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
Katy, TX
Live oak bark splitting in Katy TX
We have a 7 yr old live oak that looks like its bark is splitting open in branches and top leaves look wilted. If that sounds like oak wilt, do we need to have the tree removed? We live in a subdivisi...
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katy, TX
need recommendation for small evergreen shrub in Katy, TX
recommendation regarding small to mediun evergreen palnt in full sun in 2feet by8 feet area.
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Katy, TX
Live Christmas tree in Katy, TX
My husband is really bent towards having a live "Christmas tree" in the front yard. I hate to use anything non-native so I am looking for a native Texas juniper shrub or a small tree that can be tri...
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KATY, TX
ID for Caribbean mystery plants.
I AM TRYING TO FIND THE COMMON NAME FOR TWO FLOWERS I TOOK PICTURES OF ON A CARIBBEAN CRUISE. I TOOK ONE IN HONDURAS AND ONE IN GRAND CAYMAN. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE I CAN GO TO TO GET HELP IN ID...
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Katy, TX
Sequence of Seeding Wildflowers and Grasses in Texas
In the How To article on meadow gardening, it recommends that a good chunk of your garden (50%-80%) should be native grasses. The kind mentioned in that article are typically warm season grasses. In...
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Katy, TX
Status of Texas Olive tree in Katy, TX
I have a Texas Olive tree and it has very few leaves. Is this normal?
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Katy, TX
Small trees for property edge in Katy TX
By deed restriction, I must have five trees on the side of my small suburban lot just west of Houston, TX. Due to the lot layout, the trunks are only about 8-10 feet from the house, with the trees abo...
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Katy, TX
Pruning Live Oak trees to limit height.
I notice many of my neighbors here in Katy (Fort Bend county) would have landscapers cut the lower limbs/branches of the live oak trees in their front yards, and the trees naturally keep getting talle...
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Katy, TX
Chlorotic disease in scrub oak from Katy TX
Please tell me how to treat my scrub oak as it has chlorotic disease. Parts of the tree are fine and others have yellow leaves. It has not been injured in any way.
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Katy, TX
When does Bouteloua dactyloides (Buffalograss) go to seed in southern US?
When does Bouteloua dactyloides go to seed in the southern United States, mainly Texas?
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Katy, TX
Growths on Shumard Red Oak leaves from Katy TX
Our beautiful Shumard Red Oak has developed lots of light green grape like growths on the leaves. Please inform us what this could be and how we should treat it?
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Katy, TX
Planting Live oak trees in Katy, TX.
We are building a house in a neighborhood where the HOA requires two live oaks in the front yard. Our lot is pie shaped leaving a very small front yard once you take into acct the driveway and sidewal...
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Katy, TX
Care of Live Oaks
We have Two Young Live Oaks in the front of Our home. We had them treated for insects, ect. Now what can we do to make them Full Green and Happy Happy Happy again.Thank You
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Katy, TX
Ticks on native grasses in Katy, TX.
Are there native grasses that are less susceptible to tick infestation than others?
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Katy (Houston), TX
Southern Woodferns in TX
I have recently bought some 3 gallon southern woodferns, and have planted them in the shade in a low spot with clay soil. It seems to be a good location for the ferns, but a week or two after transpla...
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Katy, TX
Looking for tree to absorb sound from neighbor's pool
Our neighbors have put in a new pool with a harmonic pitch sound which resonates in my home. We have tried rubber mats and foam on the fence. Nothing is working. My pool guy suggested trees as the ...
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Katy, TX
Care for lantana in Katy TX
Hello. I live in Katy TX and have a number of Lantana shrubs. How and when should they be cut back?
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Katy, TX
Propagation of Ashe junipers
I am trying to re-build what man has destroyed in the Kingsland/Marble Falls area on a property we own out there. I would LOVE to plant a couple ashe junipers for several reasons, a couple being: 1. ...
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Katy, TX
Suggested native plants for Katy, TX
Mr. Smarty Plants
I recently moved to Katy, Tx (just outside of Houston) and I would like to know what type of plants and flowers are best for this type of climate. The soil in my flower beds seem...
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Katy, TX
A Tree for Infant Daughter in Katy, TX
Mr. Smarty Plants,
We would like to plant a tree to "grow with" our infant daughter. We think she will enjoy measuring herself against it year after year, and will feel a sense of pride as we care...
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Katy, TX
Non-native Callistemon damaged by freeze in Katy TX
O.K. Smarty pants, Callistemon bought here in Houston Texas froze and will they recover after the freeze? The huge tree is totally brown and about five years old. Do we cut them back or do the leaves ...
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