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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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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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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Friday - February 27, 2015

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Soils, Trees
Title: Need suggestions for planting trees in poor soils in Austin, TX
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

Due to the clay soils and poor drainage in East Austin, what ornamental trees do you normally suggest?

ANSWER:

Lets start with sending you to a couple of links from Bachmans.com #!  & #2  that will give you some tips for dealing with the soil problem.

As for trees, I have three suggestions for sources. The first is our NPIN Plant Database.
Click on the link above and use the Combination Search feature. Select Texas under State, Tree under Habit, and Perennial under Duration. Check Sun under Light Requirement, Dry under Soil Moisture, and 12 - 36’  under Height. Click the Submit combination Search button, and you will get a list of 34  native plant species that fit these criteria. Clicking on the scientific name of each plant will bring up its NPIN page that contains a description of the plant including growth characteristics, requirements, and in most cases images. You can modify the search by changing the Light requirement, or Soil moisture, or Height choices. Look for trees that are adapted to your growing conditions.
Another source is the Tree Selector from Texas A&M Forest Service Service. This is an interactive guide that is fun to use for selecting trees as well as  planting them.
For  the third source, you can also tap into the expertise of the people at Tree Folks, and perhaps get a free tree.

 

More Soils Questions

How will my Texas Mountain Laurel survive clay soil?
June 09, 2009 - Mr. Smarty Pants: I live in a new neighborhood (brownfield site) in Central Austin where the developers have put fill in the yards. After not much more than 2 inches of topsoil you encounter fairl...
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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...
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Help with composting in Katy TX
March 19, 2010 - I've gone on line and tried to figure out what I'm doing wrong with my compost pile. What exactly is the proper ratio, and the types of plant matter and layers to achieve the optimum decomposition i...
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Further information on soil pH for growing blueberries
December 31, 2008 - Thank you for your reponse to my question / comment. You were exactly right about soil pH. Here is what Clemson University Extension has to say about growing blueberries in North and South Carolina....
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What hydrangeas can be grown in Austin?
June 02, 2011 - I was told that oak leaf hydrangea was the only hydrangea variety that could be successfully grown in Austin TX. My oakleaf hydrangea is doing great and I would like to plant other varieties. Can you...
view the full question and answer

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