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
Corneilius, NC
Need a ground cover to stop erosion on a slope next to a pond.
I have a large natural pond. One side has a steep slope. I need a attractive,low/no maintenance, evergreen? plant to stop the erosion into the pond. Cornelius/charlotte nc
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Huntersville, NC
Getting rid of poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac
How can I rid my yard of poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac? I have tried roundup, poison ivy roundup and even a clorox solution and nothing seems to kill it, I keep seeing it come up. Any help ...
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Mooresville, NC
Plants for wet soils in North Carolina
I'm looking for evergreen plants (shrubs or ground cover)that will tolerate wet conditions for the zone 8 area of North Carolina. The local garden centers here do not stock these types of plants, eve...
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Mooresville, NC
Native water plants for bio-retention pond in North Carolina
I am looking for North Carolina native plants that can take part shade and very wet conditions (bioretention pond environment). Any suggestions?
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Denver, NC
Pruning a non-native Hinoki cypress from Denver NC
Hi! Our painters have asked that we trim the Golden Hinoki Cypress back from the house. The tree is about 20' tall, beautiful and healthy. Since it is July and therefore, HOT! I'm wondering how t...
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Concord, NC
Steep slope from Charlotte NC
I live near Charlotte, NC and I have a very steep sloped area from the edge of our front yard down to the road. It's a huge eyesore mainly because it is red clay dirt and has nothing growing on it. W...
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Concord, NC
Care for non-native Plumeria from Concord NC
I have had my plumeria plant for the past 5 to 7 years. It is a pot plant and I live in North Carolina, I take the pot inside in he winter time. The leaves fall off, in the spring after the last fro...
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Concord, NC
Evergreen vine for screen
We have pretty much "dead" red-tipped photinia bushes and old pine trees that have seen better days, on a steep hillside. We need to remove and replace with a more natural setting, with some terraci...
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Iron Station, NC
Mulching vegetables with straw
I have a small garden with 4 different veggies, tomatoes, hot peppers, squash & cucumbers. which plants is it OK to put straw under? which plants will straw hurt the stalks or other possibilities? tha...
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charlotte , NC
Tall perennials for a sunny North Carolina border
I need border plants for in front of a picket fence along front sidewalk. Space is only approx 1'6" wide and widening is not an option. So far I have daylilies, cannas, Mexican petunias, daisies, i...
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Charlotte, NC
Non-native citronella mosquito plant wintering inside in Charlotte NC
Can I bring the citronella mosquito plant in the house over the winter, or should it be planted outside. I live in Charlotte, NC.
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Charlotte, NC
Plants native to Caribbean from Charlotte NC
Do you know of any shade tolerant plants native to the Caribbean that may be available to buy at a local nursery? I know this is a tough question to answer on many levels.. essentially, if I wanted t...
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Charlotte, NC
Identification of vine in North Carolina
How can I send a picture to you of a vine that I can't seem to identify?
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Charlotte, NC
Plants for a lakeside bank in NC
Our association is looking to plant a huge sloped area that runs down to Lake Wylie. We want to plant something that is good for erosion and that does not grow too tall so that we keep our view of th...
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Charlotte, NC
Native border plants to stop erosion
I need native border plants to assist in stopping soil erosion due to water run off from rain and the Catawba River.
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Charlotte, NC
Care for non-native Basil
One of my Basil plants has leaves that are curling (shriveling.) I see no insects on any of the leaves. The plant next to this one is growing beautifully. Both are in large pots and are in the sun....
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Charlotte, NC
Cutting Gardens from Charlotte, NC
I want to plant a year-round picking garden for flowers to bring into my home. I want to look at landscape plans in lieu of throwing down wildflower seeds. Can you suggest a few websites for ideas?
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charlotte, NC
Non-invasive, modest-sized shrub for driveway edge
I need a hedge type plant for the end of driveway so cars know how far they can drive in. I would like them to be 3'-5' and the roots not to be too heavy that they raise wood barrier or grow under g...
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Charlotte, NC
Shrubs meeting homeowners assoc. requirements in Charlotte NC
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
I am doing my darndest to establish a bird and bee friendly patch of earth here in Charlotte, NC, but I'm having a terrible time finding a shrub that matches my homeowners...
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Charlotte, NC
Young Maple Dropping Leaves in Late Summer
I have a 6-year-old maple tree. I'm not sure what type it is as the builder planted it. It is as tall as our two-story house and very healthy. It's the biggest tree in our neighborhood because we fe...
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Charlotte, NC
Native plants for erosion control in North Carolina
I have an area on the north side of my house that is a hill with about a 6:1 slope. It also has a set of steps used to get from the front of the yard to the rear yard. It is very shaded. I am havin...
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