About

Wildflower Hour

Things get a little wild on Saturday mornings at KLBJ News Radio 590. That’s when Wildflower Hour is on the air featuring expert gardening advice with an emphasis on native plants. The format includes Mr. Smarty Plants, the season’s best native plants and occasional experts from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It’s always informative and entertaining--every Saturday morning at 8:00 o'clock on Newsradio 590. Listen to past shows on www.590klbj.com.

Wildflower Hour Archive

May 18		Elias Guerrero Osage orange (Maclura pomifera)
May 11		Saralee Tiede Gardens on Tour and other news
May 4		Elias Guerrero American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
April 20		Elias Guerrero Desert willow (Chilopsis linearis)
April 13		Elias Guerrero Antelope horns (Asclepias asperula)
April 6		Saralee Tiede Wildflower Central
March 30		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Planting wildflower garden for August wedding
March 23		Elias Guerrero Pine muhly (Muhlenbergia dubia)
March 16		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Most common wildflowers in Texas
March 9		Elias Guerrero Kiss me quick (Portulaca pilosa)
March 2		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Planting wildflowers in Spring for Spring bloom
February 23		Elias Guerrero White gaura (Gaura lindheimeri)
February 16		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Forecast for wildflowers from out of state
February 9		Elias Guerrero Colorado four-o'clock (Mirabilis multiflora)
February 2		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Drug cartels on the bluebonnet trails
January 26		Elias Guerrero Pyramid bush (Melochia tomentosa)
January 19		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Planting bluebonnets on the UT Campus
January 12		Elias Guerrero Scorpion's tail (Heliotropium angiospermum)
January 5		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Wildflower Forecasts
December 29		On Break Mr. Smarty Plants takes a holiday
December 22		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Amending soil when planting trees
December 15		Elias Guerrero Desert rose-mallow (Hibiscus coulteri)
December 8		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Commercial soil amendments
December 1		Elias Guerrero Golden canna (Canna flaccida)
November 24		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Growing Hydrangeas in Central Texas
November 17		Elias Guerrero Texas mock orange (Philadelphus texensis)
November 10		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Plants suited for rocky caliche soil of Central Texas
November 3		Elias Guerrero Berlandier's fiddlewood (Citharexylum berlandieri)
October 27		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Texas Ecoregions: The Edwards Plateau
October 20		Elias Guerrero Arkansas rose (Rosa arkansana)
October 13		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Fall Plant Sale
October 6		Elias Guerrero Metz's wild petunia (Ruellia metziae)
September 29		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Deer resistant ground cover?
September 22		Elias Guerrero Big blue sage (Salvia azurea)
September 15		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Native plants that won't give shade to rattlesnakes?
September 8		Elias Guerrero Narrow-leaf Goldshower (Galphimia angustifolia)
September 1		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Are Ashe Junipers dying from mite damage?
August 25		Lady Bird Lake Exhibit with Damon Waitt Read Press Release.
August 18		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Defining drip line for watering trees.
August 11		Plant Feature with guest Elias Guerrero Devil's bouquet (Nyctaginia capitata)
August 4		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Ants invading outdoor potted plants?
July 28		Plant Feature with guest Elias Guerrero Large-flowered hibiscus (Hibiscus grandiflorus)
July 21		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Getting rid of poison ivy, oak, sumac?
July 14		Plant Feature with guest Elias Guerrero Western wild petunia (Ruellia occidentalis)
July 7		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Can we expect Habiturf seeded over failed turf to take over?
June 30		Plant Feature with guest Elias Guerrero Texas nightshade (Solanum triquetrum)
June 23		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Can we throw out grass seed and expect it to take over weeds and create a lawn?
June 9		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Can we throw out a wildflower seed mix in March and get blooms this Spring?
May 26		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Is there a big tree with a taproot so it won't interfere with foundations and paving?
May 12		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Can we plant flowers in March for an August 4 wedding?
May 5		Plant Feature with guest Damon Waitt Rock rose (Pavonia lasiopetala)
April 28		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Can we move a large tree without professional help?
April 21		Plant Feature with guest Neil Schmidt Gray globemallow (Sphaeralcea incana)
April 14		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Finding the Right Plant: Plant Sale
April 7		Plant Feature with guest Sean Watson Spring Plant Sale
March 31		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Planting the Right Plant: Native to the Area
March 24		Plant Feature with guest Elias Guerrero White prairie rose (Rosa foliolosa)
March 17		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Planting in the Right Place: Foundations/Roots
March 10		Plant Feature with guest Elias Guerrero Gregg's mistflower (Conoclinium greggii)
March 3		Ask Mr. Smarty Plants Planting in the Right Place: Sun, Soil, Climate

About the Host

Tom Spencer, the host of Wildflower Hour, is one of Austin’s celebrated media personalities and an inspired gardener. Spencer, who also hosts Central Texas Gardener on KLRU, is an award-winning documentary producer who excels in introducing new gardening topics.