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.
Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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.
Search Smarty Plants
| topic | question | |
| Questions about hollyhocks and yucca May 25, 2016 I have 2 questions. In Western N.Y. State the hollyhocks grow like weeds but add color with their large stalks. I've sent for seeds and the best I can do in N.W.Travis county is 9 inch plants that die... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Century Plant woes May 04, 2016 My century plant was fine two weeks ago. Tonight I seen this. Not sure what is happening. It 9 years old. IMG_4716.JPG View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growing Native Cactus Indoors in Dallas December 17, 2015 I have a Chihuahuan fishhook cactus (Sclerocactus uncinatus), a pincushion cactus (Epithelantha micromeris) and a horse crippler (Echinocactus texensis), which I bring in for the winter, since they te... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Puncture wound from Blue Agave leaf. October 19, 2015 A blue agave leave went through my glove and into my hand. It's swelled up a bit and hurts. Is this just a passing thing. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Opuntia drooping in Austin, TX September 02, 2015 I planted an optunia spp. in March. It has nearly tripled in size. This week, I noticed the entire plant has started to droop. Temperatures have been very high with no rain for weeks. The cactus is... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| White spotting on prickly pear cactus July 28, 2015 Hello- I have large prickly pear cacti and just noticed large white spotting on some of the leaves. I also see some black bugs and apparently they are the problem.They are about 1/4" long. How can I ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yucca Blossoming in Minneapolis MN July 07, 2015 I have 4 yr old yucca that sent out a five foot spike with flowers! I live in Minneapolis; is this unusual ? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need to have an Agave plant removed in Austin, TX. July 01, 2015 I was wondering where or who could I have come to my business and buy my century agave plant. As it is growing crazy and we would like it removed. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Twist-leaf Yucca flowering in Burnet County, TX. June 16, 2015 I recently moved to Burnet County and our property is full of twist leaf yuccas which are now blooming, but not all are blooming. Why do some twist leaf yuccas bloom and others don't? Are they m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will cochineal insects washed from cactus plants harm adjacent Oleander? June 11, 2015 Will mealybugs (cochineal insects) power washed off prickly pear cactus harm adjacent oleander plants if the white fluff gets on the oleander? My neighbor asked me to power wash my prickly pears and t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Agave attenuata Poisonous? March 12, 2015 Is Agave attenuata (foxtail agave) poisonous to horses or humans? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Skin Reaction form Cochineal on Prickly Pear February 16, 2015 I have severe burning and peeling skin on pads of fingers after touching "white stuff" on a prickly pear. White stuff tuned purple then burned skin even after washing hands. Skin has been cracking a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will Sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri thrive in caliche soil? December 02, 2014 I live on a high hill in the Hamilton Pool area outside of Austin. I am looking to plant a Dasylirion wheeleri that I grew from seed collected in New Mexico aria East Of Soccoro. I am wondering if the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems on Prickly Pear Cactus in Illinois November 19, 2014 I have a fungus on my prickly pear cactus that is not a bug. I tested it and my fingers didn't turn red when I squeezed them. So how do I get rid of this as it is spreading to my other cacti? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation of Agave suckers November 18, 2014 I'm trying to transplant Dragon Toes Agave suckers. Is this similar to other agave pup transplants? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need help with century plant in Willis, TX September 21, 2014 Ok so I have two gorgeously monstrous century plants in my yard..I love em BUT I don't know if the have ever bloomed but since I am removing pups as fast as I can during the rainy season I'm assumin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Night-Blooming Cereus not Blooming September 04, 2014 I have a plant called a night-blooming cereus, which during the warm season, is supposed to have blooms that come out at night and close up but don't fall off when morning approaches. But my cereus h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Can non-native Epiphyllum (Orchid Cactus) be grown in Round Rock, Texas? July 01, 2014 Can the Epiphyllum (Orchid Cactus) be grown in the Round Rock Texas area or is this area too hot for it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Container plant in difficult sun exposure from Leander TX June 06, 2014 HELP!!!! I have a large Mexican terracotta pot on my front porch. This awkward area is facing westward, so receives the full dose of Texas sun after about 3 pm onward. Now here's the catch; my fr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Unidentified stalk, possibly manfreda, from San Marcos TX May 23, 2014 I had a very weird stalk pop up in my yard in San Marcos TX this month (May 2014) It bloomed very quickly and appears to be a manfreda but there is no rosette, or leaves of any kind - just the thick o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problem garden strip in Austin May 22, 2014 Currently I live in the west half of a duplex. There is a small strip of dirt about two feet wide between the wall and the sidewalk in the backyard. It faces west, meaning it only gets sunlight duri... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Hanging plants for Austin, TX May 18, 2014 I'm looking for a hanging potted flower suggestion for Austin. Most locations are shaded under a large tree, but some locations may have several hours of afternoon sun. I'd love to see some hummin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Propagation of an agave from Dripping Springs TX April 30, 2014 Hi there, I have a Century Agave in my backyard. It is over 6 feet tall and is now producing the center stalk. I understand that means the plant is going to die. My question is how to harvest the pups... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Source for DNA sequencing of Opuntia species March 04, 2014 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I am trying to do a Opuntia speciation study, and rather just identifying the species by morphological comparison, I would also like to go a little deeper by comparing the DNA... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Damage to Yucca rostrata from Nottingham, England February 26, 2014 Hi, I have a yucca rostrata which has had its head snapped off in high winds (we live in Nottingham, England) we have left the trunk in the ground, will this re grow?? What is the best thing to do wit... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| topic | question | |