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
Lindale, TX
Is Sedum recommended for a greenroof project in Houston
Would you recommend using Sedum for a green roof project in Houston, Texas? Will the humidity effect the sedum? If sedum would be a poor choice, what would you recommend for Houston?
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Lindale, TX
Care for non-native Centipede grass
My lawn is Centipede. I have created a new lawn area. Can and when should I seed/overseed my lawn? I have Rye in the new area.
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Lindale, TX
How to eliminate Sawgrass from a small lake in Lindale, TX?
We live on a small acre lake (about 65 acres) and the majority of the lake is surrounded by what the locals are calling saw grass. From the description on the website, I believe they are correct. The...
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Tyler, TX
Ground cover for shady site in Tyler TX
I live in Tyler Texas and have a lot of shade and sandy soil. No grass will grow and I was wondering if I should look at ground cover instead? If so, what grows in shade and sand? I have tried sever...
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Tyler, TX
Plant identification
There's a wildflower growing on my patio its leaves
look like the leaves of a lute leaf sage, it has a flower stalk with yellow flowers. The stalk is about a one foot high. What is the name of it?
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Tyler, TX
Tree for area around patio in East Texas
What is the best type of tree to plant around my patio which faces the southeast
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Tyler, TX
Identification of a wild vine in East Texas
Trying to identify a wild vine that grow 15-20 feet up our trees. The leaves are dark, glossy green about 2-3" long. The edges are smooth and elongated. Each leaf is placed to the right and then the ...
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Tyler, TX
Plant identification
There is a wildflower growing in my pasture.
It is low growing, triangle leaves, flowers are blue, five petals with what looks like a white flower in the middle.
Gods blessings to all there.
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Tyler, TX
Native plants that will grow under alleopathic black walnut
I have a large, beautiful black walnut tree in my yard and have trouble growing the annuals, begonia, impatients, etc., that I have always grown. They don't do well in the ground and I have resorted...
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Tyler, TX
Poolside plants for East Texas
What are the best plants, shrubs, ornamental trees, etc. for poolside planting in East Texas?
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Tyler, TX
Problems with non-native Indian hawthorn
We have some Indian Hawthorns that were planted for us by a landscape company. The first year we got a little bit of bloom. Since then the shrubs don't bloom at all. They are in a flower bed up aga...
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Tyler, TX
Worms in wild plums
Wild Plums... They are just starting to get ripe here in East Texas. Picked a few today and they all had dark spots on them. When I cut them open there were tiny worms inside. Does this mean they a...
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Tyler, TX
Flower friends for roses in Tyler Texas
I have planted some double red Knockout roses and am looking for plants to go with them to add blue, white, pink and yellow hues. I am interested in planting something that will act as a ground cover ...
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Tyler, TX
Landscaping around a pear tree in Tyler, TX.
We have a large raised flower bed, approximately ten feet by ten feet, surrounding a mature flowering pear tree. Do you have any suggestions for landscaping with native plants in this bed?
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Tyler, TX
Which Aristolochia species are toxic to pipevine swallowtail larvae
In a May 30, 2008 question regarding the toxicity of certain Aristolochia species to pipevine swallowtail larvae, I had heard the same from at a talk from the curator of the Cockrell Butterfly Center ...
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Tyler, TX
Bluebonnets in East Texas
I would love to introduce Bluebonnets onto a piece of property in East Texas. We have very sandy soil. Which species should I plant, the Lupinus Texensis or the Lupinus Subcarnosus?
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tyler, TX
Cause of chlorosis on dogwood
Help!! I have been gone for three days, when I came home and looked out my back door I discovered that one of my huge dogwoods was turning yellow. We have had more than our share of rain this year and...
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Tyler, TX
Plants (mostly non-native) not common to Tyler TX area
I live in Tyler, TX 75705. I always seem to fall in love with plants that are not common for this area so I cannot find information on growing these plants in this area: Esperanza, Alstromeria, Japan...
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Van, TX
Need suggestions for a privacy screen besides Murray Cypress.
Mr. Smarty Plants,
I live in NE TX, about an hour east of Dallas on I-20. I hear interstate traffic behind my house, and have a busy street on its left side, and a school adjoining in back. I thi...
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Van, TX
Need information about broadcasting wildflower seeds in a pasture 70 miles east of Dallas, TX.
We recently moved to upper east TX - 70 miles East of Dallas. I would like to broadcast wildflowers in our pasture. I'm assuming I'll need to wait until next fall, but not sure about that. Can you t...
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Van, TX
Identity of mystery plant in non-native commercial forage mix
Dear Smart One,
I use a commercially prepared, fortified, chopped forage based on a mix of orchard and Timothy grasses. The bags are shipped in from out of State. However, I have been finding short s...
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