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.
Support NPINHelp grow the Native Plant Information Network by giving to the Plant Database Fund or subcribing to Wildflower magazine.
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
Southlake, TX
Information on Texas wildflowers
Does your site (or another site known to you) have a link to provide information on when our Texas wildflowers should emerge this year at various locations in the state, and whether this year is expec...
view the full question and answer
Southlake, TX
Guidelines for planting native wildflowers on roadside
My 4th grade Girl Scout troop has chosen to plant bluebonnets and other wild flowers along TX Hwy 114 in Southlake as their project for their Bronze Award. Do you have a guideline that you follow w...
view the full question and answer
Southlake, TX
Privacy screen for pool from Southlake TX
I have a row of 7 live oaks that help block my neighbors two story house. Unfortunately, there is a gap between each tree of about 8 feet wide and 15 feet tall (from ground to the first branches/ leav...
view the full question and answer
Southlake, TX
Preparation for wildflower meadow at elementary school
I am a Scout working on starting a wildflower meadow at an Elementary school. How should I prepare the ground and what types of seeds do well in zipcode area 76092? I would also like so add some nat...
view the full question and answer
Southlake, TX
Using Coffee Grounds under Live Oaks in Texas?
Can you add coffee grounds to live oak tree?
view the full question and answer
Grapevine, TX
Wildflower seeds to be sown on roadway for wedding
My daughter is planning an outdoor wedding reception at a ranch in
Granbury, Texas, on April 29, 2006. We would like to sow wildflower seeds
along the roadway leading to the ranch. What flowers woul...
view the full question and answer
Grapevine, TX
Will native plants become invasive from Grapevine TX
Main Question - I want to convert my front and back yards into a native plant sanctuary but worry about if these plants growing out of control/invasive and if neighbors will complain about these "wee...
view the full question and answer
Grapevine, TX
Removing existing shrubs from Grapevine TX
We just bought a house and we have some shrubs and hedges we want to remove. What is the best way to remove them so that they don't grow back? We have some holly hedges, a very large cedar or juniper...
view the full question and answer
Grapevine, TX
Plants for shade under pine trees in Grapevine TX
What plants are good to put under pine trees in the shade? I live in the Dallas Fort Worth area? The previous owners stuck a Japanese Maple in there that seems to be ok and some sort of holly bush (n...
view the full question and answer
Grapevine, TX
Recovering neglected garden space from Grapevine TX
I live in Grapevine TX (Dallas). I just moved into a house where almost the entire large backyard is covered by oak trees that shed tons of leaves throughout our mild falls/winters. The yard has not...
view the full question and answer
Grapevine, TX
Removing St. Augustine for natives in Grapevine TX
We have St Augustine in our yard and we hate it. It guzzles water, we have to cut it often, and it's thick and hard to work with.
Anyway, we want to replace it with a combination of some kind of g...
view the full question and answer
Grapevine, TX
Sources for Bouteloua dactyloides in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area
We live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Over the last few years our lawn has withered and now we are almost grassless. After researching we are considering planting Buffalo grass. However, after spend...
view the full question and answer
Westlake, TX
Sample city ordinances to incorporate into city code
I am looking for a source of sample city ordinances that will allow wildflowers such that we can incorporate it into our city code. My city is rural and per its master visionplan was originally publi...
view the full question and answer
westlake, TX
Quercus polymorpha or Mexican white oak
On the Texas Oak Wilt Information Partnership website, they list a "Monterrey Oak" as one of the White Oaks (#3 in the FAQ section). I cannot find Monterrey Oak in your Explore Plants section; does...
view the full question and answer
Westlake, TX
Quercus polymorpha botanical name for Mexican white oak
What is the scientfic name for the Monterrey Oak?
view the full question and answer
Colleyville, TX
Planting Purple Threeawn (Aristida purpurea) and Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Do you have information on planting Purple Threeawn and Little Bluestem? Also are there any inherent problems when planting…things to avoid, etc. Wanting to plant as ornamentals in the North Texas D...
view the full question and answer
Colleyville, TX
Native plants for screen in Colleyville TX
My soil is pure sand that goes down as far as I can dig.
I am needing native plants to use as a screen, that grow to be 6-10 ft. tall. Also, since my plantings dry out so quickly, would it be helpfu...
view the full question and answer
Colleyville, TX
Environmental factors that affect lifecycle stages of maidenhair fern.
What are the environmental factors that can affect the lifecycle stages of a maidenhair fern, particularly A. trichorleopis?
Thank you
view the full question and answer
Colleyville, TX
Oak sprouts in flower bed in Colleyville TX
We have a raised flower bed in our back yard that includes 2 live oak trees. We have a TON of shoots that keep popping up and make our bed look very untidy. My husband doesn't think the shoots are ...
view the full question and answer
Trophy Club, TX
Restoring riverfront from Blanco Flood
We have cleared our riverfront from the Blanco Flood and I am now looking for help in replanting native trees/grass on our property. Our home was in the Flood of Hayes county Memorial Weekend. I am ...
view the full question and answer
Trophy Club, TX
Problem with baldcypress tree
Two of my three 20 year old Bald Cypress trees appear to have leafed out but are now brown in parts of the tree. The brown area is at the tops of the trees which are probably 40 ft. high. They were...
view the full question and answer