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
Snyder, CO
Dogwoods cross-pollinating from Snyder, CO
I have a red twig and a yellow twig dogwood. Will they cross-pollinate to produce berries? Thank you
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Eaton, CO
Infestation of flies around euonymus in summer
I have 3 shrubs planted in my backyard. I think they are a type of euonymus (but I'm not sure). My question is why do they attract huge nasty flies. The first year we had them they didn't. But the l...
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Kimball, NE
Changing blooming patterns on sunflowers from Kimball NE
The common sunflower seems to be very prolific some years, not so much others. Is this weather related or cyclical?
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Aurora, CO
Native xeric grasses for Colorado
Tired of mowing - replacing western exposure full sun lawn with native xeric grass. Please explain the pros and cons of Bouteloua Gracilis (Blue Grama) and Bouteloua Dactyloides Bella (Bella Blue Gra...
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Northglenn, CO
Native wildflowers for Denver, Colorado area
I live in the Denver, CO area and would like to plant more native wildflowers. Can you please tell me where I can find a list?
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Loveland, CO
Columbines for September wedding in CO.
My daughter is planning a September 2010 wedding in Colorado. Is there any way for me to buy Columbines in the spring and keep them cool so that the pots all bloom in September for the wedding?
Also,...
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Loveland, CO
Are junipers tainting the soil in Loveland CO?
Have several varieties of junipers around my yard. Each year I try to place a small garden in a corner of my yard, the plants don't do well at all. Growing up nearby, I gardened with my parents so ...
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Thornton, CO
Ground cover for Thornton CO
I want to order ground cover because I don't want to mess with grass any more. I live in Colorado, north of Denver. The soil has a lot of clay. I tried clover and that did not do well. My yard is par...
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Fort Collins, CO
Smarty Plants on mockoranges
I live in Colorado where it is common to have 1 or 2 late frosts. I planted 4 littleleaf mockoranges (Philadelphus Microphyllus) 2 years ago and they are pretty much in full sun most of the day. I h...
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Longmont, CO
Sources of seeds for Quercus buckleyi
I'm looking for a source for Liners or seed of "Texas oak (Quercus buckleyi)". Can you tell me any sources?
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Longmont, CO
Pollinator friendly lawn for Longmont CO
I have a sunny, treeless, South-facing yard, with a slight South-facing slope in Boulder County, CO. It has one patch of buffalo grass, but is more then half some other type of grass. I would like t...
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Longmont, CO
Trumpet vines on wall in Longmont CO
I purchased three trumpet vines to plant on the NW wall of my house back in 2002. Although the leaves are a beautiful healthy dark green, none of them have ever bloomed despite regular fertilizing pe...
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Longmont, CO
Growing Texas Bluebonnets in Colorado
I bought bluebonnet seeds from your wildflower center last August when visited Austin. Being a Texas native, I want to enjoy bluebonnets here in Colorado. When do I plant my seeds outdoors? In the gro...
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Westminster, CO
Columnar evergreen for Colorado
I am looking for an evergreen 6-8 (or more) feet tall, very columnar; 3 feet spread in diameter, zone 5, full sun, dark green, clayish-OK soil.
Thank you so much!
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Westminster, CO
Sagebrush for Westminster CO
On a recent visit to Taos, NM we fell in love with the local sagebrush. We would like to plant this sagebrush in our yard. We are located near Denver Colorado. Would this plant survive and how do we g...
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Broomfield, CO
Planting conditions for non-native Oriental poppy in Colorado
I live in Broomfield, CO. Is this a good time to plant oriental poppies, what is the best sun exposure and how should I prepare the soil?
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Broomfield, CO
Removal of Western yarrow invading lawn
We have western yarrow in our yard and it is starting to take over and kill the grass. How do we get rid of it?
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Parker, CO
Rocky Mountain Juniper Grazed by Deer
I have four Colorado red cedar (Juniperus scopulorum). The deer have eaten from their height down. Now these narrow top to bottom evergreens have only tops left. Will the bottom fill in if I protect t...
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Parker, CO
Trees for Parker, Colorado that will not harm horses
we are searching for trees that will grow well in Parker Colorado and not be poisonous to our horses
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Parker, CO
Transplant shock in Dakota mock vervain
We just planted some Verbena bipinnatifida in our back yard and when we planted it, it had purple flowers on it but now they've all dried up. We live in central Colorado and thought this plant was fa...
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denver, CO
Non-native, care for Jade plant.
I've had a jade plant for 5 years and it has done well, even though it was in a plastic pot with regular soil. I need to repot it and it was recommended I use a clay pot and a soil made for succulen...
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