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 | |
| When to Move Potted Plants Outside in Texas? July 07, 2016 When can I move my potted patio plants back outside? I live in Heath/ Rockwall, Texas. I have Horses tail, Croutens, and Money tree. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting Canary Island Date Palm in Austin, Texas July 07, 2016 I want to plant a Phoenix canariensis on the south side of my property in West Austin, in a sheltered location. We are on very shallow soil - on top of limestone. Does the plant have any chance of sur... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| 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 |  | |
| Care of non-native plant March 17, 2016 I have a plant that grows about 1' tall, looks sort of like a dracaena. The leaves grow off of a short stem and are yellowish (no green at all) with brilliant slashes of hot pink an red. It is georg... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pachira aquatica loosing leaves. March 17, 2016 We have an indoor money tree that is 20 feet tall, the leaves have started to turn brown and fall. We water twice a month and mist about the same. Can you opine what what we are doing wrong the plant ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Abutilon or Podocarpus Toxic to Dogs? March 17, 2016 Are either of these plants toxic to dogs? Flowering maple or the Podocarpus henkelii shrub. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Dwarf Form of Japanese Blueberry? March 17, 2016 Is there a dwarf variety of Japanese blueberry that will grow in my area? Or is it so non-native that it's not in your category? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rabbit-proof Plants for Florida Swimming Pool Area February 22, 2016 I plan on planting white star jasmine and purple bocouilla plants around a south-facing swimming pool in Naples, Florida. I was told rabbits might eat them which we do have. Should I be concerned, and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning Leggy Santolina January 30, 2016 We are members of the society and have loved your section offering advice. We have green santolina that is becoming quite leggy. I would like to prune them to get them more compact come spring and sum... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growing Florist Roses January 23, 2016 Often I find that florist roses sprout for me, but I fail to get them to grow into a bush. Do you have the answer? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| ID for Caribbean mystery plants. January 13, 2016 I AM TRYING TO FIND THE COMMON NAME FOR TWO FLOWERS I TOOK PICTURES OF ON A CARIBBEAN CRUISE. I TOOK ONE IN HONDURAS AND ONE IN GRAND CAYMAN. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE I CAN GO TO TO GET HELP IN ID... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Containing Japanese Wisteria Roots November 22, 2015 I have some Japanese wisteria plants that I would like to plant inside root barriers but I cannot find any info on how deep the roots go. Do you know if a 2 ft deep root barrier for trees can contain ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Should Mexican milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) not be used to attract Monarch butterflies? November 20, 2015 Should I remove Asclepias curassavica (Mexican milkweed) in my garden for threat of OE parasitic protozoan threat to Monarch butterflies? Is this threat as widespread as Chronicle implies? I had great... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Deer eating Non-native Asiatic Jasmine in Georgetown, TX October 22, 2015 Is there a spray or granular material that will prevent deer from eating asiatic jasmine? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is my Crimson queen maple dying? October 20, 2015 Is my Crimson queen maple dying if it's leaves are turning brown? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Suggestions for vegetables to grow in North Texas October 12, 2015 Hi, I want some suggestions on vegetable plants that withstands North Texas winter icy weather? and when to plant them? Thanks, Meena. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Are Royal Poinciana and Royal Empress trees the same? October 09, 2015 Hi, can you tell me if the Royal empress tree and the Royal Poinciana are the same tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ficus pumila on Stucco Walls October 06, 2015 Can the creeping fig vine damage the stucco covered walls? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Overwintering Ruellia brittoniana in Missouri October 03, 2015 I live in Missouri and have five beautiful Mexican Petunia or Ruellia brittoniana planted and established in my landscaping. With winter fast approaching, I would love advise on how to winterize the p... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Dividing Agapanthus October 03, 2015 When and how do I separate Agapanthus? Should I do it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to Deal with Leggy Artemisia 'Silver Mound' October 03, 2015 I have two Artemisia (I think 'Silver Mound') in full sun in West Austin. They have been happily growing there for the past 10 or so years. Both were hard-hit by last winter's cold weather and did... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Florist Gloxinia Care October 01, 2015 Got a florist gloxinia and it was doing great for months. Went on vacation and returned; it was wilted. Think son watered it too much. Allowed it to dry. It has some new leaves forming on the very leg... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need help with Wheeler's Dwarf Pittosporum September 02, 2015 We have about five Dwarf Wheeler Pittosporum plants. All of them are mature and were doing well. I was on vacation for a week or so and when I came back I saw of each of them is plant 90% dead. The d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Are Native Cultivars As Beneficial to Wildlife? September 02, 2015 I am working on adding more native plants to my small acreage. I would like to know if using a selection or cultivar of a native species is as likely to have wildlife benefits as using a randomly prop... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Green Pearls or String-of-Pearls plant August 13, 2015 Years ago I had a plant I called green pearls because that's what it looked like. It was an inside plant. Can you please help me with this? Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will Bermuda grass survive a drought-induced dormancy? August 12, 2015 If I stop watering a Bermuda grass lawn and let it go dormant, will it green up again when it rains again? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen privacy screen August 10, 2015 We are looking for a good plant(s) that would provide a privacy screen by our fence. We were looking at clumping bamboo (maybe black) because it grows quickly and it not too thick. The new plants woul... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant Identification August 07, 2015 I live in southeastern Michigan. I found a plant growing in the backyard that caught my eye. I chalked it off as a weed, but it's unique. It is shaped like a bushing type plant, has red stem, each cl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is Crape Myrtle Native? July 20, 2015 Hello, I live in Frisco, TX. Can you tell me is there any Crape Myrtle which is native to Frisco, TX. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Getting Rid of Firecracker Flower July 16, 2015 We live in the Tampa area of Florida. We planted Russelia equisetiformis under some palm trees 10 years ago. It has grown deep among the palm tree roots. We want to kill the Russelia without harming ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Can the non-native ylang ylang tree grow outdoors in Arizona July 14, 2015 Can the ylang ylang tree grow outdoors in Casa Grande, Arizona? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning non-native peach in Austin, TX. June 18, 2015 I planted two five gallon Texas Star peach trees last February but didn't have the nerve to prune them back to knee height. After having been convinced that this is a good thing to do, I'd like to k... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Various landscape problems in Omaha, NE. June 18, 2015 Thank you for your time, sorry i cant sort this out because my issue seems to fit many but also none of the issues I've read about. Some patches of grass in my lawn have yellow spots and dying and/or... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Recommend a plant similar to Corkscrew Willow for Austin, TX. June 16, 2015 Do corkscrew willows do well in Austin, TX? If not, can you recommend a willow like tree to plant along the banks of a creek? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to Deal With Goutweed? June 12, 2015 Hi, I'm wondering what plants (groundcover) would best compete against goutweed. It's coming up all around some existing potentilla shrubs and some nice bulbs and prairie perennials. I would hate to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Are Texas Sage plants being harmed by nearby Rosemary. June 08, 2015 For 6+ years I've been growing Rosemary shrubs interspersed with Texas Sage. For the past two years the Texas Sage has been looking sickly and have not produced any flowers and the Rosemary is becom... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Groundcovers to choke out invasive species in Virginia June 08, 2015 My yard has open woods and dappled light with clay soil. Thirty years ago we removed huge briars and since English Ivy was getting in by itself, we thought we would let it come; unfortunately, it not ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to eliminate roadside thistles May 26, 2015 When we drive along the highway we see lots of wildflowers and no thistles in the median. How does the Highway Department keep the thistles out? Here in Kerrville, we are overwhelmed by thistles thi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Elaeagnus sudden death in Waxahachie, TX May 11, 2015 I live in North Central Texas and have eleagnus planted along my fence in full sun. Last year one dropped all it's leafs and died. The same is happening to one beside it this year. I have sprayed ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Watering newly-planted Afghan Pines May 11, 2015 I just planted some Afghan pines in Amarillo, tx (avg. rainfall about 2O in. Per year) What would be the appropriate amount of water and how often would I need to water during this time. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Thinning and culling wildflower seed mix plants May 11, 2015 Wildflower garden in central Oklahoma I sowed a (mostly) native wildflower mixture in early November here in my Zone 7A Edmond, OK garden. To my surprise, many of the seeds (I'm guessing annuals)... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is Tropical Milkweed Harmful to Monarchs? April 24, 2015 I believe I recently read that the orange flowering Mexican milkweed carries a virus(?) or something that harms monarch butterflies. What are recommendations if I use this plant in my northern CA yar... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growing Avocados in South Texas April 24, 2015 What types of avocados can be grown in South Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Looking for non-native Chinese Pistache tree April 23, 2015 Where in the Austin area would be a good place to find a nice sized Chinese Pistache to plant in my yard? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-Blooming Bridal Wreath Spirea in PA April 23, 2015 We have 12 - 15 Bridal Wreath Spirea across our backyard. We have lived here for about 10 years (the plants longer). They have always bloomed except last year (2014) several didn't bloom and this y... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Deer Resistant Roses and Fruit Trees in NC April 20, 2015 Hello, I am planning a house on Lake Gaston in North Carolina (to be built) and will need to establish a new garden on the cleared lot. I would like to focus on native plants, but I love a cutting ga... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Teucrium resistant to Verticillium Wilt? April 20, 2015 Is Teucrium frutescans, or Bush Germander resistant to Verticillium Wilt? I cannot find it on a list anywhere. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is Thyme Toxic to Cats? April 15, 2015 Is 'Pink Chintz' thyme, the ground cover, toxic to cats? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Searching for Acalypha amentacea ssp. wilkesiana (copperleaf) April 06, 2015 Some species of Acalypha are natives, but the one I'm looking for is Copper Plant or Acalypha amentacea/wilkesiana. Can you give me a source where I can order seed? When I was kid working at a local ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Advantages of using native plants March 28, 2015 Hello. My question is not about a specific plant but a more general question about natives. I am writing a research paper and am interested in finding seminal research that explains why we should us... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| topic | question | |