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.
Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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.
Search Smarty Plants
| topic | question | |
| Shade Tolerant Groundcover for Texas July 13, 2016 I live in Atascosa county in Pleasanton Texas, I have an abundance of Live Oak and Ash trees shading my property and need a groundcover for my backyard which is nothing but sand and where I have dogs ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a moist, shady spot in central Texas July 08, 2016 I am looking for a plant that will grow in almost full shade with plenty of moisture along a fence. We are looking at putting down some flagstone with possibly some moss growing in between, but we don... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Grass Groundcover for Georgia Hillside July 07, 2016 I am looking for a grass to cover a hillside area down to a lake. It is mostly sunny in the spring & summer, but has no moisture except any rain that falls. I am not interested in having to mow it all... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcover for Maryland Slope in Deer Country July 03, 2016 I have a 20-30% grade hill in Maryland. I am looking for a groundcover plant (for example ivy) that I can plant on the hill. I have the following issues: clay soil, deer, full sun, limited water sourc... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcover for sunny slope in Minnesota May 24, 2016 Hi, I'm from Apple Valley, MN. We backyard has large slope areas that get sun through out the day. We have huge weed and buck thorn problem. Can you please suggest a good ground covering plant that gr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Fast Growing Groundcovers for Long Island March 18, 2016 Can you please suggest a few fast growing groundcovers suitable for the south shore of Long Island? The area is fairly sunny and dry. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground covers for a shady spot in central Texas February 23, 2016 I reside in Austin, Texas and need advice on my xeriscaping project. Portions of my front yard have always been a challenge to get grass to grow, so I have xeriscaped that area with Fairland Pink gran... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowering Shade Plant for California February 21, 2016 I have a house north facing that has a "flower bed" in front that unfortunately is shaded 100% of the time. There are roses in the bed currently (they came with the house) but they do poorly. We are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Vinca as a groundcover February 11, 2016 Someone told me that Vinca would be a great ground cover for my very large mostly shaded area. How can I establish it and where can I get it? Thanks in advance. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pet Friendly Groundcovers for CA January 23, 2016 I am looking for pet friendly, groundcover plants in San Jose, CA. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| topic | question | |