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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| Lonicera sempervirens not harmful to dogs from Naperville IL December 16, 2012 Is the trumpet honeysuckle (lonicera sempervirens) harmful to dogs if eaten? I have been told in the past that the common trumpet vine is harmful, but this appears to be different. Thank you!! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Dyes from native North American plants November 29, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have been working as a textile designer for many years and am now interested in harvesting native North American plants in order to create natural dyes. Which plant ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of milkweed vine with smooth seedpod November 23, 2012 I believe the vine I am curious about may be Matelea reticulata. However, most of the pictures I have seen of that vine show bumps on the exterior of the seed pod, and the pod I have is green and smo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Fasciation on Texas Mountain Laurel November 21, 2012 Do Texas Mountain Laurel normally have a staghorn looking growth hanging on them after blooming in addition to the seed pod clusters or could this be a mutation? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Eliminating unwanted vine on arbor in San Francisco November 20, 2012 There is a vine growing on our arbor, it has sickle-shaped pods and is crushing the arbor, how do we get rid of it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Arizona centaury near Lost Maples from Austin November 05, 2012 I found a clump of Arizona centaury growing/blooming beside a road near Lost Maples State Nat. Area in the Texas hill country last week. Centaurium calycosum is the scientific name. I have 2 questio... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of a plant saprophytic on oaks October 04, 2012 What is name of plant poking up through the leaves near base of oak tree that appears as a cluster of yellow-brown stalks that resemble small pinecones or pineapples or cobs of corn? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Smog-eating plants from Ft. Worth TX September 30, 2012 Looking for a list (40 >) of Native Texas Plants for Fort Worth Urban (Condo) that are Drought tolerant or (drip irr) and Fragrant and long blooming and eat up the city smog. Fort Worth is in a non-at... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native deer-resistant plants for Virginia September 26, 2012 I live in Roanoke/Salem Virginia and want to plant a few plants native to the area along the front yard rock wall. I would prefer they be the same, deer resistant, around 5-6 feet tall max and flower... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with mature cottonwood in Justin TX September 17, 2012 I have a very large, 90" circumference, approx 60' tall, cottonwood tree in my front yard that appears to be sick. The trunk splits at about the 4' level into 2 parts. at that split is a 10" wide... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Bark problems with Monterrey oak from Austin September 15, 2012 I planted a 65 gallon Monterrey Oak (White Oak) in my front yard in February of this year. I water it once a week. All of the leaves and branches appear very healthy and there is no discoloration.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Gaura dying from Townsville, Australia September 14, 2012 My passionate pink Gaura appears to be dying. It had a beautiful blooming period & now is going backwards. What is happening? I have pruned it, but don't know how to save it. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Want a vine, non-toxic to dogs, for Reno, NV. September 11, 2012 I want a non toxic (to dogs) vine for Reno, NV View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sap dripping from a lacey oaks in San Antonio September 06, 2012 I have a lacey oak tree, approximately 6 ft. tall that has been in the ground almost a year. The tree looks healthy but there is a small area on the trunk that looks and feels wet. The substance is s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Male or female Jatropha curcas from Brownsville TX August 16, 2012 How do know the sex of a young Jatropha C. plant? how many weeks before you can tell a boy/girl plant ? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Landscaping with water garden from Pendleton SC August 15, 2012 Searching for native plants in SC. Your results miss some plants listed on your site. I noticed this reading the Mr. Smarty Plants response to "Edible Plants for North GA" We aren't far apart. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is it safe to eat vegetables grown in the same bed as foxgloves? August 12, 2012 I have foxglove in my flower beds and have planted tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and cantaloupe in the flower bed and now I am concerned about the shared root system. Also, my tomatoes are touching the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Forestiera pubescens blooming in July August 07, 2012 I have a lot of what appears to be Forestiera pubescens. They are covered with the dark blue/black berries and flowers. Apparently they are blooming again in the middle of July. I live about 35 mile... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-native gardenias in Southampton Ontario July 31, 2012 I purchased 3 gardenias this year for the garden. Now I'm told that I can't leave them out all year round here in mid/western Ontario. Is this true, and if so, how do I keep them over the winter i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Something dripping from red oak in Austin July 30, 2012 There is a large red oak outside my apartment. The leaves are shiny and covered with what appears to be oil. The ground underneath is coated with this also. When I parked under the tree my car beca... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with maple tree in Redding CA July 17, 2012 I have a 2 yr. old October Glory tree that is looking bad. It leafed out this spring, but not as much as the others. In total I have 9 red maples along a fence row about 15 feet apart. The trees on ei... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Differences between Lantana urticoides and Lantana camara July 13, 2012 I have found an orange variety of lantana growning in several location in Jefferson County. Is there any way I can tell for sure if it is L. camara or the native L. urticoides? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of vine from Las Vegas NV July 11, 2012 I'm interested in identifying the vine shown by the leaf in this photo: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zR3R4JSPYcCI4ESczNXWM4h8z33Cq5cyZNqSSYf9hx0?feat=directlink My mother-in-law got one o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growth on top of Echinacea purpurea (Eastern purple coneflower) July 03, 2012 I grow purple coneflowers in my garden. ONE plant has something growing on the top of each cone. I would like to know what it is but I don't see how I can add a photo to this post. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Flower with spike of yellow flowers with hairy purple filaments July 03, 2012 Fuzzy purple stamens! I can't find this plant identified anywhere. Blooms abt 1" or a little more across. 5 yellow petals, 5 sepals, & 5 stamens with yellow anthers, & the filaments are covered wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Lilies with with wide lush foliage in Georgia July 01, 2012 I love lilies of all kinds, but I particularly like lilies with wide lush foliage. An example would be Agapanthus foliage. What other lilies present that same attribute? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Will Pavonia lasiopetala grow in Oklahoma from Kerrville Tx June 23, 2012 How successfully could I grow Pavonia lasiopetala in central Oklahoma? My research shows that it is not native to Oklahoma. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is Asclepias incarnata poisonous to dogs? June 13, 2012 Is Asclepias incarnata safe in a farm/yard with plenty of dogs running around? What happens if a dog eats the leaves or seeds or pods? Is eating any of these fatal to dogs? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Overwatering Texas Mountain Laurel from Rosanky TX June 06, 2012 I just read your article in the Statesman about over watering Mt.Laurel. Now I know why my lovely 15 year old tree is dying. We put in new grass this winter and I watered too much. Is there any hop... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with non-native Eugenia in Scottsdale AZ June 02, 2012 I have 5 eugenia topiaries in my courtyard in pots..I notice as the days here in Phoenix get hotter and dry (as usual) they are starting to look bad, even though they are under a shelter out of the di... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will deer eat lemon cypress trees from Hayden ID June 02, 2012 Do deer eat lemon cypress trees? We do not think so since they are so spiny, but wanted a clarification. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trees starting to die in subdivision in Hutto, TX May 31, 2012 I live in Hutto Tx, in a subdivision where everyone has the 2 trees planted in the front yard. My trees have started to die, and I want to find out what kind they are to find a solution View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Spots on leaves of Esperanza from Dallas May 30, 2012 Have a new 1 foot high Esperanza. It is flowering OK (so far) but it has small rust colored spots about the size of a B-B all over most of the leaves. On the top side of the leaf the spot is depress... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Can foxglove poison be transmitted to the soil and taken up by another plant May 29, 2012 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, Recently I discovered a Foxglove that had come up after being planted 2 or 3 yrs ago. Next to it I have some medicinal Feverfew growing. (They were so close together I suspec... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cultivar of Cercis Canadensis from Haskell OK May 16, 2012 We have a Hearts of Gold Redbud that first had dark edges to many of its leaves (about 2 weeks after planting). It now has multiple leaves w/ medium-dark brown spots on them. Are we looking at some ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of vine in New York May 15, 2012 I have a flowering vine that grows against my home and I'm not sure what it is, but it's beautiful with a delicate scent. The flowers look like clusters of mini purple pea pods hanging downward befo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with a Sherman (Shumard?) Oak from Bixby OK May 14, 2012 We have done extensive research on oak fungi/diseases/pests could be affecting our Sherman Oak tree but we are stumped. The leaves are falling off and have some sort of moldy bunch within the leaf it... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Invasive American Germander from San Antonio May 14, 2012 I brought home some American Germander (Teucruim canadense) - page 259 In Wildflowers of Texas by Geyata Ajilvsgi - from a railroad right-of-way. Since it is a member of the mint family it has becom... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| How to correct Anacacho leaves that are turning brown and curling in Driftwood, TX? May 11, 2012 Anacacho lunarioides leaves are turning brown and curling,how do I correct? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion Control in Bartlesville OK May 10, 2012 What kind of plants can we use to stop erosion and loss of bank on a creek that is mostly shaded? Is there any free advice/plants for people that are losing land due to water levels rising/dropping? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with evergreen sumac in San Antonio May 03, 2012 I planted 5 5-gallon (approximately 2 feet tall) evergreen sumac in early January. Since that time they have sprouted out new shoot with new leaves several times - every time the leaves have wilted a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Eliminating KR? Bluestem from St. Augustine Yard in Spicewood, TX April 28, 2012 How can I eradicate bluestem grass invading my St. Augustine lawn? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Small trees for property edge in Katy TX April 16, 2012 By deed restriction, I must have five trees on the side of my small suburban lot just west of Houston, TX. Due to the lot layout, the trunks are only about 8-10 feet from the house, with the trees abo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-native photinias in Monroe NY April 11, 2012 Two Questions: Is the weather too cold to plant red tip photinias in Monroe NY? What is a good alternative evergreen shrub to hide chain link fence? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Dodder April 06, 2012 I was driving around Llano, Texas and saw patches of orange amongst the wildflowers. From afar the patches seemed like dying plants. On close inspection, they are orange tendrils that are overrunnin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Dodder April 06, 2012 I have seen patches of Bluebonnets that are covered with a stringy,rubbery,orange substance that seems to be choking out the particular patch. It wraps itself around the flowers,completely covering th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Insects on yucca from Ft. Worth TX April 05, 2012 I have a plant labeled Yucca Soft Leaf recurvifolia that I planted about 5 years ago,& was beautiful until last summer when it became infested with thousands of fast, tiny, dark insects. I sprayed wit... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Specifications for a property in Corning CA March 29, 2012 Drought resistant, deer resistant, low growing (ground cover), and shade tolerant request: I am looking for a variety of species that not only fit the above preferences, but also a few other things. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native genista racemosa from Leander TX March 28, 2012 Hello, Mr. Smarty Plants. I fear I've made a horrible purchase at a local plant place. Bought a "broom" plant--it's not listed in your database. Latin name: genista racemosa, according to tag. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Most common wildflower in Texas from Grand Prairie TX March 12, 2012 What is the most common wildflower in the state of Texas? My kiddos stumped me on this one? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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