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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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 - March 26, 2004

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Invasive Plants
Title: Smarty Plants on native plants
Answered by: Sage Kawecki

QUESTION:

What is a native species?

ANSWER:

The Wildflower Center defines a native plant species as follows: grasses, shrubs, vines, trees & herbaceous flora that exist in a given region (e.g. North America) through non-human introduction.

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Removal, spread of native mistletoe
January 24, 2009 - My neighbor has a lot of mistletoe growing in a tree in her front yard. I have a tree in my yard that has mistletoe in it. Each winter I have the plant removed so birds won't spread it around. Do you...
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August 19, 2011 - I have heard that cotoneaster is poisonous to goats and other animals. We are trying to get rid of it in our yard, but I was hoping we could use goats to eat it back. What are our options in removin...
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