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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| Building a Rain Garden in Dallas July 07, 2016 We are designing a rain garden to catch overflow from two large rain cisterns. We need it to be filled with plants that can live with dry and wet conditions. The garden is about 500 to 1,000 square ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need suggestions for plants for bioswales in Philadelphia, PA August 24, 2015 Hello, Are there a handful of species you would recommend for inclusion in bioswales throughout the US? I realize plants need to be selected based on climate, but I'm wondering if there are two or... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
July 27, 2015 Hi, thanks for all your help in the past! I have a generous spot in my spacious back yard that is begging to be filled. The top soil is 4" sandy loam, below which is black clay.With frog strangler r... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Rain garden plants at the April Plant Sale March 31, 2015 In answering the question about "rain garden" plants on March 20, 2010, you offered a list of plants. Which of these will be offered at the spring sale coming up on April 10-12? Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| plants for a rain garden's moist area in Central Texas January 15, 2015 I am looking for local natives to plant in the wet portion of a rain garden/bioswale. Can you help, please? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growing Texas star hibiscus in Central Texas August 11, 2014 Hi there, I purchased a beautiful Texas Star Hibiscus that I want to plant in my yard. Unfortunately, my yard being in Travis Heights, I hit a lot of caliche when digging. To plant some other nativ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Groundcover for a wet hillside in the San Juan Islands July 30, 2014 I live on Orcas Island in WA state. We have a place on the water and want to plant something that is no taller than 2-3 feet, lower if possible, on a hillside. The hillside gets lots of sun, yet als... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants that will withstand spray from fountain and heat from concrete June 10, 2014 Working on a property in Plano, I have an area around a fountain, surrounded by concrete, in full sun, that receives a lot of water that is blown from the fountain (which is treated with chlorine tabl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Raingarden Plants for Brownsville, TX March 14, 2014 I'm a Landscape Architect in South Texas and I'm implementing raingardens and vegetated swales in my projects. What native plants could be used in these gardens/water runways. They would need to res... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Rain garden plants for Central Texas February 06, 2014 Do you have a list of rain garden plants for Central Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Managing a wet area in Austin November 18, 2013 I suspect that my backyard lies at the very top of a creek watershed. However, all of the water flowing through it gets blocked by a solid stone wall. Whenever we get a significant rain event, part ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native Plants for a water collection pit in Bronson, FL August 22, 2013 I live near Gainesville, FL in a low rural area with many cypress swamps around & bought this 5 acres 2 years ago. About 15 years ago a pit was dug on my 5 acres to give the rainwater somewhere to go... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for freestanding water in Oklahoma July 28, 2013 I have an overflowing gutter and the ground below becomes a muddy hole. I'd like to put a basin or pot in/or above the ground with a rain chain. Are there any plants--shrubs or otherwise that flouris... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Rain garden for Washington MO March 08, 2013 I have a 40' tall bald cypress at the bottom right corner of my sloped yard (slopes from 2 sides, has 3 gutter runoffs directed towards it from 50-70' away). Can I put a series of retaining walls up... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| School Rain Garden in Iowa January 08, 2013 Could you recommend plants for a rain garden to be installed on a middle school campus in the Council Bluffs Iowa area???? Many thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a ditch in PA June 09, 2012 I have a property in the suburbs about 20 miles south of Philadelphia, PA. There is a small creek running across the property. The "ditch" holding the creek is about 5 feet across, but the creek i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a pond edge in IN June 08, 2012 Hello, I live in Southern Indiana. I care very much about reinforcing native plants for my region & not planting anything invasive. I had a pond built last year & need some suggestions for native ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pond Plants for Eureka Springs AR May 16, 2012 I have a 1 acre pond that we are cleaning up. This area will be used for recreation and fishing. We plan to put native rock around some of the edges and need perennial plants that do well in rocky are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Raingardens in Indiana May 09, 2012 I need to have annual native plants to add to a demonstration rain garden to fill in while we wait for the perennial plants to mature. The only plant I can think of is annual phlox. Do you have any ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Construction problems on site in Mansfield OH April 28, 2012 Last year we had a rectangular above ground pool put in the person who "leveled" for use did a terrible job and basically dug a huge hole for us to put our pool in. The back side of the pool is abou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Retention pond from Hendersonville NC April 24, 2012 We have a retention pond that has recently been cleaned and we would like to plant perennial native plant and grass seeds that will enhance the appearance and contribute to the natural process of filt... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Riverbank retention in VA March 26, 2012 I need some groundcover/bank retention for a Virginia riverbank in mixed sun and shade. I want to plant something native to VA. the area is out of the water but subject to occasional (4-5 times per y... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Looking for native plants for a rain garden in Arlington, TX. March 12, 2012 I am looking for native Texas plants that would do well in rain gardens. Do you have any suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rain garden plants for DC March 23, 2011 Please recommend deep-rooted, native, perennial plants, 1-3 feet high, for an area that is moist and gets approximately 3 hours of day of afternoon sun. During rain storms this garden is in a low area... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for high moisture area in Aspen CO March 23, 2011 We live near Aspen, CO at about 7,000 ft elevation. We have a seasonal creek running through our yard with large amounts of fertilization from farms in the water and a very high water table with tons ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a bioswale in TX February 18, 2011 Dear Mr.Smarty Plants, What kind of plants are best suited for a bioswale in Edinburg, Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a bioswale in New York City August 03, 2010 I am interested in learning about the best vegetation for planting in a bioswale in New York City. Can you help? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for difficult site in Jacksonville, TX July 07, 2010 East Texas (Cherokee County) red clay hillside, hard-packed, difficult to get to, 40' of it slopes 4' down in about 6'! Another 30' of it is flat. Between the hillside and the flat clay area is a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grasses for moist, steep hillside in Tupelo MS July 01, 2010 I have a very steep bank that I have pampas grass planted in spots. It must be a natural spring in the bank because it stays very wet and runs into the street below. Can you suggest something to pla... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for area with occasional standing water in Illinois June 25, 2010 ..similar to the question posed by the Aurora, Illinois bioswale on 11/30/2009 - I am an architect who designed the reconstruction of a historic structure in Pana, Illinois and have an area that is ap... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rain garden Plants for Colorado April 22, 2010 Can you recommend native plants for a rain garden in Colorado Springs View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rain garden plants for NC April 19, 2010 I have a small creek at the back of our property, it's normally dry except when it rains. Builders removed the natural plants and left it bare. What native plants could I plant in it to bring it bac... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rain garden plants for Ketonah, NY March 30, 2010 Rain garden plant selections for lower NY state View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a wet area in Ohio March 30, 2010 I have a lot of water in my front yard are there any kind of plants that I can plant to drink up some of the water? I live in North East Ohio View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Landscaping recommendations for site in Dubuque, IA March 27, 2010 I need a seed recommendation. Here are the variables: Location: Dubuque, IA (east Central Iowa) Soil type: Sandy to sandy and gravelly. Part is a riverbank facing east. Steep bank then flat to ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for floodplain in Fairfield, New Jersey March 21, 2010 I have an easy question for you... I hope... We just moved into the floodplains of NJ in Fairfield and are interested in some plants. We would like to know what plants are best suited to grow in flood... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rain garden plants for Austin March 20, 2010 I have a 7'x1' shaded area in between my house and sidewalk where the downspout is, and would like to add plants for a more eco-friendly drainage solution. Which plants would be best? I know that th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rain Garden plant for N. Mississippi March 03, 2010 Rain Garden Plants for North Mississippi/Mid-South Region. I wish the search parameters included plants which tolerate seasonal flooding and droughts, so that each state might search for its own r... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rain garden for South Austin March 01, 2010 I have a TINY yard in south Austin. It is 8'x25', sandwiched between four houses and happens to be at the lowest elevation, so all of the neighbor's yards drain to ours. Originally, we had bermud... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for Bioswale in Illinois November 30, 2009 I have a 300ft by 15 ft bioswale in Aurora, Illinois. What plants would be best used? Is there a percentage of each plant to take into consideration? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Edible Plants for a Virginia Rain Garden October 21, 2009 Can you recommend edible plants that would be appropriate for use in a rain garden? I'm located in Charlottesville, VA, but this can be in general as well. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bioswale for Indianapolis September 13, 2009 The city of Indianapolis has a very historic Central Canal, which was built in the 1830s. Due to erosion, the parent company of Indianapolis Water, Veolia, has proposed covering the banks with a type ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Installation of a bioswale in Decatur IL July 22, 2009 I want to install a bioswale in a 15' wide, 50' long ditch on a relatively steep hill. The ditch already has rip rap in it. Do I need to remove all the rip rap before starting construction, or can... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for a bioswale in Baltimore July 22, 2009 What native plants would suit a bioswale in an urban part of Baltimore City? The clay soil gets waterlogged and the site has part shade. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Expanding clay soils near rain garden May 11, 2009 I want to put a rain garden in my yard in central TX (Kyle). My subdivision architectural review committee expressed concerns about the expansive clay soils becoming saturated and possibly shortening... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for a bioswale in Indianapolis March 07, 2009 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, Can you please recommend the types of plants I should use in a bioswale or rain garden in Indiana? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What plants can absorb the excess water in my back yard? February 20, 2009 I am looking for any plants and trees that can absorb the excess water in my back yard. There is a large area that is swampy and always wet. Could you please provide me some suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native plants beneficial to wildlife in Cincinnati, OH April 25, 2008 I live in Cincinnati, Ohio and I am looking for native plants to plant in a small area of trees behind my house. I would like the plants to be beneficial for wildlife, like maybe some wildflowers. T... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a bioswale or rain garden January 06, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, What plants do you recommend for a bioswale or rain garden in Austin, Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native Texas plants for rain gardens March 07, 2007 I am looking for native Texas plants that would do well in very shady and partial shade rain gardens. Do you have any suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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