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
Comanche, TX
Native vine for fence on youth baseball field
Our community in Comanche, Texas would like to plant a native vine on the back fence of a youth baseball field. We have plans to plant an area of native grasses behind the fence, between the fence an...
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Comanche, TX
Identification of thorny bush
We found a small thorny like bush in our hay field near the fence line yesterday. It has thorns and each thorn has new nodes along the thorn. it is a frosted like white at this time. It is early febru...
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Deleon, TX
Identifying
i have a tree that i cannot identify. the leaf looks like a "pot plant"(yes, cannabis!!), but the leaf does not have serrated edges. it has a long bloom of numerous small white flowers that form a s...
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May, TX
Plants for pollinators in Brown County, Texas
I am attempting to plant on our family property a wide range of native plants for the central Texas area (May, TX). The flowers, bushes and trees that rely on pollinators, in particular bees, in order...
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Dublin, TX
Ground cover for North Central Texas
I live in north central Texas. My backyard has very fine, powdery sand soil. The previous owners of the property let the grass die out and now every time it gets windy, the sand gets into our patio an...
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Brownwood, TX
Care of huisache tree (Acacia farnesiana)
I bought a huisache tree, about one ft. tall, last spring. How do I prune, stake, and care for it as it grows? Do they usually bloom in Brownwood, Tx ?
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Goldthwaite, TX
Control of grasshoppers from Goldthwaite TX
How long do grasshoppers live. They are eating our flowers, plants and trees.
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Goldthwaite, TX
Source for Native and Adapted Landscape Plants: an Earthwise Guide for Central Texas
Do you know where I could get a copy of the publication, "Native and Adapted Landscape Plants: An Earthwise Guide for Central Texas"? I believe this was a joint effort between the City of Austin an...
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stephenville, TX
Control methods for Cenchrus spinifex, Coastal sandbur
I have some of the nicest, thickest, greenest grassburs in the county of Erath. What is the best and quickest way to get rid of them? I have heard of a product called cornmeal gluten. Any info appreci...
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Stephenville, TX
White fungus-like growths on plants from Stephenville TX
What is a white fungus-like growth on plants in a garden? It can be seen on the ground in ball-like shapes similar to puff balls or on plants
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Stephenville, TX
Hanging basket container plants for butterflies and birds
Looking for ideas for hanging baskets that would attract butterflies or birds for interest to a shut-in in North Texas. These would be outside of southwest-facing windows that overlook a paved parkin...
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Stephenville, TX
Re-landscaping in Stephenville, TX.
I prefer native plants. We are re-landsacaping, so I need grass, ground cover, vines and flowers to plant in our back yard. We have many trees and the whole yard is shady. A small area might be con...
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Hico, TX
Identification of possible Hairy Cluster Vine or Clematis
I found a small twining vine with purple to lavender, tubular flowers hanging on one side of the stem. The leaves are very narrow and alternate about 3/4"-1" long. I found them on the side of the ...
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Hico, TX
Lawn grass for Erath County, TX
We live in Erath County in TX on ranch land. We are relatively dry. Our soil is combination of clay and red soil (brought in for building pad), and sandy. We have a sloped area, about 30%, that we w...
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Hico, TX
Fungus on spineless prickly pear in Hico TX
Is there anything I can do to save my spineless prickly pear planted 3 yrs ago in rock garden. Pods had grayish-white fungus? on the pods and I noticed a few green colored bugs on them. Bugs are gone-...
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Hico, TX
plant identification, Portulaca pilosa, Kiss-me-quick
There is a small plant with clusters of red-purple flowers and tubular succulent leaves on branching stems I found in the flower boxes at the top of the look-out tower there at the center. I forgot to...
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Huckabay, TX
Tree for fast shade in Huckabay, TX
What tree should I plant for fast shade?
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Cross Plains, TX
Native shrubs or trees for privacy shield in Cross Plains TX
I'm looking for a small tree or large bush that will stay green year round to use for a privacy shield. We have electrical lines overhead so I need to keep it a low growing tree or bush that will he...
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Iredell, TX
What's attacking my Nellie Stevens Holly plants in Iredell, TX?
I just bought 10 Nellie R. Stevens holly bushes and planted them as a screen. The leaves on some of the plants are at least half white - not yellow but white. Apparently they were like that when I b...
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Iredell, TX
Need plants for a hedge in Iredell, Tx
I have six Penelope roses that I planted for a hedge about 14 years ago. I need to replace them. Will you please recommend heat tolerant plants that grow between 3-5 feet tall, preferable blooming, ...
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Iredell, TX
Non-native Senna corymbosa
I have a large Texas Senna tree - at least 7'x8'. It is covered in beautiful yellow blooms; however, it will need to be pruned in the winter. Please let me know how much to prune it and when is th...
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