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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Wednesday - July 20, 2011
From: College Station, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Herbs/Forbs, Shrubs, Trees
Title: Plants for a school garden in College Station TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I need to plant some things in my school garden. Green plants and plants with some color. Hardly ever rains here. Please give suggestions.ANSWER:
First of all, we would like for you to understand that the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to the growth, propagation and protection of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which those plants are being grown. The only plants we will recommend will be native to your area.
We would suggest you begin by contacting the Texas Agrilife Extension Service for Brazos Co. to see what help they can offer you in understanding the soils you have to work with and times of the year to plant. Then, we want to direct you to a list of recommended species of plants for your area, which we believe to be the Blackland Prairies. First, read the paragraph at the top of the page and look at the color-coded Texas maps on the different ecoregions of Texas.
This will give you 265 plants that should grow in your area You can sort them to suit your purpose and the space you have by using the sidebar on the right hand side of the page. Begin by selecting Habit (herbaceous blooming flowers, trees, shrubs, etc), Duration (annual, perennial, biennial), bloom time and color, even expected height. The more detailed your selections are, of course, the more limited your selection will be, but play around with it and you should find some good lists. Click on the italicized link by each plant name and you will get our webpage on that particular plant, with pictures, Growing Conditions, Propagation and so forth. We can't give you a specific list because we don't know the actual conditions in your garden, but we will select a few examples, just to show you the kind of information you can get to guide your selection. We selected "perennial" in Duration in every case; if you want annual blooming plants, we suggest you check that.
Herbaceous blooming plant (herb) 95 possibilities: Coreopsis lanceolata (Lanceleaf coreopsis) - 1-3 ft. tall, evergreen, blooms yellow April to June, sun, part shade or shade
Shrub 23 possibilities: Dalea frutescens (Black dalea) - to 3 ft. tall, deciduous, blooms purple July to August, sun
Tree 50 possibilities: Cercis canadensis var. texensis (Texas redbud) - 10 to 20 ft. tall, deciduous, blooms purple,pink, white March and April, sun or part shade
Grass or grasslike 34 possibilities: Andropogon glomeratus (Bushy bluestem) - 2 to 5 ft., deciduous, sun
From the Image Gallery
More Herbs/Forbs Questions
Deer Resistant Groundcover for lower Michigan
June 24, 2012 - What ground cover is deer resistant for a sunny location in lower Michigan?
view the full question and answer
Light requirements for Heartleaf Skullcap from Smithville TX
June 29, 2011 - How much sun or shade does Heartleaf Skullcap need?
view the full question and answer
Penstemon digitalis not blooming in Hebron, NE.
May 22, 2010 - My Beardtongue plants are too close together. Can I transplant my Penstemon digitalis now, even though the plant is approx. 20" tall? It is not blooming.
view the full question and answer
Are there drug cartels on the bluebonnet trails from Lake City FL
February 08, 2012 - We plan to fly to TX to see bluebonnets but do not know if the weather and forest fires have destroyed them. If not, can you estimate the peak bloom time?
We are 75 and 81 and move around rather s...
view the full question and answer
Native plants for pots for wedding in November
October 03, 2006 - Will any of the plants that are in your big plant sale be flowering in November? I am looking for plants that would do well in pots because I'd like to use them as center pieces at a wedding (in Aus...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |