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
Possum Kingdom Lake, TX
Is old fashioned Hollyhock deer resitant?
Is Old Fashioned Hollyhock deer resistant?
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Possum Kingdom lake, TX
Use of Turffalo in Possum Kingdom TX
Hello, we will be building a retirement home in the hillside area of Possum Kingdom Lake which currently has cactus, cedar, and some live oaks. Our intention is to keep most of the 8 acres natural wi...
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Possum Kingdom Lake, TX
When is the best time to plant or seed after a wildfire?
This past week our 1 acre lake property at Possum Kingdom Lake in north Texas was scorched by a wildfire. No brush, grass or bushes remain, and we're hoping not to lose all the cedar and mesquite tr...
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Palo Pinto, TX
Watering Oak Trees in the Summer
Should you water oak trees in the summer? Some people say its not good for them. But many trees seem to be withering up and dying in this heat. Especially the black jack oaks. There are also post ...
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Palo Pinto, TX
Care for Vauquelinia angustifolia (Chisos Rosewood)
Hello, I have another question for you. A friend has given me a plant called "Chisos Rosewood" which they bought on a whim but decided they couldn't use. It's said to be evergreen. It's about...
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Palo Pinto, TX
Plant identification, Cuscuta sp., Dodder
A neighbor of mine has a vine with no leaves that is attaching itself to her flowering plants. It is yellow in color, just larger than fishing line and has no leaves. It corkscrews itself around the p...
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Palo Pinto, TX
Deer-resistant plants for steep hillside erosion control
Hello, I am looking for advice on native plants to control erosion on a steep hillside in the western cross timbers. This is a shady area under post oaks and cedar elms, in shallow sandy soil mixed w...
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Palo Pinto, TX
Eradicating cactus in Palo Pinto County, TX
I live on a ranch in Palo Pinto County and would like to know how can I get rid of wild cactus.
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Mineral wells, TX
Variety of native tall plants for a screen in shady area near Ft. Worth
Hello, we live west of Ft Worth. We are looking for tall plants to form a visual screen along a chain link fence we share with a neighbor. We have post oaks there and it is very shady and the ground ...
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Poolville, TX
New gardener on lawn for Poolville TX
I have never had the opportunity to have a nice yard until recently when I got married. My husband loves a nice yard and we have worked very hard and put in hours of work. We are learning by trial a...
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Graham, TX
Identity of wild plum in Childress County, Texas
I have a Wild Plum follow up question. My wife grew up around the Childress TX area. She remembers going around the creeks and gathering Wild Plums for her mother as a child. Would you have any ide...
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Graham, TX
Calyptocarpus vialis, Horseherb, for shady, mowable lawn
Graham, Texas, Heavily wooded. Too shady for St. Augustine grass. Need mowable ground cover near house. Have heard of something called horsewort, but not able to find anything about it.
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Runaway Bay, TX
Ground cover for a sunny hillside in TX
For many years I have had two beds of English Ivy under medium size pine trees. Home is on a hillside, moderately rocky. Last Spring my yardman persuaded me to severely trim lower limbs of the pines t...
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Weatherford, TX
Sun loving plants for flower bed by the pool in Weatherford Texas
We have a 40' long x 2 1/2' wide flowerbed along our pool. It is in full sun with the pool deck across the front and a 6' privacy fence across back. Also, the level of the bed is 18" below the l...
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Weatherford, TX
Smarty Plants on seed balls
Do you have the recipe for Wildflower Seed Balls? It's where you mix dry wildflower seeds, compost, red clay, and water to form a seed ball and then you throw it. I think the ratio is 1 part seed, ...
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Weatherford, TX
Replanting a Desert Willow
My desert willow was damaged badly in a winter storm and had to be taken down. Do I need to remove the old root system below grade when I plant a new desert willow?
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Weatherford, TX
Problems with transplanting cenizo in Weatherford TX
I tried to transplant a Silverado Sage into a large pot but within 1 day it started wilting. Could it be the soil? I used potting soil not soil from the ground which is a sandy soil.
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Weatherford, TX
Plant identification in Parker County, Texas
Hi. Growing alongside a country road, here in Parker County I photographed what I thought might be cardinal flowers. However, in searching books and on the net, I cannot find any quite like these. ...
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Weatherford, TX
Care in planting native Shumard oaks
I am going to plant 3 shumard red oaks on the west side of my property. The land is basically rocky. What should I put in the holes to help the tree grow?
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Weatherford, TX
Effect of unusual wet weather on desert willows
I live in North Central Texas and have 3 beautiful Desert willow trees that are usually in full bloom. I've kept them pruned to form a nice full tree shape but now they are losing leaves and looking ...
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Weatherford, TX
Why is my Chinkapin oak losing its leaves this spring?
We have a chinkapin oak that was planted about two years ago in our front yard. This year it leafed out nicely but about a month ago the leaves began to roll up, then dry out and fall off. It seems ...
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