Native Plants
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Smarty Plants Question Topics
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| protecting native trees during drought June 07, 2011 We are very concerned about our mature live oaks and cedar elms because they are so stressed due to the drought. We have lost several of our mountain juniper and I really don't want to lose our more... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Watering oaks in Houston, TX. June 07, 2011 Our yard (Real County, TX.) has many oak trees. We never water these trees, but I wonder if you recommend watering during this extreme drought. The trees look very stressed and are covered in ball m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Powdery mildew hits Rock Rose in Round Rock Texas May 05, 2011 My beautiful Rock Roses have gotten spots of white fuzzy "fur" on their leaves in the past month. This is not something they have ever had before and I'm worried its some kind of disease. Is it so... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Drought tolerant Plants and moving Wax myrtles in Austin April 30, 2011 Mr. Smarty Plants, What are the most fire resistant and drought tolerant plants for caliche soil in Austin area? I am considering relocating or removing my wax myrtle shrubs because they are ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Irrigation of landscaping project after 1 year in San Antonio November 10, 2010 Hello, I am working on a project in San Antonio where the following vegetation types have been specified: cedar elm, bald cypress, 'Tifway 419' bermuda grass, mountain laurel, esperanza, and lantana... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Blackfoot daisy declining in Austin September 04, 2010 My Blackfoot Daisies have grown large, bushy, have bloomed well over the past two summers. Now parts of the plants are drying up, dying. Will pruning out the dead parts help the plants to survive, or ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mexican Plum not doing well in Liberty Hill, TX. September 03, 2010 Two summers have passed since I planted my Mexican Plum. It's in full sun. It seems to have added height but not much width. It's virtually a 7 foot stick with 1 foot branches from top to bottom. It... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Copper Canyon daisy leaves turning yellow in Spring Branch TX September 01, 2010 My Copper Canyon daisies have grown well this year but the leaves are turning yellow. Any ideas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Patio plants suffering from heat in Austin August 22, 2010 My patio plants are burning up from the intense sun of Austin's August. Last year it even burned the leaves. Besides moving 40 plants to a shadier spot do you have suggestions on how to protect the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to thrive of desert willow in Wimberley TX August 10, 2010 I have a desert willow. It is always, whether I water it or leave it alone, yellow/ brown leaves, dark spots on the leaves, losing leaves. now it looks sad and not very healthy. Can you please tell m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant for graveside in New Jersey August 07, 2010 I am looking for a plant to put on a graveside in southern New Jersey. The problem is that the area is very hot & dry and the plant would only receive rain. I am interested in a perennial. Thanks View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Arizona ash tree with brown leaf tips in Las Vegas NV August 01, 2010 We've had an Arizona Ash Tree in our yard for over 7 years it was doing fine until last summer, the tree seems to be struggling with the heat, its leaves look like they are burning up and turning bro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Red sister Cordyline problems in Brownsville TX July 27, 2010 I bought a Red Sister Cordyline plant but once the leaves grow they dry from the ends. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Limp leaves on Texas purple sage in Magnolia TX July 22, 2010 Recently planted Texas purple sage, some of it looks healthy and has new blooms, but a few of the plants have limp leaves and are thin at the bottom. I read the article on cotton root rot, but am not ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock in American beautyberry in Birmingham AL July 13, 2010 We created a new garden area in our yard that gets full sun in the afternoon. I had a Beautyberry Bush that had seriously outgrown the area where we originally planted it (also full sun), so I transp... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Blackening of top growth of yaupon in Sunrise Beach TX June 09, 2010 My question regards a Will Flemming yaupon which I am thinking may be within your scope of expertise. These were recently planted under windy conditions, then hit with a neighbors antiquated jet type ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Texas Pistachio trees dropping leaves in Austin June 09, 2010 I have several Texas Pistachio that are about 13 years old. Despite good rainfall in Travis county this year, they seem to be losing most of their new leaf growth now in early June. Leaves are simpl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why is my recently planted Esperanza doing poorly in Texas City, TX? May 28, 2010 I have an Esperanza I planted about 2 months ago. It has been doing well, except today all but one stem of the plant is wilting and the leaves are rolling. I see no bugs on the plant. Any idea what... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with Texas Mountain Laurel in Dallas May 04, 2010 I have a Texas Mountain Laurel that is about 3 years old. When I bought it 2 summers ago, it was about a foot high. Now it is over 6 feet. It seems to have grown so fast that the branches can't ke... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to thrive of Texas Mountain Laurel in Austin May 02, 2010 I have an adult (over 25 years?, 20 feet tall?) Mountain Laurel next to my house in Austin. The winter of 2009/10 it lost most of its leaves. It did bloom and leaf out this Spring--not vigorous espec... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why are the leaves on my Laurel hedge turning brown in Everett, WA? February 22, 2010 Our laurel hedge seems to have brown leaves on the top of the bush. We haven't had a freezing winter so we are trying to figure out why some of the leaves are brown. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Consequences of overwatering plants February 05, 2010 Explain how an error on the high side when watering would affect soil fertility management, IPM efforts? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grouping plants according to water needs February 05, 2010 Explain how appropriate design/grouping of plants of the same water needs would make irrigation scheduling easier? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Xeric landscaping walls in Mansfield TX November 15, 2009 We have two stone, concave 10 ft. high entry walls to our private street. These are each 20 ft. in length and face the west. What xeriscaping accent plants would you recommend. Also, should we crea... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock in Chestnut Oak in Waukesha WI September 13, 2009 Bought and had nursery install a 4" diameter, 16' tall chestnut oak. Watered it as instructed-every 2nd or third day-hose stream size of my pinky for 45-60 minutes. It was planted in July. Just l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Esperanza failing to bloom in Odessa TX September 01, 2009 I have 3 Esperanza plants that have not bloomed this spring/summer. I live in Odessa, TX. We had about 5 inches of rain in July in one week (very unusual), but they have not bloomed-before or after. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| PVC pipes for irrigation in ground in Austin August 19, 2009 Mr. Smarty Plants,What are your thoughts on installing PVC pipes into the ground around trees and shrubby trees? A classmate's grandmother had a pipe pushed or pounded into the ground near her speci... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why do the leaves of my potted Esperanza plant look droopy? August 13, 2009 My Esperanza plant leaves look droopy. I have it in a big pot and have for 3 years. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Watering oaks during drought in Austin July 29, 2009 Should we be watering our live oaks and Spanish oaks during this drought? How often and how much? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why is my Weeping Fig crying leaves? July 27, 2009 I have a weeping fig that I bought Memorial day in Birmingham, Al. It has 8 or 9 trunks growing altogether. It sits on a porch with eastern exposure, only about 2 hours of sun. It has been losing l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yellow bands around edges of leaves in Whitney TX July 20, 2009 How can you tell whether esperanzas are getting too much water or not enough - ours have a small yellow band around the edges of the leaves - crape myrtles - same question View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fungus gnats on house plant in Edwardsville IL July 16, 2009 I recently purchased a Trailing Perennial Plant, and I am seeing a lot of gnats flying in my house. Could this be the problem? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to care for newly transplanted Live Oak. July 02, 2009 I planted 3 B & B, 6" caliper live oaks in February and they lost most of their leaves during the normal time but when the new leaves grew back the amount of leaves were quite a bit less. I have th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants around swimming pool June 23, 2009 What kind of plants can I plant around my swimming pool and will not be harmed by the chemicals of the pool? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why are the leaves of my century plants yellowing? June 22, 2009 I am taking care of the Agaves (century plants) for my condo community here in Austin. They are planted in 18" or 20" pots. A couple of the plants have leaves that are yellowing around the bottom.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trailing snapdragon hanging basket has flowers that are turning brown. June 09, 2009 Trailing snapdragon hanging basket in yellow, flowers are turning brown all over the plant. Why? I water every day as told & fertilized once in 3 weeks. It was so beautiful. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How will my Texas Mountain Laurel survive clay soil? June 09, 2009 Mr. Smarty Pants: I live in a new neighborhood (brownfield site) in Central Austin where the developers have put fill in the yards. After not much more than 2 inches of topsoil you encounter fairl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Topmost leaves on yucca are brown June 08, 2009 I live in the Lansing, Michigan area, in the lower peninsula and have a couple yuccas whose topmost leaves are brown emerging from winter. Do I prune those, or has the plant died? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with tomatoes in tubs in Campbellton, TX May 30, 2009 I have my tomatoes planted in big black plastic tubs, they are starting to wilt and dry up. I have put Sevin dust on them for bugs. I haven't been over watering. Could you please tell me why they are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problem with Salvia Mystic Spires in Chesterfield VA May 30, 2009 Last August, our local Lowes had these beautiful, unusual blue perennials on the discount rack called "Salvia Mystic Spires". For 50 cents each, they looked terrific, so I bought all they had, about... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will chlorinated pool water affect the soil in a vegetable garden? May 22, 2009 For the first time I'm going to plant a vegetable garden, and I have an area cleared. My swimming pool cover came off over the winter, and the pool water is a dark green to look at, but looks clear w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to thrive of Cherokee sedge in Spicewood, TX May 18, 2009 I have several Cherokee sedges, just planted in March. Three of them are doing fine, but the rest look like they're dying. Some are right next to one that is doing great. Any ideas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Desert willows not doing well in Navarro County, TX May 16, 2009 Planted 3 new desert willows , 3-4 ft.in February. Live in East Navarro County and soil is clay with slight slope to Richland Chambers lake area. Had a wet spring. These plantings appear not doing we... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| My newly planted Mountain Laurel isn\'t doing well. March 13, 2009 My mountain laurel was planted from a container in Dec. It is in part sun, clay soil, and its leaves are turning yellow. should I move it or will that kill it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Recently planted live oak tree in Boerne, TX February 07, 2009 My brother planted a live oak in August. It was from a nursery and had a root ball. It looks dead but I keep watering it. The trunk is about 6 inches around. The leaves died but when the winds came th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Berms to hold water around roots December 05, 2008 I planted new flower beds this November. There are currently dirt 'berms' around each plant - creating a well for water to seep into the immediate plant area. How can I keep these berms from erodi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Repotting of lemon cypress for drainage October 26, 2008 Hi, I bought a lemon cypress tree in a nice tin, It is in Plastic and the bottom has about 1.5" of water with no drainage in the plastic or tin. It will be kept inside. Does the plant need to be in... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Watering needs for a new landscape October 11, 2008 How much and how frequently are you supposed to water after implementing a new landscape? For example, perennials and succulents that are drought tolerant. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Leaves dropping on native Texas Mountain Laurel in San Antonio September 20, 2008 Please help. We have a beautiful TX Mountain Laurel in our front yard. This year the leaves are dropping like snow in the north. What do you think is wrong with our tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to thrive of Hamelia patens in Laredo September 19, 2008 I have a question regarding Hamelias patens(firebush)that I have been trying to grow for 2 years. I live in Laredo, Texas and this area should be an excellent climate for this plant. I planted 12 of t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Relocating native oak trees in compacted soil September 14, 2008 Can you replant and relocate small oak trees in compacted soil and will they grow or go into shock? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Leaf browning on blackfoot daisy in Arizona August 26, 2008 Blackfoot daisy plant was doing great; then, in one day, it turned brown like it had no water. Have a watering system in place which waters once a day for one hour 1/2 gallon a hour. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Leaf fall from Cedar Elm planted in clay August 17, 2008 I saw the answer to leaves falling off a cedar elm planted in clay. However I planted a Cedar Elm in my back yard. I dug a hole in the grass then planted and put grass back on top. I water every other... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Proper watering of cedar elm trees in Sachse, TX August 15, 2008 I've just planted two Cedar elm trees in clay soil, each about four inches in diameter, and I want to water them correctly. I'm aware that too much water can be bad as well as too little water. I ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Failure to thrive of closet plant August 13, 2008 I have a closet plant that is old and was doing fine and then started having droopy leaves. It needed to be in a larger pot so I transplanted into a larger pot with new potting soil. It continues to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Self-watering planters August 12, 2008 I'm a big proponent of the EarthBox (tm) phenomenon - that is, so-called "self-watering" or sub-irrigation planters where a separate but connected reservoir underneath the soil in the planter is fi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hollies not retaining leaves in Tulsa August 10, 2008 I have Little Red Hollies that have lost their leaves, some areas being bald. They are also not full - you can see through them. These were planted in this condition Spring of '08 and have been wat... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting a Texas redbud sapling July 27, 2008 I've just discovered a Texas red bud sapling (baby tree)that decided to grow next to our fire pit. Although there's no reason for us to sit around the campfire in 100 degree weather, I would like to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Effects of greywater on plants and soil July 25, 2008 What are the biochemical effects of greywater in plants and soil, because both are related. The effects can be harmful and as well as beneficial, can you give me the details of that? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Should I acidify my well water for native plants July 15, 2008 Should I acidify my well water for irrigation of native plants? There is not enough rainwater collection. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shriveling and dying of non-native impatiens July 14, 2008 Several years now many of my impatiens after a month or so seem to shrivel up and eventually die. They are planted in a row and not all are affected. I am not noticing any slug evidence which I would... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mites in soil of house plants June 25, 2008 Hi there! I recently noticed tiny silver mites in the soil of my plants that I only notice after watering. These plants are indoors in on a window ledge (a dwarf palm, aloe plant and Hawaiian Scheffle... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Decline of indoor lemon cypress June 25, 2008 I received a lemon cypress as a gift. I have kept it indoors in bright light and tried to keep it moist. When I received the plant the foliage was soft and now it has become brittle and dry even tho... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yellowing leaves May 06, 2008 What causes yellowing of native garden plant leaves? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Brown, dry leaves on weeping willow tree May 01, 2008 We live in central TX and have just planted a weeping willow tree. Our back yard has a retention pond and ravine that parallels our property and we were told that the weeping willow will do perfectly ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care in planting native Shumard oaks April 16, 2008 I am going to plant 3 shumard red oaks on the west side of my property. The land is basically rocky. What should I put in the holes to help the tree grow? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to bloom of Texas Mountain Laurel April 15, 2008 My +/- 4 yr old Tx. Mountain Laurel, has never bloomed. It is in full sun. I sometimes (minimal) fertilize it. I've pretty much planted it and let it grow. Its been pruned back last year when som... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Correct cultural conditions for liatris April 15, 2008 I recently bought some gayfeather (liatris pycnostachya) and planted in my yard in a nice full sun spot. Gets sun for roughly 10 hours a day. However, it's also the single driest spot in my yard (jus... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for sandy soil and not much water April 14, 2008 I am planning a new garden at home and would like to grow native plants that can handle sandy soil and don't need much water. I do not water my gardens.I would prefer plants that can have more than o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure of Bald Cypress to fully leaf out April 14, 2008 My family just moved to a house in Burnet County, about 7 miles south of Bertram, close to the Balcones Canyonlands NWR, with very rocky limestone soil. We bought several trees last fall, including a ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sudden death of Texas Mountain Laurel April 14, 2008 Last year, my 15-year-old Mountain Laurel died very suddenly. The leaves began to curl up and turn brown, and it was dead within about 15 days. What happened? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Withering plants recover with water February 17, 2008 Why do withering plants stand up when you give them water? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Effect of epsom salts and gray water on plants December 04, 2007 We live in Phoenix where water is a precious commodity. We have decided to use as much of the gray water as we can for watering our garden, shrubs and trees. One of the suggestions we heard about w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock in Texas natives garden August 20, 2007 Dear Mr. Smarty Pants, I thought that my new Texas Natives garden was recuperating from ALL the rain. But, suddenly, my Texas Red Bud and the Eve's Necklace next to it have MANY yellow leaves. Is the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Overwatering and fertilization of whiteleaf manzanita July 27, 2007 Hi, I have an Arctostaphylos Dr. Hurd, southern California coast, several years old, 10 feet, that has a few large branches with yellowing and spotted leaves... also dropping many. causes? remedy? sh... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Environmentally friendly and drought resistant alternatives to St. Augustine grass September 28, 2006 As a member of the planning committee of our property owners association in Wimberley TX, we are researching ways to make our landscape environmentally friendly and drought resistant. We have 60,000 ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Recommended irrigation schedule for Austin, TX September 04, 2006 With the very hot summer and the conservation of water so important, could you let me know what would be a good watering schedule? I am fortunate enough to have a sprinkler system so I can set my pop... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock July 27, 2006 Today I dug up a new natchez variety crape myrtle that had only been planted about 3 months ago. It is fairly young. It was very difficult to dig up as it's root were pretty settled in the spot it ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Root rot and transplant shock in Texas betony July 13, 2006 Texas betony is supposed to be drought resistant but also likes to be kept moist, but I have had trouble getting it established. These seem to be undemanding plants I have had entire stems dry up and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Poor drainage in wildflower bed November 10, 2004 I have a flower bed that has given me difficulty because it has poor drainage but typically receives sun for most of the day. Salvia gregii was the only survivors for the initial landscaping attempt. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Daily water absorption of live oak from soil December 04, 2003 How much water does the live oak absorb from the soil per day? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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