2013 I have a century plant that has just begun to bloom. I have a transplanted a few pups, successfully. I am wondering how I am to go about removing the mother plant once it blooms and dies. I'm reading... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Climbing options for a Coral honeysuckle in Austin Texas April 16, 2013 Regarding Coral honeysuckle, what is the best support to encourage continued spread, chicken-wire/fencing? Currently the plants and vines are on fencing and beginning to fold over. I'd like to add... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning Lyreleaf Sage from McAllen TX April 14, 2013 I planted a few Lyre Leaf Sage last year and they bloomed beautifully. I let them seed out and had a number of new plants show up this year. I have never cut the flower/seed stalks back and now that ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning Trees in Austin, TX April 05, 2013 I have lots of green growth sprouting on the trunks of mature trees. Should I trim them off? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Fruit on Jasmines March 13, 2013 My jasmines have grown some small purple fruits and she is about to get her full bloom soon. Should I cut them off to help the plants out? What are they? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Removing a non-native windmill palm from Austin February 27, 2013 I have a fairly good size windmill palm (about 15ft high) that is planted too close to the house. I also don't like having to constantly remove its fronds as they block a walkway. Is there a good wa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| What is a lawn broom from Cibolo TX February 15, 2013 Concerning gulf muhly grass you mention using a lawn broom to get rid of the dead stalks. What is a lawn broom? What does it look like? Where can I purchase one? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Winter pruning of lantana from Austin February 12, 2013 I live in north Austin. Due to our mild winter, my lantana has not died off this season as it usually does after a freeze - and so I have not cut it back yet this year which I typically do about right... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Trimming Butterfly Plants February 11, 2013 I am looking for detailed information on trimming common butterfly plants: crucita, cenizo, sweet-stem, whitebrush, Mexican trixis, skeleton-leaf goldeneye, white plumbago, turk's cap, desert lantana... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning pink skullcap and rock daisy from Austin February 06, 2013 I have some pink skullcap and rock daisy and other plants in my yard that never entirely die back over the winter. Can you tell me what kind of pruning is appropriate? How far can/should I cut them ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning Pigeonberry February 06, 2013 Should pigeonberry be pruned back to the ground this time of year or should a few inches of stem be left? This is my first spring with them in the garden and I've not found any reference material tha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning Copper Plants February 06, 2013 I planted two beautiful copper plants in my front beds. They went wild during the fall, but got so leggy that I cut them back nearly to the ground, which I believe was a mistake. Will they come back o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning Cuphea Plants February 04, 2013 The David Verity cuphea (cigar plants) that I planted last spring are now 3-4 feet high. I would like to move them, but before I do they seem to need pruning. All the branches are brown and dry lookin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trimming inland sea oats from Waco TX January 30, 2013 Re: Inland Sea Oats and trimming back in early spring "It passes through most of winter a soft brown, but becomes tattered and gray by February, a good time to cut it back to the basal rosette." ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning Saucer Magnolia in Eatontown, NJ. January 12, 2013 Adult Saucer Magnolia (tulip tree). Branches were getting heavy to where they were ready to break. I pruned them back leaving 1 to 3 inch diameter cuts on many branches. Should I put something on th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What to do about volunteer trees growing beneath a large live oak tree in Austin, TX January 08, 2013 We have a large live oak tree. Several volunteer trees are growing directly underneath it and into its branches. I want to cut them down if they are going to hurt the long term health of the live oak.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| pruning Chinkapin oak, Loquat and Monterrey oak trees December 07, 2012 What is the best time to plant a 45-65 gal. Chinkapin oak tree in Pflugerville. Also, when can i prune fig trees, Loquat trees and a Monterrey oak. Thanks for the information. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care for some non-native salvias from Austin November 12, 2012 Mexican bush sage and Salvia "indigo spires" are both blooming in my Austin beds right now. Once they stop blooming and/or frost gets them, could you tell me by how much they should be cut back? R... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wound from non-native date palm thorn Naples FL November 12, 2012 Was trimming my pygmy date palm when a frond fell and a thorn pierced my rubber gloves and stuck me in the web of skin between my thumb and forefinger. Did not see a broken thorn but area where struc... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Persimmon trunk grown around fence rail in Austin November 08, 2012 I have a Texas Persimmon in my backyard that is about 12-15 feet tall. It's been growing next to a chain-link fence and over the years, the top rail of the fence has cut into the bark on the trunk. A... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning guidance for Carolina buckthorn from Houston October 23, 2012 I have a Carolina Buckthorn in my back patio that I planted in fall 2001. The summer of 2003 the roofers dropped something off the back and broke the top 10-12 inches off. I have tried to train the la... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning of Desert Hibiscus Coulteri from Lubbock, TX October 20, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, We have in our garden this year 2 volunteer Desert Hibiscus Coulteri----quite lanky! I notice on your website under "comments" someone notes they should be cut back "nearly... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-native pomegranate failing to fruit from Highland Village TX October 20, 2012 Last spring I planted a pomegranate tree (type: Wonderful) which is supposed to produce edible fruit. It had 5 or 6 absolutely beautiful blooms, but each of them dropped off and no sign of fruit. Is... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Area under live oaks from Austin October 08, 2012 We have many live oaks in our mostly shaded half acre. While I have tried to plant mostly native plants, often beneath them, the plants are showered with leathery leaves, acorns and sap, while oak sp... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trimming non-native sago from Fresno CA September 10, 2012 I have a sago plant, fronds are hanging over into street, can the fronds themselves be trimmed back without removing the whole frond? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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