Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
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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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| Do I need to cover my Habiturf planting with straw? March 02, 2012 I'm preparing to seed the Habiturf in my front yard in a couple of weeks. My dad has suggested I spread some straw to help protect the seeds. Your thoughts? Thanks!!! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Replacing St. Augustine with native grass in Austin February 24, 2012 We are renting a house our Sister-in-law owns- the St Augustine is in tough shape, drought and lack of care over the years. Could we plant a native grass or do we have to pull up the remaining St. Aug... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a hillside in WI February 18, 2012 I live in Wisconsin and am currently doing a research project on plant variation on the north and south sides of a hill. I was wondering you could suggest any books to me that would address this issue... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deer and Drought Resistant Natives for San Marcus, Texas February 15, 2012 Hi there, Do you have a list of plants and ground covers (deer/drought resistant) for the San Marcos area? Much as I love grass, it's impossible with this drought. I'd love to have lots of flowers ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native Plants for Galveston February 12, 2012 I'm looking for low maintenance, drought tolerant plants for Galveston, on the bay side, in a well drained area with morning sun. I was thinking of Phlox, Muhly grass, Lantana.....and I am looking f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need plants to grow between flagstones in Vista, CA. February 06, 2012 Hi, I have put in a flagstone patio set in DG. The DG is creating a very sandy messy surface on the flagstone, so want to plant a low ground cover between the joints. Its a fairly large area, in sun... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Can Habiturf be planted by hydroseeding from Austin? February 04, 2012 We are thinking about seeding our lawn with HABITURF. Could you provide any input on whether HABITURF can be planted by hydroseeding? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Drought resistant flowering plants for Spring, TX January 25, 2012 Hi Mr. Smarty Pants. I live in Spring Tx. and wanted to plant a garden in my front yard. I'm looking for flowering plants that are colorful, easy to manage, and drought resistant but so far can't fi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need name of company with experience in Habiturf installation in Round Rock, TX. January 24, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I read the article about "NATIVE LAWNS: HABITURF™ A MULTI-SPECIES MIX FOR NORTH, WEST AND CENTRAL TEXAS" Do you know any landscape companies/groups in Austin - Round Ro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ilex vomitoria Sufering from Drought? January 19, 2012 My Ilex vomitoria has always thrived. It is about ten years old. This fall, a portion of the leaves on the ends of the branches have turned yellow on the edges with green veining in the center. Othe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replacing Drought-Stricken Cedars January 16, 2012 Hello, I live in Williamson County on a couple acres. We have several dead cedars as a result of drought; we're reluctant to cut them down because many of them provide a friendly barrier between us... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Leaves dropping on evergreen sumac in San Antonio January 11, 2012 I have a large evergreen sumac in my back yard that started off as a small shrub 10 years ago. This summer the leaves turned red and now have dropped off. Is the plant dead? It sent out two smaller pl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Due to drought is pruning live oaks beneficial from Houston December 07, 2011 Would it be beneficial (presuming a continued spring drought) to prune live oak trees more severely than usual this winter? I'm thinking that it might help them to have less mass to support. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Drought tolerant grass with little need for mowing for Hill Country of Texas November 17, 2011 What grass would you recommend for the hill country of Texas that is drought tolerant and does not need frequent mowing? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Drought affecting non-native Zoysia grass in Austin November 06, 2011 Due to the extreme drought here in Austin this year and the watering restrictions our Zoysia lawn has suffered and appears to be dead in many areas of our lawn. Will it come back? Is there anything w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Restoring fire damage in Bastrop TX November 03, 2011 I live in the Bastrop State Park area. We were severely affected by the wildfire and as we are trying to rebuild our home, we are being very aware of the particularities of the recovery process. We lo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Trees and shrubs turning brown in Dripping Springs TX October 31, 2011 Due to the extended drought - a number of trees and shrubs in our Dripping Springs area property have turned brown. Specifically: Live Oak; Agarita; Ash Juniper; Cedar Elm. Is this a dormant stag... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Water eroding corner in Austin October 25, 2011 I live close to the Wildflower Center. My yard slopes - as do my neighbors' yards to one corner in my yard. The result is constant moisture in one corner. The rest of the yard is caliche, rocks (m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-native lambs ears wilting in heat from Fredericksburg TX October 19, 2011 3 days ago I had professional landscaping done in an area with plants that tolerate heat & sun well. We planted 7 healthy, large lambs ear & mulched. Everything planted is doing well except the lambs ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native replacement for non-native Bermudagrass in Leander TX October 16, 2011 We have Bermuda grass. Large patches have died due to the drought and our yard has been taken over by weeds and St. Augustine grass whose seeds must have blown in. Even when the grass was in great con... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sun loving plants for flower bed by the pool in Weatherford Texas October 03, 2011 We have a 40' long x 2 1/2' wide flowerbed along our pool. It is in full sun with the pool deck across the front and a 6' privacy fence across back. Also, the level of the bed is 18" below the l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Cenizos browning in Houston October 01, 2011 After this horrible drought, I am committed to xeriscaping with native Texas plants. The few hibiscus that survived have been transplanted into pots and are thriving. I bid the tiny boxwoods a fond fa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| 2012 wildflower forecast from Friendswood TX September 29, 2011 What is your current view of the 2012 Wildflower Forecast? What weeks might be best for someone traveling from Colorado to see our flowers? We are concerned about what the drought will do to the 20... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Evergreen privacy hedge resistant to verticillium wilt September 27, 2011 I am looking for an evergreen, fast-growing privacy hedge (over 6') that is resistant to verticillium wilt and has low water requirements. I live in Monrovia, CA and have to replace hopseed bushes w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Eight Foot Screen for Austin, TX September 01, 2011 I'm looking for a fast-growing shrub to "extend" the height of my fence and provide privacy in my yard in Austin. My lot is pretty much full sun and very dry, mostly clay soil. 8' is my goal. Than... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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