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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| Plant identification June 07, 2011 Please help me identify this volunteer plant in my back yard in Austin, TX. It has long thorns. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of thorny shrub with blue berries May 24, 2011 Thorny shrub with blue berries. In our acid sandy loam we have many thorn bushes. This one has small leaves like a wild pomegranate, long thorns. berries of the size and color of blueberries and is ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Huisache tree is not thriving in Kerr County, TX. May 18, 2011 Our landscaper planted a Huisache tree in our back yard (Kerr County). It was planted about 3 years ago. It has grown considerably (about 15 feet tall)but it has never flowered and is always late in... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mystery small tree with many large thorns May 09, 2011 In a small spot on over 2 acres, we have this strange tree/shrub. It is a single, straight stem with no branches, and has profuse, large thorns from top to bottom. At the top of the stem, the leaves... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of volunteer tree April 28, 2011 I have a volunteer tree in my yard that has a mixture of serrated, non-serrated, and partially-serrated leaves on it. My tree identification guides all assume either serrated or non-serrated. How do... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Knife Acacia or Shrubs for Austin April 07, 2011 Hello, Do you know if knife acacia is a suitable plant for North Austin? Does it have sharp leaves or thorns? How large and full does it get? We are looking to replace our existing pampas grass... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification March 15, 2011 I don't know where this plant is from! I hope you can still help! I was given a plant,about 8in tall,stem and limbs are yellow it doesn't grow leaves it just has thorns do you have any idea what it ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of a wild vine in East Texas December 17, 2010 Trying to identify a wild vine that grow 15-20 feet up our trees. The leaves are dark, glossy green about 2-3" long. The edges are smooth and elongated. Each leaf is placed to the right and then the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Vines and shrubs for Las Vegas, Nevada November 17, 2010 We live in Las Vegas and would like to put some vines up on the walls of our backyard. One wall is full sun, one is partial sun partial shade, and two are all shade. We want something that is non-in... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Landscaping north facing wall November 08, 2010 We live in the Dallas area and have a north facing home with a large, bare wall. I would like to plant a tall, flowering shrub that will look nice all year round. Or are there flowering vines that a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of thorny tree with lemon-like fruit October 14, 2010 What would be a small lemon like fruit that grows on a bush with large thorns? The fruit is about the size of a golf ball, kind of fuzzy yellow skin like a lemon and smells like a cross between an or... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Invasive, non-native Cherokee rose in Elgin TX September 24, 2010 We have property in Elgin, TX in Bastrop county which has the red sandydirt-loam. The original owners from the 30's, must have liked the Cherokee rose. The problem is that it is planted around our ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native Meyer lemon not bearing fruit in Austin September 13, 2010 I have had a meyer lemon for 9 years and it has never produced fruit. What do I do? It has beautiful leaves and thorns but no fruit. Thank you, Mr. Smarty Plants View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need help identifying a deciduous weedy shrub in Ridgefield, CT. September 01, 2010 My overgrown property is blanketed in a deciduous weedy shrub. Its not Autumn Olive. The stems have large thorns and the shrub is comprised of many thick woody stems that, when cut have a distinctive ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Does goldenball leadtree (Leucaena retusa) have thorns? July 26, 2010 I have a plant that I am told is a native Texas plant, but the person I got it from could not remember its name. They said it was very hardy and drought tolerant. It looks a little like goldenball lea... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Allergic reaction from vine in St. George Island, FL July 24, 2010 In the panhandle of Florida, we have a vine that looks like a blackberry vine. Seems to be poisonous. It has thorns that are dark purple and leaves a blistery, itchy rash. The leaves are green and ruf... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification July 15, 2010 I bought a double knock-out rose bush and planted it in my yard. A year later a weed-like plant started growing beside it. It has very thorny leaves, stems and stalk. Little purple flowers are grow... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native Vines for Pacific Northwest June 30, 2010 Hello, I recently built a shed/pen for my large dog. I have a trellis horizontal above the fence to hide the shed from street. I live in Pacific NW. Do you have any suggestions on a nontoxic evergr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Poisonous weeds in Bedford County, PA June 21, 2010 I am battling my second bad round of poison in a month, this time on my face and in my left eye. It's awful. Problem is, I have looked and looked for poison ivy, oak and sumac around my neighborhoo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Thorny shrub to use as a barrier in Michigan June 12, 2010 What shrub/bush/tree would you recommend that grows fast, very thorny to act as a very strong deterrent/barrier that gets at least 4' tall? It would be in an open yet removed area from foot traffic ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Osage orange thorn in foot in Redford MO June 01, 2010 I ran an osage orange thorn through my foot,it is very sore and very red around it. Is that something I might need to see a dr about, or it is just going to be sore for a couple days. It only happened... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Poisonous thorn in Marion NC May 16, 2010 Yesterday my son got a thorn stuck in his foot. I removed it but his foot is still swollen and puffy today. What kind of plants have poisonous thorns? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Should a bloom stalk be cut down in Yuma AZ? May 07, 2010 I have a plant in my front yard that looks like an aloe vera. It doesn't have any thorns or needles but does have a tall stalk like stem coming from the middle of it. The "stalk" is now approx. 5'... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification May 06, 2010 My neighbor has a few trees in his pasture that his horses love to eat the fruit off of. The fruit looks like a lemon but smaller and has lots of seeds inside of it. The trees have very long thorns on... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-blooming parsley hawthorn in Madison MS April 25, 2010 I have a parsley hawthorn that has never bloomed. It is thriving in a low area under tall pines. It gets filtered sun most of the day with more direct sun in late afternoon. I don't know the age but... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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