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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| Why Did Gaillardia and Aquilegia Changed Color? June 26, 2013 Both a Gaillardia pulchella and two red columbines bloomed normally last summer, but this summer the Gaillardia's petals are all yellow and one columbine is white and the other is yellow. What caused... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Flowering plant for gravesite in Weatherford TX June 23, 2013 I want to plant flowering plant of some kind at parent's grave site in Weatherford, TX. The family cemetery is on a limestone hill with no irrigation or ability to water other than nature. Would on... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Source for Frostweed plants or seeds from Portland TX June 23, 2013 I am looking for somewhere I can buy Frostweed plants or seeds. I live in Portland, TX, but frequent San Antonio and the Hill Country. Can you help me with this? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Seeding success with Penstemon cobaea from Austin June 18, 2013 I've never had much luck in harvesting seeds from foxgloves (Penstemon cobaea, I think). Whenever I open the seed casing, the seeds inside are covered with some kind of mold. What's going on, and ho... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Germinating Hibiscus martianus, Heartleaf hibiscus June 11, 2013 Is there some secret to getting Heart Leaf Hibiscus to germinate from seed? I have tried several times, but have had no luck getting them to germinate. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| How to graft muscadines? June 07, 2013 I have tried for the last two years, grafting my perfect muscadines to the native non-bearing vines. I have tried every method available to no avail. I usually get two or three leaves, then wilt and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Proliferation of Small Palafoxia in Dallas Co. TX June 07, 2013 A few years ago I noticed a new wildflower I hadn't seen before in the southwest Dallas County area. I found the name to be Small Palafoxia. It was growing along the edges of HWy 67 in Duncanville ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Blooming but not berrying American bittersweet from Pendleton IN May 29, 2013 I have had a bittersweet plant for years, it blooms but not berries. How do I tell if it is male or female so I can buy the opposite? It is currently blooming. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Scarifying seeds of evergreen sumacs from Lockhart TX May 19, 2013 Dear Smarty Plants, We would like to grow our own evergreen sumacs. Consulting Nokes book, How to Grow Native Plants on page 310, it says to scarify fresh uncleaned seeds for 30-45 minutes. On page... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Failure to bloom of one of two Texas persimmons from Wimberly TX May 04, 2013 Last year my son planted two texas persimmon trees. One is blooming ok this year and the other is not. It does not seem dead. What can I do or is is in fact dying? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Lilies not blooming from Austin May 03, 2013 Last December 8, you published a letter in the Statesman that I had written to you regarding Rain Lilies, Oxblood Lilies, and Copper Lilies. The were sprouting in my garage in a bag. You recommended... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Spreading bluebonnets in pasture from Ledbetter TX April 29, 2013 I've found a small patch of bluebonnets in my back pasture in Ledbetter, tx. What is the best method of encouraging their spread across the pasture? I've heard that one can pull up the plants and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Loss of bloom stalk on Yucca filamentosa from Scotch Plains NJ April 27, 2013 We have 3 Yucca filamentosa L. planted together, in NJ. A friend of ours was helping to remove the weeds, little did she know and removed the blooming stalk from the plants. By the time I saw, it was ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Sharing Selfheal with Texas Friends April 25, 2013 I have discovered selfheal plants in my yard. When and how do I collect the seeds or do I just dig up plants to share with friends? I understand this is actually an herb. I love identifying wildflower... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Protecting agave pups in San Antonio April 23, 2013 I would like to share the soon to happen bloom of two century plants on my property; they are sisters planted at the same time. I am sad to know they will die but will do all that I can to protect the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Century Plant April 20, 2013 I have a century plant that has just begun to bloom. I have a transplanted a few pups, successfully. I am wondering how I am to go about removing the mother plant once it blooms and dies. I'm reading... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting Eve's Necklace from Round Mountain TX April 16, 2013 We have dozens of small Eve's necklace plants coming up in our large yard. I would like to share them with my friends who aren't so lucky. Many years ago, I tried to transplant one, and it didn't... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants purchased at Duke Gardens From Durham NC April 09, 2013 I went to the plant sale at a local garden this week and bought some very small plants. I am happy to wait for plants to grow but wondered if I need to do anything special. I live in Durham NC and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native turkscap failing to thrive in Shiro TX March 19, 2013 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, Two years ago I transplanted several native (not cultivars) Drummond's turkscaps in the proximity of water oaks in the front yard. All get shade and some sun. They seemed to ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Lack of Fruit on Forestiera March 17, 2013 I have not been able to get berry production on my elbow bush. I have male and female plants. Is it possible to help with the pollination process? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| What to do with agave after it blooms from Phoenix AZ March 12, 2013 Hello! I have 2 century plants in the process of blooming. How exciting!! I've never really seen it before. Anyway, what do I then do with the dying/dead plant. Simply dig it up and trash it? T... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Edibility of non-native garlic sprouts from Brancburg, NJ March 12, 2013 I have regular garlic in my refrigerator. It had sprouts growing out of it so I put it in a cup of water. Now that the stems are large enough to put in food, my question is.. Is that part of the garl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Starting Antelope Horn Milkweed Seeds March 08, 2013 I recently found a sealed plastic bag containing milkweed seeds in a cabinet drawer that I had gathered more than a year ago, (maybe two years ago). These are the "antelope horn" milkweed I think it... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Propagation of Texas sage from Bastrop, TX March 01, 2013 Am I wasting my time trying to transplant texas sage runners? Any advice? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Saving frozen yuccas from North Carolina February 23, 2013 I live in NC and have 2 potted yucca plants on my deck. Every year I have brought them in for the winter. This year, someone told us that we could leave them out all winter. They began to die in the c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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