Explore Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
rate this answer
Wednesday - September 02, 2009
From: Frankfort, IL
Region: Midwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Getting rid of wildflowers in Frankfort IL
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Can you tell us how to get rid of wildflowers? We have wildflowers on the side of our pond and we want to plant sod next year.Should we cut them down this year and use a vegetation killer? We have fish in our pond and wouldn't want anything to affect them.ANSWER:
Ooops, we believe you've reached a wrong number. You're asking the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, home of Mr. Smarty Plants, to tell you how to get rid of wildflowers?
The only way we can answer a question like that is to say that perhaps you have weeds around your pond, weeds being something that is somewhere it doesn't belong (or you don't want it). We would never recommend a herbicide, that can harm too many other things in the area. And we're certainly not crazy about the native wildflowers being replaced with sod, probably a non-native lawn grass. Everyone has the choice of what they grow on their own property, but we would hope you would rethink this a little bit. Take a few minutes to read our How-To Article A Guide to Native Plant Gardening. If we still have your attention, how about reading Meadow Gardening. And if we still haven't talked you out of destroying your wildflowers, we suggest you hand pull them and don't allow them to go to seed.
More Wildflowers Questions
Invasiveness of native Viola sororia
June 13, 2007 - I live in Warwick, RI and have a section of my backyard overgrown with common blue violets. My husband and I would like to relocate them to a more scenic location if possible. The advice the cooperat...
view the full question and answer
Yellow Indian paintbrush, Castilleja indivisa
May 09, 2005 - Does entireleaf Indian paintbrush, Castilleja indivisa, come in yellow in the wild? I have Indian paintbrush in the front pasture and noticed last weekend that there were 5 or 6 that were light yellow...
view the full question and answer
Propagation of Gay Feather
September 22, 2005 - Can I transplant the flower Gay Feather any time or should I wait until the plant dies this winter?
view the full question and answer
Smarty Plants on Germination
July 23, 2004 - I just planted wildflowers and I was wondering how long before I know if they will grow?
view the full question and answer
Information on Texas wildflowers
February 28, 2009 - Does your site (or another site known to you) have a link to provide information on when our Texas wildflowers should emerge this year at various locations in the state, and whether this year is expec...
view the full question and answer
 |
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends. |
