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
Rockwall, TX
Non-native pistacio problem Rockwall, TX.
I have an eight year old Pistacio tree that has leaves turning brown and falling off. It is June! Why?
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Rockwall, TX
Plant identification
This incredible plant has grown up in the past two months. Considering the extreme heat of this summer, my husband assumes it must be a weed. We have had this skinny strip of dirt for four years, and ...
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Rockwall, TX
Trees and shrubs for Rockwall, TX
Hi! I've been advised to contact you regarding my dilemma. Please rsvp asap. I'm ready to plant.
1)I have a small backyard with full, hot, Dallas sun and cold winters, many times below freezing. ...
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Rockwall, TX
Privacy screen for Rockwall, TX
Dallas area privacy screen recommendations. I have about 125ft of wrought iron fence between my yard and the neighbor's and a drainage pipe that runs along the fence. The neighbor's property sits u...
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Rockwall, TX
Native plants for creekside erosion control
I need advice on what native plants I can use to slow erosion by my creek. The watershed for a large area ends up at my place, and nothing is growing where most of the runoff flows. I've got braken...
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Rockwall, TX
Browning leaves on recently planted chinkapin oak in Rockwall TX
I just planted a chinkapin oak that is about 1 1\2 inches thick last week and now some of the leaves are turning brown. Does that mean its dying? Do you have any tips that I could use to protect it?
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Rockwall, TX
Blooms on Desert Willow withering quickly in Rockwall TX
Why do the blooms on my Desert Willow dry up and wither away in one or two days?
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Rockwall, TX
10 year old Wisteria fails to bloom in Rockwall, TX.
I love wisteria. I had four (4) wisteria plants professionally planted at least ten (10) years ago. These wisteria plants have NEVER bloomed. Why not?
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Rockwall, TX
Decline of sheared dwarf hollies from Rockwall TX
I have 20 year old established dwarf yaupon hollies in front of the house that I trim every year and shape the same. This year the new growth that was 2 1/2 " long I noticed the new leaves were curli...
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Rockwall , TX
Native species of tree for Rockwall TX
Hello,
I am attempting to plant a native species of tree 20 miles east of Dallas, Texas (Rockwall, TX) in honor of my brother's marriage. He is a biologist and a huge supporter of native species....
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Fate, TX
Purchase access to plants at Wildflower Center
I am interested in purchasing some of your plants. How can I do that? Do you send plants thru the mail or is their a nursery near you that has access to your plants that does? I am interested in Sa...
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Fate, TX
What do cedars do to cause cedar fever?
What do the native cedars in Fate Tx do in the winter that causes allergies to get really bad that they have named it cedar fever
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Heath, TX
Growing Evergreen sumac in clay soil of Texas
I'm in need of a fast growing evergreen screening shrub/small tree. I'm considering the Evergreen Sumac but before I go further I need to know if this plant will thrive and remain evergreen in the D...
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Heath, TX
How to care for newly transplanted Live Oak.
I planted 3 B & B, 6" caliper live oaks in February and they lost most of their leaves during the normal time but when the new leaves grew back the amount of leaves were quite a bit less. I have th...
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Heath , TX
Starting over on a lawn in Heath TX
Unless one counts dichondra as grass I have more weeds than grass in my yard.I have hand pulled the weeds and used an organic program without success. The soil is a hard clay typical of North Texas. I...
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Heath (near Dallas), TX
Sooty mold on Texas Sage in Heath TX
I have a Texas Sage that has developed a mildew, blight, fungus or (?) condition. Something has attacked the leaves with a black sooty condition. What is this and what can I do to help this plant thri...
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Rowlett, TX
Native plants for moist and shady yard in Rowlett, TX
I have an area of my yard that has drainage issues. It stays quite moist most of the time and is shady a large part of the day. I would like to plant some native plants in that area. Maybe something t...
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Rowlett, TX
Root rot and transplant shock in Texas betony
Texas betony is supposed to be drought resistant but also likes to be kept moist, but I have had trouble getting it established. These seem to be undemanding plants I have had entire stems dry up and...
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Rowlett, TX
Landscaping north facing wall
We live in the Dallas area and have a north facing home with a large, bare wall. I would like to plant a tall, flowering shrub that will look nice all year round. Or are there flowering vines that a...
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Royse City, TX
Legal to mow wildflowers in HOA in Royse City, TX
We live out in the country in Rockwall County, Texas. Is it legal to mow the wildflowers on our 2 acre lots? The HOA documents we committed to require the homesites to be maintained, but there is di...
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Royse City, TX
Identity of Dwarf Oyster Plant.
I purchased a plant from the local Home Depot, and it said on the sticker in was a Dwarf Oyster Plant. I can't seem to find any information on that name, so maybe it was marked wrong. See if you ca...
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