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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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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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topicquestion
Pictures of Bastard Cabbage from Dallas TX
April 07, 2012
HI! Re your March 12 posting: The USDA Plants website pictures two very different looking plants identified as Rapistrum rugosum (bastardcabbage). Would you please post a photo with leaf and bloom ...
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Plantings of Castilleja in Texas
April 04, 2012
I am a graduate student interested in studying different species of paintbrush (Castilleja) in Texas. I understand that the Texas Dept of Transportation has been seeding wildflowers along Texas highwa...
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Mowing wildflower concerns from Lockhart TX
March 30, 2012
I went to the Texas Highway Department (Texas Department of Transportation) web site and sent them a concern or complaint about them or independent contractors shredding the roadsides before the blueb...
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Native plants for roadside in Gallatin TN
February 19, 2012
What native plant would you suggest that we try to establish on 100 feet of road frontage which gets full afternoon sun? The soil is mostly clay, and it's on a rather sleep hill about 10 feet high. ...
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Rescue of roadside plants in Ashe Co.
October 27, 2011
I live in a wooded area off of a dirt road that is going to be widened and paved by the state. There are many native plants and shrubs growing on the side of the road in areas that will soon be pavem...
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Liriope spicata for erosion and dust suppression from Bonifay FL
August 16, 2011
I want to plant Liriope 'spicata'. I know it can be aggressive and that's what I want. We live on dirt road and need something by road for help in erosion and it's also hard to mow this are...
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Planting wildflowers on roadsides in Dallas
July 23, 2011
Am interested in leading Y Princess group in community effort to plant wildflowers along roads in Dallas area. Do you have any advice on how to approach the problem or sources for the seeds?
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Winter snow and road salt in Michigan
June 27, 2010
I have been asked to select plants for an area in zone5/6 that suffers from snow load and street salt during winters. The area is about 15x18 and has a deciduous tree in the center. Grass, which did ...
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Wildflower programs on our highways
November 17, 2008
Do you have any statistics about the wildflower program on our highways? We are wanting information about economic savings by not mowing so much, or pollution reduction by not mowing. Any help would...
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Identification of Monarda citriodora on roadsides
June 19, 2007
What is the name of the lavender wildflower so prevalent right now throughout the Texas hill country? It's an upright stalk that has lighter and darker lavender petals with rows of green leaves sepa...
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topicquestion

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