Native Plants
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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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| Possible transplant shock in Red Oak in Albany, TX October 20, 2015 We planted a new tree last spring which we were told was a Texas Red Oak. The soil where it was planted is hard clay. We have had a watering bag on it and have watered an average of 2x per week throug... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will a Texas Mountain Laurel thrive in a 4'x4'x4' brick planter. pl September 14, 2015 Would a Texas Mountain Laurel thrive in a 4'x4'x4'x4' brick planter with a drain at the bottom? It will get full sun all day. If not, would a Green Cloud Sage or a Waxleaf Myrtle work? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting wildflowers slated for destruction in Buda, TX. June 16, 2015 TXDOT has recently informed our church that they will be taking a sizeable amount of natural area fronting a ranch road for lane expansion. We are devastated to lose an are we have planted and nurtur... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why does newly transplanted Brazos Penstemon look bad June 09, 2015 I bought Brazos penstemon from a nursery as well as several other drought resistant plants. I have noticed new buds on the salvia and blanket flower and changes in leaf color on the kaleidoscope, but... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need to know about little brown spots on Texas Mountain Laurel May 11, 2015 I have little brown spots on my Texas Mountain Laurel leaves. I can email you a picture if needed. What could it be and how can I help my little laurels work thru these spots? The texas mountain ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Time to Plant Trees and Shrubs in the Dallas Area February 13, 2015 Is it OK to plant evergreen shrubs-trees in January or February in the Dallas, Texas area? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Horseherb planting in Richardson, TX October 18, 2014 What is the best time to plant 4" pots of Horseherb? 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 | ||
| Transplanting and Pruning Callicarpa August 21, 2014 I saw the previous question about Callicarpa from the guy in Texas and I have two questions based on the response. In SW Vermont, is late fall still the best time to transplant my Callicarpas? Also, i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting Ilex x attenuata (Savannah holly) July 31, 2014 Is it hard to take a savannah holly out of my front yard? Do the roots grow down deep or are they more shallow? I can only take a 36-40 rootball circumference because of surrounding established shru... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant time for small smoke tree from Battle Ground WA June 01, 2014 When do I transplant a smoke tree that is still young, about a foot high? It is too close to a fence, which I fear will be a problem as it gets big. I live in Battle Ground, WA which is zone 6. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting American beautyberry in Cordele GA May 19, 2014 Is mid to late May too late in the season to transplant Callicarpa americana, American Beautyberry? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with transplanted Texas Madrones from Junction TX May 13, 2014 We planted 3 little Texas madrones last year 9 - 12 inches high. 2 of them seem to have some kind of black blight along the edges of the leaves that I don't think was the result of our late freezes. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting non-native crape myrtle in Scottsdale AZ May 11, 2014 When is the best time to transplant dwarf crape myrtle in Scottsdale AZ? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with non-native Banana Shrub from Houston May 01, 2014 My 7' beloved Banana Shrub (magnolia) has white dots on top of the leaves and nasty black stuff covering the backside of the leaves. The plant is dropping leaves. What can I do to save it? I has bee... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting Mountain Laurel grown from seeds in Argentina April 09, 2014 Hello, I was transferred to Cordoba, Argentina 2 years ago from San Antonio, the climate hereis similar to S. TX, anyway I brought some mountain laurel seeds with me and they have been in 2 gallon pot... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native species of tree for Rockwall TX March 19, 2014 Hello, I am attempting to plant a native species of tree 20 miles east of Dallas, Texas (Rockwall, TX) in honor of my brother's marriage. He is a biologist and a huge supporter of native species.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Starting wild plant seeds indoors from Dallas TX February 23, 2014 Is it possible to start some Phlox drummondii or other native wild flower from seed indoors, and then transplant to my garden? If so, can you suggest some? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting bluebonnets to garden from Columbus TX January 30, 2014 Is it possible to transplant bluebonnets from pasture to garden and if so when is the best time to do this? Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Incorrectly planted anacua from San Antonio November 22, 2013 I purchased a 12' anacua tree from a local nursery about 18 months ago. It was not planted correctly (root bound, rolled into a hole about 3" larger than the pot) but is still alive with the number... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting bluebonnets in late Fall from Georgetown TX November 08, 2013 Transplanting bluebonnets in October? Neighbor wants to share abundance of rosettes and good size plants- any suggestions or warnings? Will freeze/frost protection be needed if we get December freeze... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting Indian Paintbrush in Corona CA November 05, 2013 I have a very mature Indian Paintbrush Plant that was becoming too large for the area I had originally planted it in, so I transplanted it to an area much more suited for its size. I reviewed the que... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wrapping a newly planted non-native Japanese maple from Fraser MI October 01, 2013 Does a newly planted Japanese maple need to be wrapped in burlap for the cold and snowy winter of Macomb County, Michigan? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Time to transplant shade tree seedlings from San Antonio September 28, 2013 What month do you transplant shade tree seedlings in San Antonio, TX< View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to thrive of one Desert Willow in Phoenix AZ September 06, 2013 We planted 4 desert willow trees in the summer and 3 of the 4 are doing excellent, however the last one is not not doing so well, it was the smallest of all and it started out fine but its leaves bega... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| When is the best time to transplant Esperanza bushe in Buda, TX? September 04, 2013 When is the best time to transplant an Esperanza bush? I want to move it because it is overwhelming my front yard. Thank you, View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| When is best time to transplant Ezperanza shrubs in Buda, TX? September 02, 2013 I need to transplant 2 huge Esperanza's...when is the best time to uproot them and not kill them? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting large Silverado Sage bushes from Mesa AZ August 19, 2013 We just bought a condo with three Silverado Sage, each one is 6-8 ft tall, trained to grow as "trees" with bare branches for the bottom 4 feet or so, and beautiful flowering branches on top. They ar... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Gregg's Mistflower stressed in Fredericksburg TX August 07, 2013 My Gregg's Mist Flower plants are very stressed. The blooms have turned brown and the leaves are drooping. Plants are receiving moderate sun, partial shade. Do they need daily watering this time o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Should a tree near a water well be transplanted? July 31, 2013 I have a water well and have about a 6 yr live oak planted in close proximity to it( about 10 feet). Would it be wise enough to transplant the tree while its this young or leave it alone. Also I need ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Caterpillars on Mountain Laurel from Austin July 25, 2013 My 1-yr old mountain laurel has been decimated by small yellow and black catepillars. It recovered a bit and pushed out some fresh new growth, and more came and decimated that too. Are these caterpi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Soaptree yucca falling over in Mesa AZ July 24, 2013 My soaptree yucca is about 5 ft tall and has fallen over. Does this plant require staking for I thought not, or is something else going on with it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Failure to bloom of one of two Texas persimmons from Wimberly TX May 04, 2013 Last year my son planted two texas persimmon trees. One is blooming ok this year and the other is not. It does not seem dead. What can I do or is is in fact dying? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wild plum tree failing to bloom from Simonton TX May 04, 2013 I have a wild plum tree that has been in the ground for 3 or 4 years and it has not ever flowered. Why? I don't know what kind it is. I dug it up from a friends yard. Her wild plum trees have flowere... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting Eve's Necklace from Round Mountain TX April 16, 2013 We have dozens of small Eve's necklace plants coming up in our large yard. I would like to share them with my friends who aren't so lucky. Many years ago, I tried to transplant one, and it didn't... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting Seedling Texas Mountain Laurels April 15, 2013 I have two mountain laurels that I grew from seed. They are in pots, but the roots have grown through the bottom and into my flower bed. The trees are about 6 feet tall. They have already bloomed. So ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native turkscap failing to thrive in Shiro TX March 19, 2013 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, Two years ago I transplanted several native (not cultivars) Drummond's turkscaps in the proximity of water oaks in the front yard. All get shade and some sun. They seemed to ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replanting yaupon in Blanco TX January 16, 2013 How do I replant Yaupon in its native area Blanco TX? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting a bald cypress from Houston December 10, 2012 We would like to transplant a bald cypress from front yard to back. It is about 10 ft tall, 3" trunk diameter, 2-1/2 years old and in good health. Any idea how large the root ball might need to be du... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Propagation of rain, oxblood, and copper lily bulbs November 30, 2012 I have Rain Lily, Oxblood Lily, and Copper Lily bulbs out of the ground, that are putting out some green growth. I would like to plant them soon. Is it okay to plant now and in December, or do I hav... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replanting of non-native Christmas Palm from Sarasota FL November 28, 2012 Do you know of a proven technique to plant a Christmas Palm in a built-in concrete pool deck planter box - using gravel around the soil root ball to delay the root bound condition we just ripped out? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Newly planted nuttall oaks from Houston TX November 16, 2012 I recently purchased two Nuttall Oak Trees in Houston Texas (October). They are both 15' or taller. I planted them within 24 hours of being delivered, watered them in, staked them, and within 3-4 d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Freeze-resistant palms for Central Texas November 09, 2012 I live in Lytton Springs just north of Lockhart. What is a good hardy palm that I can get that will grow without the worry of freeze? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting a young lilac November 05, 2012 This past spring I planted a hybrid lilac in the ground. The weather here has started to get cold, and much more so at night. Also, the temperatures go from warm to cold and back again as if unsure wh... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting Esperanza in Abilene TX November 03, 2012 I have 3 beautiful Gold Star Esperanzas that are too large and need to be transplanted. How can I do this and what time of year. They are five years old and always return in the spring. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| When to transplant volunteer Cedar Elms in Cedar Park, TX? October 11, 2012 We have a number of volunteer cedar elms we would like to transplant. When is the best time to do this? Should they be potted first and later transplanted or transplanted immediately? Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Keeping a Texas Madrone alive from Belton TX October 01, 2012 I have found a supplier of a Texas Madrone and have been wanting to grow one ever since our family vacation to Big Bend NP. My question is how do you have success with this tree? Many people say it is... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Removing existing shrubs from Grapevine TX September 24, 2012 We just bought a house and we have some shrubs and hedges we want to remove. What is the best way to remove them so that they don't grow back? We have some holly hedges, a very large cedar or juniper... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting Silverado Sage from Temple TX September 24, 2012 Hello, I've got some mature Silverado Sage. Can they be successfully transplanted or do I need to buy new plants for the next residence? I have them planted in a raised bed. I realize that IF it is ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Speed of growth of quercus agrifolia from Torrance CA September 20, 2012 I planted a quercus agrifolia in my front yard about 2 years ago without considering its ultimate size (it's about 10 feet from the sidewalk and 10 feet from our house). The tree is growing really fa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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