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 | |
| More on bluebonnets April 14, 2007 Do bluebonnets, being a legume, contribute anything beneficial to the soil? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| More on bluebonnets April 06, 2007 What role did Mrs. Johnson play in preserving the bluebonnet, our state flower? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| More on bluebonnets April 05, 2007 I live in Hereford, Texas, near Amarillo. What would be the closest area for us to see fields of bluebonnets and when? Is it Wichita Falls? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Toadflax and Baby Blue Eyes occurring naturally in Texas March 29, 2007 Does Toadflax/Spurred Snapdragon occur naturally in Texas? My daughter found what I think is it in a field in Keller, TX, but I'm wondering if it is cultivated. The field is full of a variety of fl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wildflowers for Angel Fire, NM March 20, 2007 What wildflowers would you recommend for Angel Fire, NM, at an elevation of 9150 ft. with rocky soil and a windy, northwest exposure? Thank you for your help! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wildflowers for West Texas Permian Basin area March 19, 2007 What wild flowers grow out here in West Texas (Permian Basin Area)? I know a lot of the wild flowers from other parts of the state will not grow out here in the dry heat and poor soil. Thanks for you... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native wildflowers for Denver, Colorado area March 17, 2007 I live in the Denver, CO area and would like to plant more native wildflowers. Can you please tell me where I can find a list? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Texas wildflowers for April wedding March 13, 2007 A friend of mine is getting married in Texas in April and wanted to decorate the event with flowers native to that state. In my experience wildflowers do not last long out of the ground or in cut for... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| More on bluebonnets March 13, 2007 I want to go to the Willow loop north 7 miles or so of Fredericksburg to see the bluebonnets in bloom this year but don't know when the best time would be to see this spectacular view. I plan to be ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Blooming time in Austin for wildflowers March 12, 2007 Hi Mr. Smarty Pants!! I am a wildflower artist coming for my first spring visit to Austin to exhibit in the Artisan's Festival. As a wildflower fanatic, I am hoping to see and photograph some of "... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting time for wildflower seeds in Denton Co., TX March 11, 2007 I live in Denton county, Texas and I purchased 2 lbs of native texas wildflower seed from the local agr. extension. Is it too late to plant now and expect flowers from my seed ? Should I plant anyway... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| More on bluebonnets March 10, 2007 It is the first week of March in northeast Oklahoma and I received a wildflower mix that is 60% Lupinus texensis or Texas bluebonnets. Should I wait until fall to plant or can I cold treat or do som... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Possible identification of Stemless Evening Primrose March 07, 2007 Recently, in a very dry area, some interesting plants have emerged. The plant looks like a very short dandelion but the yellow flowers look like yellow morning glories. The flowers are open in the m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native wildflowers for caliche soil March 06, 2007 What kind of wildflower seeds can I plant on caliche soil. No water, other than rain, with some deer grazing. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Optimum viewing time for Texas wildflowers, bluebonnets March 01, 2007 I will make a car trip from Alabama to Anson, Texas, in the next month or so. I would like to time my visit to see the Blue Bonnets and/or wildflowers blooming. Please advise me as to the best time t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Prediction on 2007 wildflower blooming chances February 25, 2007 Do you have a prediction on the wildflower season this year? Last year was very poor compared to other years and my sister from Georgia is wanting to visit this spring to go on wildflower expeditions... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native trees and wildflowers for acreage near San Marcos, TX February 19, 2007 We are moving to 4 acres between Lockhart & San Marcos TX. The soil is a kind of gummy black clay. Elms, mesquite and grasses seem to grow well in it. What native trees and wildflowers would do wel... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bloom time for Opuntia engelmannii February 18, 2007 We are planing a trip to West Texas, El Paso area, in March and can't remember when the prickly pear cactus are in bloom. Can you help! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting seedlings washed out of area by rain February 17, 2007 I sowed a rather large area in my wild back yard in wildflowers. There is no grass. A few weeks later after we had been watering them because of no rain (in Sept), we got way too much rain and many o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for limestone ledge with thin soil in Austin, TX February 14, 2007 My back yard is essentially a limestone ledge with less than an inch of soil on the top in full sun. What native plants can live in this environment? Since I can't really dig a hole, maybe I should... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Best planting time for wildflower seeds in Austin, TX February 13, 2007 When would be the best time to plant wild flower seeds and mow an area where we want to grow wild flowers in Austin Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sowing an old highway right of way with native wildflowers February 12, 2007 We have an old highway right-of-way which we would like to seed with wildflowers. Can you help us? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Castillea indivisa as Texas native Indian Paintbrush February 05, 2007 Upon researching the Texas Indian-Paintbrush I have satisfactorially come up with the latin name Castilleja foliolosa, funny thing is on the plants.usda.gov site it shows that this plant grows ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Prime wildflower bloom viewing times in Texas January 31, 2007 I am planning to drive from Wisconsin to San Antonio in the spring. My schedule is flexible, so I would like to time the trip with the wildflower bloom. I grew up in Texas, but I can't remember when ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| More on bluebonnets January 30, 2007 When will the bluebonnets bloom in the Hill Country this spring? Please let us know. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Inadvisability of overseeding winter rye with wildflowers January 15, 2007 I've recently had such phenomenal success with winter rye seed that I'm looking for a spring wildflower seed mix to dress over the same area -- a thin-soiled and pretty bare open-sun (and sprinkler-... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| More on bluebonnets January 09, 2007 My wife has recently contacted and met relatives from Texas (her father was a war baby born in the 1940's). Her new found Aunt Sarah has kindly given me some Bluebonnet seeds to plant "a corner of T... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| More on bluebonnets January 09, 2007 I have had an area in my yard where I have established bluebonnets. Since we had such a dismal showing in the spring of 2006 I was looking forward to a great show for 2007. Lo and behold I had about... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wildflower seeding for hurricane-damaged areas of New Orleans January 05, 2007 I need some information. I am going to be traveling to New Orleans in two weeks to visit a relative. They are in an area that was decimated by the hurricane. Though they have rebuilt the neighborho... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wildflowers for wedding mid-spring in Austin, TX November 10, 2006 My fiancé and I are both native Texans, and we are looking to have a beautiful yet simple wedding on March 31, 2007. We would love to use TX wildflowers. Our colors are white, orange, and blue. Wo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Methods of planting state wildflowers on roadsides in California November 06, 2006 My garden club is initiating a program to plant state hwy 49 within our county with our state flower, California Poppy. Do you have information on using hydroseeding as a method of planting? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Viewing times for wildflowers from Ouchitas to Austin November 03, 2006 I'm a geographer and wildflower enthusiast considering a spring visit to the Austin area and want to find out the best time to view wildflowers and farm crops around Austin and also on the drive from... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Introduction of possibly invasive Texas wildflowers to Afghanistan November 03, 2006 I'm in Afghanistan right now, and at the USO over here there's a small garden where some service members have seeds sent from home to plant. I don't see any Bluebonnets so I asked my grandparents t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Seeding time for wildflower annuals and perennials in New York October 27, 2006 We have a large area of open land in front of our house and would like to dedicate part of it to wildflowers. I purchased some perenial seeds and would like to know if I can plant these this fall? T... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Varieties of lupines that will grow in Zone 7, Alabama October 27, 2006 I have just found you and read 500 plus questions, fascinated. My question concerns plants in Alabama, is there a variety of lupine that will grow is zone 7, sun or shade? Also, we purchased acreage t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possible low maintenance native plants for acreage in Manor, TX October 22, 2006 My husband and I recently bought 3 acres of former cow pasture in Manor and plan to build our dream home there eventually. Other than a few pesky Mesquite trees and one huge cactus, there isn't much... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Survivability of Texas wildflower seeds in Zone 5A or 5B October 13, 2006 What are the recommended hardiness zones for Texas wildflowers? Could these seeds survive in a 5A and 5B climate? If so, when would be the correct time to plant seeds for zone 5A/5B? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Photo of plant Beggar Tick October 12, 2006 I am looking for information and a photo of the plant Beggar Tick. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Excessive nitrogen inhibiting coreopsis blooms September 28, 2006 I planted coreopsis in the summer last year and they bloomed profusely nonstop from June 2005 to April 2006. However, this past summer, continuing to present time, my coreopsis have not bloomed at a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hardiness of Mexican bush sage in USDA Zone 7 September 25, 2006 I have a Mexican Sage (salvia). I need to know the care of it especially because it is a gift and the plant is about 5 ft. With the weather and the red clay I don't know if I could plant it or just ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Getting started in gardening September 16, 2006 Does the center publish any or several planting guides to help gardeners get started? I find it is overwhelming understanding where to start. I have some lake property in East Texas close to Athen... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| More on bluebonnets September 13, 2006 I have a small field (about 1/2 acre) where I would like to grow bluebonnets and perhaps some other wildflowers for added color. Do bluebonnets need to be fertilized? Should I water them? How can I... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Best planting time for wildflower seeds in Texas September 08, 2006 My husband bought a large amount of wildflower seeds at the Ladybird Johnson's Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas several months ago, but neglected to ask when to plant them. Some were Bluebonnets a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native wildflowers for Missouri September 06, 2006 I live in the midwest, Wright City, Missouri. I have good dirt, not clay or sand. I love wildflowers. What kind of wildflowers can I grow here successfully? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cutting back annual wildflowers after going to seed August 16, 2006 I purchased some wildflower seeds from the center last year, planted them in Nov-Dec and they have done fairly well this year despite our fairly dry winter. My question is now that they are done bloom... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Overseeding native wildflower seeds as opposed to herbicides August 10, 2006 Greetings from Alabama, We would like to "roundup" approx 2 A and plant some wildflower (s) that would TAKE OVER. We have 20 A and over half is in mixed woods. Pine, oak, sweetgum, and ???. Do y... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possible tax exemptions for wildlife management August 07, 2006 I am interested in finding out whether there are state grants to help land owners grow wildflowers on otherwise unused portions of their properties. Would you happen to know whom I should contact or w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| More on bluebonnets August 07, 2006 Can you grow Texas bluebonnets in Madison, OH which is right near Lake Erie? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Control of grasses in wildflower gardening July 27, 2006 We have been trying to manage and grow a plot of wildflowers in Madisonville, Texas just east of Bryan / College Station on a charity organizations site for 3 years with some success. The grasses have... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native grass and wildflower possibilities for Weatherford, TX July 04, 2006 I live in Weatherford, Texas - 20 acres and would love to have a prairie or soft cover throughout the year (less mowing). What do you recommend? I don't know anything about this ... So, feel free to ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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