Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members 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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Smarty Plants Question Topics
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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| Deer Resistant Plants for Dry Shade in Manor, Texas January 14, 2011 What deer resistant blooming plants will do well under a huge oak tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need Shade Trees for Entry in Poway, California January 14, 2011 Hi - Our front door gets a lot of afternoon sun, so we'd like to plant a couple of shade trees near the entry way. Unfortunately we don't have much room between our entry path and the driveway, so... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native ornamental grass for part shade in Austin December 22, 2010 Hi. I am looking for a fast-growing hardy ornamental grass that will grow in partial shade in south Austin that is not considered invasive. Unfortunately I purchased a few of the Pennisetum setaceum r... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Erosion control on partially shaded slope November 27, 2010 Mr. Smarty Plants, I live in Atlanta, GA. My house is on a hill, and I am beginning to have erosion at my backyard porch (concrete slab, on the corners especially). The soil is mainly red clay, a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Tough grasses for shade November 24, 2010 What kind of grass/groundcover can I put in our backyard that is shady/dry and has 50 lb. high energy dog traffic? Was considering Horse Herb but not sure, as it sounds like you can't get rid of it,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Hedge for a shady spot November 12, 2010 In the Statesman you recently provided good suggestions about a privacy screen. I need a hedge that will grow under a huge old oak tree. Will wax myrtle or red cedar work for us? I have yaupon and m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Landscaping north facing wall November 08, 2010 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... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Good evergreen screen and some shade plants for Plano Texas November 03, 2010 We live in Plano Texas. We have 15' between our house and our neighbor. We want to plant a divider/screen of something evergreen, about 6-15' (6-8' is better) and narrow, about 2-3' wide between t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What habitat would my Antennaria solitaria like in Red Bank, TN? October 26, 2010 I want to know what habitat my mystery plant will like- sun, shade, dry or moist. I think it is an Antennaria solitaria or Little Pussytoes. I got it at a native plant sale here in Chattanooga. It has... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for narrow planter boxes in San Antonio October 02, 2010 We have a narrow flower planter box in three sections above a french drain in front of our house. The box is about 2 feet high (filled with Gardenville soil) above a french drain covered with filter ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need evergreen hedge and groundcover for shade in Carmel, Indiana September 27, 2010 Our property is bounded by a fencerow that is wooded and mostly shaded by mulberry and hackberry trees during the growing months. We'd like to create a 5'+ tall evergreen barrier on the property li... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen shrub for part shade in Austin September 21, 2010 I am planning a pocket prairie on the north side of my house. Where I am struggling is finding an evergreen shrub that will grow about 6-8', be native and provide semi-privacy in front of a bedroom ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Want salt, shade, drought tolerant plant for Rochester, New York September 21, 2010 I am looking for a ground cover plant for western NY to grow on a strip alongside a road that gets very little sun in summer (lots of tree branches shading it). It gets a lot of road salt in winter a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Erosion control for steep shady hillside in Massachusetts September 02, 2010 What would be a good plant for erosion control on a steep, very shady hillside in Massachusetts? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grasses for shade in McKinney TX August 19, 2010 Dear Sir, We have lived in the same house for 25 years and when we originally moved in we had St. Augustine sod installed and for several years it did very well until my trees started getting bigge... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Container plant for shade in Austin August 07, 2010 I am very new to gardening (have already killed two plants on my front entryway), and I looking for a couple recommendations for for a potted plant that I can place on my entryway porch. It is shaded... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover for shade that is drought tolerant August 02, 2010 Can you suggest a ground cover or plant that loves shade and is drought tolerant in the Austin Region? If the two do not coexist can you suggest a ground cover for shade. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native shrub for shade in New Braunfels, Texas July 26, 2010 Recently moved to New Braunfels and purchased a house whose backyard consists of giant oaks. Unfortunately there is a chain link fence along the back of the property. I would like to plant a native f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Screen and shade for pool in Michigan July 18, 2010 We recently moved to a new home that has a pool. There is no shade nor privacy. What types of trees, plants would you recommend for our small backyard? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Leaves turning brown on geum in Mountlake Terrace WA July 12, 2010 Assuming a geum is North American . . . mine are turning brown unlike any time before. They get watered occasionally and then dry out. Is there something special I should be doing for geums? They get ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need mowable ground cover for shady area under trees in Lake Charles, LA. July 12, 2010 I live in Southwest Louisiana. I have a large portion of my back yard that is very shady because I have large trees in the yard. The area dries up fairly quickly after a heavy rain, so it isn't extre... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deer resistant plants for area under grand fir (Abies grandis) in Idaho July 08, 2010 What can I plant on a slope under Grand Fir trees in North Idaho, zone 4 - anything deer resistant? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Flowering plants for shady garden in Bastrop July 02, 2010 We live in Bastrop, 8 miles west of the Historical district. We have a small flower garden in a shady spot around 25 feet from the back patio of our home. We'd like to find out what native plants, f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for steep slope in shade in Iowa July 02, 2010 I work for a small non-profit shelter here in Dubuque, Ia. that has a very steep slope behind the building that needs some sort of plant or grass planted to stop erosion. The slope gets little to no s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shade loving plants with color for Irving, Texas July 01, 2010 Looking for shade loving perennials or annuals with color - native and low water. Live in Irving, Texas. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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