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 Resistance Input from Northern VA June 22, 2016 Hello. I live in the deer infested woods of Northern VA. I am always looking for plants that deer have little interest in to cover other plants. The deer generally have little interest in mints (Py... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Recommended Species List for Nova Scotia. October 12, 2015 Hi, I love your site. I am from Nova Scotia and run an "Invasive Plants Cape Breton" facebook page and also "Cape Breton Garden and Botany Lovers". Was dismayed to find no recommended plants for... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Oyster Shell source in Austin September 18, 2015 Hi, I was not sure who to reach out to, but I work for Quality Seafood here in Austin, and we have several gardeners who take our old oyster shells and grind them up or put them in their gardens for ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Kudos for Barbara Medford's answer November 05, 2014 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants (say, should it not be Ms!), No question, just a correction. Please correct my rating from 3 to 5 stars for Barbara Medford's response regarding impatiens, dated Dec. 8, 2007... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) July 02, 2014 Foxglove (digitalis purpurea) is not a native U.S. plant. It was introduced to the U.S. from Europe and is now considered invasive in many parts of the western U.S. It invades our forested wild land... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| User's comment on nativity of Beggar's Lice from Austin May 20, 2014 I think you were off the mark telling somebody that "beggar's lice" is a Texas native. According to Wikipedia, Torilis arvensis is an invasive species native to Eurasia. Cheers! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Question about commercial product from Austin May 19, 2014 Do you carry AquaSmart Pro? There was an article in today\\\'s Statesman about some Sun City people using AquaSmart Pro to save water on their lawns. I am always skeptical about such panaceas. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Retention of essential oils by Ashe Juniper wood from Austin May 03, 2014 I am looking for information on why local Austin Juniper/Cedar trees are so great at retaining essential oils for aromatherapy. I make pendants for necklaces out of our local fallen cedar trees and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Synchronized blooming of cutleaf evening primrose from Brookshire TX April 29, 2014 I have cutleaf evening primrose (grandis) that puts on such an enchanting show, opening every evening in late April, precisely at 8:00 , that guests sit in chairs to watch the spectacle. Incredibly, ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Highway construction in wildflower areas from Kingsland TX April 22, 2014 I see no other link to contact about this, except for you. Maybe you can direct me. I just drove Hwy 281 South and a lot of road construction is being done. For many years that I've noticed, there ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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