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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| 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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