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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| Reason for small winecup flowers (Callirhoe sp.) May 25, 2007 I purchased some winecup seeds from a wildflower seed company and planted them this past autumn. I live in the northcentral Texas area. This spring, several of the seeds sprouted but they had tiny lav... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to produce ivy with large, green leaves May 25, 2007 How can I keep an Ivy green? When it was purchased it was green and had BIG leaves. How can I get the leaves to grow big again and get it green? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native groundcovers to replace non-native St. Augustine May 24, 2007 I live in west Travis County just south of Lake Austin. My backyard is very shady and does not drain well. I want to spend some time and effort landscaping it. I have thought about Amerishade St. A... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Choosing large containers (pots) for plants in Dallas, Texas. May 24, 2007 Hi, I was wondering if you could help me pick a plant for a container garden. We live in Dallas, TX. Our soil is very clay, but I thought we could do something fun in containers with sand or something... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rose canker in roses on cedar posts May 24, 2007 While visiting the wildflower Center I saw that some of the plants were growing on trellis' made of posts cut from cedar trees. I made a trellis for my climbing rose bush and where the stems touched... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Reseeding with Gulf cordgrass, Spartina spartinae May 23, 2007 Are the seeds of Spartina spartinae sterile? If not, when is the best time to harvest for replanting? We are involved in the restoration of the Bahia Grande section of the Laguna Atascosa National Wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Replanting members of Rosaceae family in same spot May 23, 2007 HI Mr. Smarty Plants We had two apple (yellow fruit) trees besides out house and they died. Is it ok to replant in the same place with other trees without being afraid something is wrong with the soi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ravaged by snails May 23, 2007 Our Prickly Pear Cactus is being completely ravaged by snails. Is there something in my yard that could be attracting them? Is there something I can do to keep them off the plant? Also is is safe to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flat leaf cedar, Thuja occidentalis (arborvitae) May 23, 2007 Hello, I am looking for the scientific name for what is commonly called flat leaf cedar. It has defined platelets, wonderful cedar smell, older trees have shaggy bark, in winter some of its sprays tu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Caterpillars on catalpa trees and hardiness of catalpas May 23, 2007 A volunteer catalpa tree has recently popped up near the edge of our swimming pool. The foliage is lovely, so I'm considering allowing it to stay. This one has already proven to be a fast grower . ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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