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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Landscaping plant for Austin September 01, 2011 Great site! Have gotten lots of ideas. We're about to start construction on a fairly major landscaping project: raised beds/privacy screen. We're at the top of a hill in the Hill Country just wes... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Erosion at edge of driveway in Abilene TX August 26, 2011 My lawn suffered a great loss of grass over the winter and the soil at the edge of the driveway is washing away with watering and the occasional rains that we have. I am trying to get the grass to gr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Watering Houseplants with Soapy Water August 22, 2011 I accidentally watered my house plants with a container that had a some dishsoap in it. Will they be okay? One of the plants is a 20yr old cactus, with small roots. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Drought affecting native trees from The Woodlands August 18, 2011 I've been trying to grow native trees in my yard for the past 3 years and I'm starting to question whether the amount of time required to spend watering them during the long hot season in Texas is r... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Difficulty of watering at drip line of trees from The Woodlands TX August 18, 2011 I'm watering my couple dozen native mature trees to make sure they survive this drought and its aftermath..and I'm reading about how to water at the drip line. But..all of my trees' drip lines ext... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Shade trees for Spring TX August 17, 2011 Dear Mr.Pants, our west-facing backyard in Spring, Tx, is unbearable in this Summer's heat. Neither us nor the neighbors has any backyard trees established yet, as the subdivision is pretty new. C... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Oak tree with browning leaves in Brenham TX August 16, 2011 I have a large oak tree in my small back yard. I also have a sprinkler so the tree has been receiving some water. Nevertheless, some of the leaves are turning brown in patches. Would drip watering ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Cedar elm with brown leaves August 12, 2011 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, We feel we may have limited time to save our beautiful Ceder Elm. We have many trees in our yard (Post Oaks and Cedar Elms) and have been told they are all between 50 - 75 year... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Defining drip line on trees from Austin August 08, 2011 When you say that trees should be watered at the "drip line," do you mean that literally? I assume that the drip line means at the outside edge of the leaves or branches. Does that mean that waterin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Dormancy in Pin Oaks without water in Del Rio, TX August 02, 2011 Can Pin Oak trees go dormant without enough water? If so how long can they live that way? Can they be brought back to producing leaves? If yes, then what do I need to do besides giving them water. I d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
It's so hot, even the Salvia greggii are sad, in Bulverde Texas July 28, 2011 I have several Salvia greggii in large terra cotta pots. The leaves have developed a yellowish tint and are thinning. What is the best process to get them back to full green foilage? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Shy blooming non-native Crape Myrtle, in Littlestown Pennsylvania July 25, 2011 My Crape myrtle has been planted about three years, and reached a height of about 4'. It blooms late July and for the past two years, has only had one or two blooms on it. I have a lot of buds whic... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Possible freeze damage in Wax Myrtle from last winter in Bastrop, TX July 25, 2011 Our Wax Myrtle is about 7 yrs old and in good shape until this past winter when we had several very hard freezes. Now several of the large branches are dead and more are dying each month. We have not ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Why did mountain laurel turn brown and die? July 20, 2011 I have (had) a lovely mountain laurel that I planted more than 25 years ago. Many times one or two branches would turn brown and I would trim them out. The shrub is about 10 feet tall and is many tr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Should Texas live oaks be mulched under drought conditions? July 19, 2011 Should we mulch our live oaks in pastures for water retention? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Cedar trees dying in CO July 18, 2011 We have mature cedar trees at the home we bought in SW Colorado. The large ones have begun to die. Can too much water kill a cedar tree and is there anything I can do to keep them alive? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Premature browning of bald cypress needles in summer July 15, 2011 I have several 10m high taxodium distichum trees in the lawn, with drip irrigation twice a week, and same soil content, and on just one of them, several leaves have started turning brown, it seems to ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Watering Oak Trees in the Summer July 15, 2011 Should you water oak trees in the summer? Some people say its not good for them. But many trees seem to be withering up and dying in this heat. Especially the black jack oaks. There are also post ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Possibility of hydrophobic soil in Austin, TX. July 13, 2011 I believe I have an area in my garden with “hydrophobic soil”: no matter how much or how slowly I water, it just beads up and rolls off and the soil beneath remains cement dry and powdery. In my readi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Possumhaw losing leaves in Liberty Hill, TX. July 11, 2011 I have two female possumhaw trees and one of them is losing its leaves. I planted both of them in February and they were doing very well, getting green and full. What's happening? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
What fertlilizer for live oaks under drought conditions? July 01, 2011 In your June 7 answer about helping live oaks survive the drought, you state that additional fertilization may help as well. What kind of fertilizer to you recommend and how should it be applied? Th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need help with my Mountain Laurel in Sugarland, TX June 22, 2011 Texas Mountain Laurel - My plant's leaves are turning yellow and falling off. I don't know if this is caused from over watering or under watering. I have skipped days of watering to see if it will h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Suggestions for flowerbed in Mesquite TX June 17, 2011 I live in Mesquite and am new to the area. I am trying to make the flowerbed in the front of my house look better. I've planted some yellow roses and red roses but would like some perennial that bloo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Watering newly planted woodland plants in VA June 12, 2011 How frequently should newly planted, native plants, growing in wooded areas be watered? Is it better to not water at all than to use sprinklers in which case the water rarely saturates the leaf... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Mountain Laurel having trouble in AZ June 07, 2011 A Sophora secundflora (Texas mountain laurel) was planted to an Arizona north faced front yard last year in August under full sun. Starting early this year, I noticed its leaves turn to light green an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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