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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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Wednesday - June 24, 2009

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: General Botany
Title: Question about booklet, Native and Adapted Landscape Plants
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

In the booklet"Native and Adapted Landscape Plants for Central Texas", the light requirements for some plants are written in a way that I do not understand. Is Sun/Part Shade different from Part Shade/Sun or Sun/Shade?

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants assumes you are talking about the booklet, Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, published by the City of Austin Water Protection Development Review in conjunction with Texas A&M System's Agrilife Extension for their Grow Green initiative.  I have searched my paper copy as well as the online version and I can't find their definition of the terms.  I can tell you what we mean by those terms at the Wildflower Center and I would guess that it doesn't differ significantly from their definition.

Sun = 6 or more hours of sun per day

Part shade = 2 to 6 hours of sun per day

Shade = Less than 2 hours of sun per day

Sun/Part Shade wouldn't seem to be any different from Part Shade/Sun and I would think that Sun/Shade would mean that the plant will grow in sun, part shade and shade.

 

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