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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| Native boundary hedgerow plants for North Texas May 31, 2015 I have 27 acres of native prairie in the western edge of the cross timbers just a few miles south of the Red River between Nocona and Saint Jo, TX. I'm looking for some Texas native plant choices fo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Flowering shrubs and vines for San Angelo, Texas May 28, 2015 Hello What would be the best flowering shrubs and vines to plant here in dry San Angelo? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Looking for plants for phytoremediation in Columbus, TX May 27, 2015 Hello! I am looking for native Texan phytodegrading/rhizodegrading plants (basically I want phytoremediating plants that could be left in place and not have to be removed/disposed of after they had ta... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is Texas mountain laurel honey toxic? May 25, 2015 I have been told that honey produced from the flowers of my Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora) would not be safe to consume. Is this correct? The only information I have been able to find is... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growing Buttonbush in California May 24, 2015 For the Buttonbush, how do you keep it consistently moist? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Does Buttonbush Spread? May 20, 2015 I live in Los Angeles County. Does Buttonbush spread via its roots/rhizomes? I've got a picture I could send in a reply. Gotta know if it's, what I see, a part of the buttonbush. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of white flowering bush with lovely scent May 17, 2015 Please identify the sweet smelling white flowering bush/tree blooming now,May, in western Massachusetts. The flowers are tiny 4(?) petals in small clusters. The scent is wonderful. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Dogwoods Late in Blooming May 14, 2015 We are seeing no evidence of flowers on two dogwoods this year. One usually is in bloom now, the other later on in the spring. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Texas sage losing inner leaves May 14, 2015 I have a Texas Sage bush that on the outside is beautiful with green leaves. The inside branches (the middle) of the bush are bare of any leaves. Why? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mountain Laurel suffering from Spring freeze May 12, 2015 I have a 4 1/2 ft Texas Mountain Laurel shrub in current location for several years. A hard freeze this spring killed every leaf on the tree, but the stems remained green. My other smaller Mt. Laure... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need to know about little brown spots on Texas Mountain Laurel May 11, 2015 I have little brown spots on my Texas Mountain Laurel leaves. I can email you a picture if needed. What could it be and how can I help my little laurels work thru these spots? The texas mountain ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Chickasaw Plum suckering potential in Washington DC area May 11, 2015 I have planted some chickasaw plums around the border of my property. My property is surrounded by a wooded area, which then opens into a golfcourse. Is there a chance that my chickasaw plums would... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Can a Texas Mountain Laurel grow in Northeast Oklahoma? May 09, 2015 I was born and raised in Texas but am now living in Northeast Oklahoma. I miss the smell of Texas mountain laurels in the spring. Is there any way of getting one to grow here? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Will Mexican Buckeye Survive in SC? May 09, 2015 I have grown a Mexican Buckeye indoors from seed in Greenville, SC. Will it survive the colder climates here if transplanted out of doors? Thanks for your advice! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
May 01, 2015 Greetings! I am hoping to gain privacy on a 30' swath with existing 6' privacy fence, I need about 14' of height to hide unsightly apartments. Location is full sun without a nearby spigot, I can ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Finding a manzanita species suitable for Fort Worth, TX April 28, 2015 Which manzanita shrub would thrive best in the Fort Worth, Tx. area? I was thinking of planting it in a large pot. Thank You! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Arctostaphylos Hanging Basket for Texas April 24, 2015 I would like to plant an Arctostaphylos uva-ursi in a hanging basket with a coco liner. Will this work, or will the roots grow too long? it's the 'Massachusetts' cultivar. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Passiflora and Leucophyllum together in Texas April 23, 2015 I've got a Passiflora incarnata that has self-propagated around a cenizo sage. My question is, will the passionflower vine choke out or otherwise damage the cenizo? Do I need to cut back the vine? ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a children's playground April 20, 2015 We have extensive native gardens on our 2 acre property, but my children want a garden of their own with plants they can hide under and that are good for imaginative play. Are there any native plants... 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 |  | |
| Evergreen groundcovers for NE NC April 20, 2015 Can you please provide a list of evergreen native groundcovers for Northeastern NC? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen Trees for Low Maintenance Screen April 18, 2015 We live in Pacifica, CA and are looking to plant a row of low maintenance trees in our back yard along our fence, that grow to be a maximum of 15' high, that stay green year round. What do you recomm... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Cold Hardy Hibiscus for Central Texas April 18, 2015 What variety of Hibiscus is cold hardy for Central Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Fast Growing Shrub for Oceanside New York Site April 17, 2015 Can you recommend a tall, fast-growing shrub for a sandy location (near an ocean beach in New York) in full sun? I’m looking for a privacy shield. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a Shaded Slope in Philadelphia April 17, 2015 I have a small slope along the North side of my house in a suburb of Philadelphia. A small maple tree grows there but most of it gets no sun at all (a large segment is under the tree). I had the soil ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native Evergreen for Shady Back Yard in IL April 16, 2015 I am looking for a native evergreen to provide bird shelter in my southeast facing small back yard. I would prefer a horizontal juniper but don't know if it could grow in the shade of the 8 or 9 matu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shrubs for Central Texas that are Verticillium Resistant April 16, 2015 We need a list of at least a few shrubs in the 6'x3'+ size that are Verticillium Wilt resistant. We have taken out the affected Elaeagnus and would like to replace it with a screen of similar densit... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need plants to replace Red Tipped Photinias in Bonham, TX April 11, 2015 I have 7 red tipped photinias that had all their leaves eaten last summer by an infestation of grasshoppers. I do mean all. They are or were about 10 years old. Can you tell me if they will grow back ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pool-Side Plants for Miami April 02, 2015 I am looking for plants, along the line of ti plant cordyline features, to plant around my chlorinated pool area with full South Miami sun. We have a dog therefore they must be non-toxic plants. The... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need plants to provide a privacy screen in Cedar Creek, TX March 31, 2015 We need to screen out neighbor's house. What can we plant (fast growing tree or hedge) in partial shade? Area is dry in summer, but does get soggy during heavy rain. We live east of Austin in Cedar C... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Screen Tree for Lockhart, TX. March 30, 2015 What is a good screening tree for a ranch in the Lockhart area that won't get much water. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Leucophyllum Resistant to Verticillium Wilt March 25, 2015 I need to know which large shrubs are resistant to verticillium wilt? I believe that a few of our Elaeagnus have succumbed to this disease, but being over 15 years old, I am not positive. I am thinki... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Does Wax Myrtle Have a Taproot? March 25, 2015 Does a wax myrtle have a taproot? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Why did the blossoms on my mountain laurels dry up before they flowered? March 15, 2015 Why did the blossoms on my mountain laurels dry up before they flowered? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Short, Natural Evergreen Shrubs for Texas March 12, 2015 I am looking for small/dwarf evergreen shrubs that, when mature, will be no larger than three feet tall. If possible I would like shrubs that are graceful and more natural looking rather than “regimen... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Companion Plants for Texas Mountain Laurel March 12, 2015 I am building a garden from scratch and need help. I want to plant a Texas mountain laurel on each front section of my house in front of a window, and I also want to use Thumbelina Leigh English laven... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Twenty year old Texas Mountain Laurel isn't blooming. March 09, 2015 I have 20-year-old Texas Mountain Laurel in a fairly poor, clay-type soil. It hasn't bloomed very well the last couple years. Can you recommend a fertilizer to improve the blooms? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Repairing the split trunk of a TX mountain laurel February 28, 2015 I have a fairly large mountain laurel that I just realized has a split down the trunk. Is there anything I can do to save it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen shrub for Austin TX February 28, 2015 I am wanting an evergreen shrub 6-8 ft tall to use as a screen in our backyard. Do you have any suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shrubs for a Shady Foundation Planting in Texas February 28, 2015 We are looking for foundation shrubs, 2-4' mature height, for a totally shaded area which does receive bright light all day. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need to control Turk's cap in front yard in Austin, TX February 28, 2015 I have several turks cap in my front yard- they grow well, but they grown huge-high and spread out. My neighbors' are much more compact! how can I keep them in control? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Low Shrubs for Under First Floor Windows in DC February 24, 2015 I'm in search of bushes to plant under the first floor windows of an apartment building I manage. I'm interested in both deterring intruders and in making the grounds more attractive. Any suggestion... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Companion Plants for Rhododendron periclymenoides February 24, 2015 Could you identify companion plants that work well with the pink azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides)? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Evergreen privacy screen in California February 18, 2015 Hello, My family and I just bought a house in Paradise CA. I want to.plant privacy plants that are native to northern California. I would like the plant to be green all year but drought resistant if... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native border plants to stop erosion February 18, 2015 I need native border plants to assist in stopping soil erosion due to water run off from rain and the Catawba River. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Rust on Amelancier Foliage in PA February 03, 2015 I live in Pennsylvania and have been plagued with a rust on my serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) trees over the past few years. I am unable to find very much information on this disease on the we... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Time for pruning wax myrtle in Texas January 31, 2015 We live in Houston. Can we prune back our southern wax myrtle now? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Small evergreen shrubs for part shade in Texas January 31, 2015 Mr. Smarty Pants, I'm, for some reason, at odds with myself about a shrub decision. I have need about 8 ft of hedge-like evergreen shrub(s) that I can maintain around 4ft to go under a window. It... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Sap oozing from trunks of Cherry Laurels in Austin, TX January 24, 2015 I have several mature compact cherry laurels whose leaves are beginning to turn yellow. They are in raised beds, have been properly fertilized, have compost spread around them, and are properly water... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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