Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers Nan Hampton, Jimmy Mills and Barbara Medford to be the culpable and capable parties. Yet, others think staff members Damon Waitt, Joe Marcus and Philip Hawkins might 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
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Questions From Near You
Monahans, TX
Existing live oak taking over in Monahans TX
I have just purchased a home with a huge Live Oak tree in the front yard. The previous owners have over the years allowed the sucker roots to grow unchecked. The tree is shading most of the lawn (di...
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Odessa, TX
Identification of shrub looking like honeysuckle in Odessa TX
Bought a shrub in Pecos, TX yesterday. It looks like honeysuckle but the brightest flat orange I have ever seen. Flower and greenery looked like honeysuckle but when I looked on the Internet under or...
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Odessa, TX
Space for a desert willow in Odessa, TX
I have a small planting space about 5X5 that is four feet in front of the side of my front door. It is right under the eaves of my house. It's rather an enclosed porch space. I have a new very sma...
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Odessa, TX
Wildflowers for West Texas Permian Basin area
What wild flowers grow out here in West Texas (Permian Basin Area)? I know a lot of the wild flowers from other parts of the state will not grow out here in the dry heat and poor soil.
Thanks for you...
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Odessa, TX
Esperanza failing to bloom in Odessa TX
I have 3 Esperanza plants that have not bloomed this spring/summer. I live in Odessa, TX. We had about 5 inches of rain in July in one week (very unusual), but they have not bloomed-before or after. ...
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Odessa, TX
Information about the bluebonnet
What other plants live near a bluebonnet?
What problems does the plant face, such as people, weather, and insects?
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Odess,, TX
Native turf and trees for Odessa TX
What native turf and trees can I grow in my Odessa, Tx back yard?
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McCamey, TX
Fasciation on Texas Mountain Laurel
Do Texas Mountain Laurel normally have a staghorn looking growth hanging on them after blooming in addition to the seed pod clusters or could this be a mutation?
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Midland, TX
Do non-native globe willows have a taproot from Midland TX
Do globe willows have a tap root?
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Midland, TX
Is non-native palm tree poisonous from Midland TX
Are palm trees poisonous? My husband is a landscaper and was trimming palm trees at work and when he was cutting them down it fell on him and he has scratches on his arm and one got caught on his arm...
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Midland, TX
When can bluebonnet seeds in freezer be planted in Midland TX
I have a large pkg of bluebonnets in my freezer that I had planned to plant in October and forgot. Is January too late for Bluebonnets to come up in March-April? A year ago in Spring my brother and I...
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Midland, TX
Removal of yaupon stumps in Midland TX
How is the best way to remove Yaupon tree stumps? We have 4 of them.
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Midland, TX
Recovery of water-stressed Agarita
Hello! I planted a small agarita at the end of May and then
left town for six weeks. During that time it was supposed to receive weekly deep irrigations to help it establish, but it seems that som...
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Midland, TX
How are full sun, part sun, etc, defined?
Hello, I have a question about sun requirements. Does saying something needs "full sun" mean a particular number of hours? Does it mean 6 or more hours / day? 8 or more? Is there an agreed upon n...
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Midland, TX
Is Chilopsis linearis poisonous to dogs in Midland, TX?
Is any variety of Chilopsis linearis (particularly bubba bubba) poisonous to animals? I'm thinking about using it as a source of shade for multiple dog kennels in west Texas.
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Midland, TX
Wildflower seeds coming up early
I purchased several wildflower seeds packages. Everything I read about when to plant, suggest planting in September or October in my area. This is what I did. I planted only about 2 weeks ago. Som...
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Midland, TX
Native Vines for Coleman County, TX
Do you have a list of native vines for Coleman County, TX.
Thank You for your help
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Midland, TX
Identification of plant in Menard TX
We recently purchased 40 acres in Menard Texas on the San Saba River. There is a plant that looks like a fern that is all over the river bottom. It looks like the foliage on a carrot and they are al...
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Midland, TX
Control methods for Tribulus terrestris, Goatheads or Puncturevine
We have some land that has so many goatheads we can't do anything with it. We would like to know what if anything will remove them from our place.
There has to be something out there that will kill ...
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Midland, TX
Failure to bloom of Turk's cap in Midland TX
My turk's cap won't make flowers. It has daily watering via irrigation system, and soft amended soil. The plant is beautiful and thriving, but no flowers. What should I do?
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Midland, TX
Evergreen shrubs for urns at entryway in Midland, Texas
I am looking for plants for large urns at my entry .. prefer something evergreen. The urns are about 3' tall with an opening of 10-12" .. also prefer a plant that is not too bushy or whose roots wi...
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