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
Florence, TX
Mystery cactus in Williamson County, Texas
We have a cactus plant on our place that I have not seen anywhere else in central Texas. The flowers are bright yellow with wine-red centers, but very sparse--only one flower blooms at a time. The p...
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Florence, TX
Native Texas Trees from Seed for Fence Line
My parents have an unirrigated fence line on their property that they want to grow evergreen screening plants along. Given the difficulty of establishing nursery grown plants in such an unirrigated a...
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Florence, TX
Drought tolerant grass with little need for mowing for Hill Country of Texas
What grass would you recommend for the hill country of Texas that is drought tolerant and does not need frequent mowing?
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Florence, TX
Frostweed under oaks
Our 5 acre property is located about 12 miles West of Salado on FM 2843. Under our beautiful Live Oak trees reside some plants that are just coming into bloom (9/29/07). They are about 3-4 ft high wit...
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Florence, TX
Looking for Texas endangered trees to plant
I have 2 acres of good soil that does not have any trees. I would love to give life to native Texas endangered trees but I can not purchase them anywhere. Do you have any suggestions?
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Jarrell, TX
Best Time for Dividing and Transplanting Native Bunch Grasses in Jarrell, Texas
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
What time of the year is the best for dividing and transplanting native bunch grasses like Gulf muhly, and Miscanthus?
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Jarrell, TX
Prickly cactus in Williamson County, Texas
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
Can you tell me what species of prickly pear cactus we have here in Williamson County? I see two listed as being here in Texas. One is the Plains variety and the other is ...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Mexican Plum not doing well in Liberty Hill, TX.
Two summers have passed since I planted my Mexican Plum. It's in full sun. It seems to have added height but not much width. It's virtually a 7 foot stick with 1 foot branches from top to bottom. It...
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Liberty Hill, TX
What happened to the bluebonnets?
I was wondering if you could tell me why there weren't any bluebonnets out this year? I live in the Hill Country and drive to Austin everyday. I look forward to seeing the bluebonnets up and down the...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Instructions on making wildflower seed balls
About 2 years ago I visited the LBJ Wildflower Center and picked up a sheet that described how to make wildflower seed mud balls. I've lost the sheet and can't find the directions on your site. Ca...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Wildflowers of April wedding in Liberty Hill TX
We are planning a wedding for April 9 in Liberty Hill, TX (78642) and live on several acres. We would like to plant wildflowers on the land to use for bouquets and centerpieces. Could you please recom...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Question about a beetle eating bees
I have a beetle that is about index finger or pinkie fingernail size. I have a bee hive and it's eating the bees by injecting it with an inch long probe and sucking out the liquid of my bees.
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Liberty Hill, TX
Coral Honeysuckle suitability for Central Texas Fence
I recently purchased a house in Liberty Hill. My backyard is enclosed by an iron fence (painted). I am interested in creating a habitat for birds, so I'm thinking of planting coral honeysuckle vine...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Plants for Liberty Hill TX in full sun
We recently bought an acre of land in Liberty Hill, TX. We have a large planting area in the front that is devoid of any plant life. I would like to turn this into a semi shaded area with some annua...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Texas Ash
Where can I purchase a Texas Ash? One native tree nursery advertised Texas Ash but the trees turned out to be Fan-Tex, which I believe is an Arizona Ash cultivar.
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Liberty Hill, TX
Looking for a source for Texas persimmon tree (Diospyros texana)
I have looked all over for Texas persimmon trees but am having a difficult time finding any for sale.
Do you know of any nurseries near Austin or Georgetown that sells them?
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Liberty Hill, TX
Problem With Vegetable Garden Soil
We live in Liberty Hill on 25 acres and we are working to restore native grasses and plants. We are ardent supporters of the Wildflower center. I say this because my question is not "typical" of wh...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Trimming back freeze damage from Anacacho orchid in Liberty Hill TX
When is it safe to trim back what I think is dead wood on my Anacacho orchid trees (that were hit hard this past winter)? Is there any harm done if I cut back living wood?
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Liberty Hill, TX
Horse ate bark of cedar elm from Liberty Hill, TX
I have three acres with a rental. Planted a Cedar Elm near the porch. My ex-renters allowed their horse to graze around the house. It ate the bark off of the tree. How can I save this tree?
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Liberty hill, TX
Alamo vine not blooming in Liberty Hill TX
My Alamo vine is not blooming. It is planted in full sun. The vine looks healthy. Should I fertilize, if so, with what.
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Liberty Hill, TX
Possumhaw losing leaves in Liberty Hill, TX.
I have two female possumhaw trees and one of them is losing its leaves. I planted both of them in February and they were doing very well, getting green and full. What's happening?
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