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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| Replacing non-native lawn grasses in an HOA in Kyle TX March 27, 2009 We just rounded out our first year with our first lawn here in Central Texas. I was stingy with the water and needless to say our non-native, Bermuda grass and St. Augustine lawn did not fare well. Id... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grass for sunny Texas lawn February 28, 2009 We lost our front yard(bermuda) last summer/fall due to grubs(we think). When and what type of grass seed do we do this spring to plant a new yard? We can't afford to lay sod. It's mostly sunny. We ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Lawn Grass for North Georgia February 19, 2009 I would like to know which type of grass would be best to plant in my yard? I have two dogs so there is a lot of traffic. The yard is on a slope so some of it stays dry while the rest is almost always... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Las Vegas lawn grass for Dallas February 13, 2009 Dear Smarty Plants, Every time we go to Las Vegas I admire the beautiful grass in the lawns of most of the strip casinos. It looks like a fescue but it is just as beautiful on the hottest summer day... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Short native turf grass for Texas lawn January 31, 2009 I would like a native grass mix that doesn't get too tall. It is mostly sun with afternoon shade. Mowing wouldn't be a problem, but not necessary. The soil is pretty good but shallow.I hate the ber... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Watering schedule for sod lawn November 23, 2008 We just moved to Georgetown, TX, where we have a 2-month old sod lawn (NOT Zoysia) that appears to becoming fairly well-established. We want to conserve water for environmental and financial reasons.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native grass for Round Rock, Texas lawn November 12, 2008 Hello, I just moved into a new place and the grass in the back yard is very spotty. I would like to know the best seed to put down to cure this problem. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Clover for possible lawn area in The Woodlands, TX October 01, 2008 I have two areas in my large lawn that grass refuses to grow. I am thinking of seeding with clover which old lawns used to always have. Which clover will grow in this area? Where do I find seeds an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Submerged paving under lawn September 07, 2008 I had 4 patches of rectangular areas (about 4'x6'or more) in my lawn where the grass is fine in spring but totally dies in summer. I decided to till these bare patches so that grass may grow better... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Blocking stolons of St. Augustine grass July 25, 2008 I have St. Augustine in my yard, and I am sick of edging the stolons that grow onto the sidewalk and driveway. Is there any way to stop the stolons or block them so that I can just mow and throw away ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Source for nitrates and phosphorus (P205) for lawn care July 04, 2008 I recently supplied soil samples from my back yard to my local extension here in Austin. I have a hybrid Bermuda turf grass (TIF 419) that has had its share of ups and downs, and wanted to assess the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cause of yellowing buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) June 07, 2008 We are getting large yellow areas in our buffalo grass lawn and think this is probably due to grub worms. Are grub worms the likely culprit and if so, what is the best way to get rid of them? We don... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Brown ryegrass in Austin lawn June 03, 2008 We had rye grass planted in our yard last fall. It was beautiful all winter. Now it is brown but the St. Augustine has not yet taken over, so there are large portions of the lawn with an abundance o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native buffalograss in sandy loam April 19, 2008 I am in the Austin area and want to plant Native Texas Buffalo Grass in sandy loam from the Colorado River bed. Will this work? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Erosion control in lawn in Tulsa, Oklahoma April 03, 2008 Hello Mr. Smarty Plants! I have an erosion control question. I have a growing problem with erosion on one side of my house. The soil from the side of my house slopes down about 8" in about 3 feet to ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pros and cons of Hydrocotyl bonariensis as lawn replacement March 22, 2008 Want to convert lawn TO dollar weed! My Garland TX yard has become so shady over the years that I have a hard time with grass. A few years ago I noticed dollar weed in the grass which seemed to cre... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Low-growing lawn substitute for Pennsylvania March 19, 2008 Hello Mr. Smarty Plants Please help. We are moving to an old farm house in Western Pennsylvania with several acres of lawn. Our plan is to return much of the land to wildlife friendly meadows and woo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Buffalo grass and other native grass for lawn in Central Texas March 17, 2008 Hi, I live in Cedar Park, TX - recently moved to into a newly built house. I wanted to put some native grass (like buffalo) in the back yard. - My back yard has slope (away from house) and front... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Live oak sprouts in lawn and flower beds March 06, 2008 I have several live oak trees that keep putting up sprouts in my lawn and flower beds. Is there any way to prevent this ? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sowing grass for shaded lawn in Texas February 04, 2008 I'm renting a home for short period of time, hence I would like to make this as simple, but as beneficial as possible. The backyard soil is degraded and compacted so I would like to try and use a "... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides) for Brownsville, Texas lawn January 08, 2008 I inherited a house 2 miles from Boca Beach near Brownsville, Tx. Water has to be trucked in 30 miles from Brownsville so a conventional lawn is out of the question. Now the yard is only weeds. Alw... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides) and buffalo grass mixes October 05, 2007 I live in Austin, TX and have visited the Wildflower Center in the past and enjoyed the display of native grass mixes. Can you tell me about the variations of buffalograss mixes... which ones are most... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Low maintenance, water and height lawn September 10, 2007 We would like to replace our lawn that covers a large area of our front and back yard and is watered daily and twice a day in summertime with drought resistant plants. Mr. Smarty Plants, could you rec... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Replacement of lawn with native grasses in Maryland August 31, 2007 I live in west central Maryland within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. My soil is heavy clay and nutrient deficient. I have/am planting native flower beds and a vegetable garden in an effort to reduce... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Invasive non-native Bermuda grass in lawns July 30, 2007 Hello Mr. Smarty Pants. My yard here in southwest Austin is the only lawn with Bermuda Tif 419 grass. I am surrounded by neighbors with St. Augustine. I upgraded to this hybrid Bermuda for a number of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grassy "weed" invasion in Bermuda grass lawn July 09, 2007 Our grass is being totally overrun by this weed.(I don't know what the name is but I do know it's not the dandelion weed or the thin grassy weed). It is Bermuda grass and I really don't know how to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mixing of bluebonnets and buffalograss in a lawn April 22, 2007 I have moved into a house with a yard full of weeds. I would like to plant Buffalograss but understand Buffalograss is sparce and difficult to keep the weeds out. So, I was considering mixing it wit... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Calyptocarpus vialis, Horseherb, for shady, mowable lawn April 06, 2007 Graham, Texas, Heavily wooded. Too shady for St. Augustine grass. Need mowable ground cover near house. Have heard of something called horsewort, but not able to find anything about it. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of chickweed from lawns April 06, 2007 How do I get Cerastium arvense L. - field chickweed out of my lawn? How can I kill them without hurting my grass? I don't have a clue as to how they got into my lawn, but my lawn is the only one on... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Buffalograss as lawn replacement in Austin, TX March 12, 2007 Mr. Smarty Plants, I have just moved into a house that has a yard full of weeds. I was planning on killing the existing ground cover and starting buffalo grass, when I came upon several articles on... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of Bermuda grass in lawn November 22, 2006 Help! I am looking for a way to get rid of coastal bermuda grass in my yard, short of all out toxic chemical warfare. Is there any thing that can be used other than herbicides. Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Preventing armadillos from digging up lawn for grubs September 29, 2006 Over the past 4 months we have endured an armadillo digging up our lawn. We are now seeking a humane method to discourage the armadillo from digging up the grubs in our lawn. Do you have any suggest... 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 | ||
| Removal of Western yarrow invading lawn July 23, 2006 We have western yarrow in our yard and it is starting to take over and kill the grass. How do we get rid of it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Elimination of non-native, invasive King Ranch bluestem in lawn June 06, 2006 How can I eliminate an annual infestation of king ranch bluestem in my bermuda lawn? Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native replacements for non-native St. Augustine lawn April 20, 2006 Hi. We would like to reseed our lawn. It is currently St. Augustine. What would you suggest for a low maintanence, drought tolerant grass or ground cover. We would prefer to have something that do... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Process of converting from lawn to wildflower meadow in New Jersey March 17, 2006 I live in northern New Jersey and have an acre of property which is currently a grassy lawn. I would like to make a meadow where the lawn is. What is the process to convert from a lawn to a meadow? Th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Low maintenance native plants for sloping lawn in Maine June 07, 2005 Hello, we live in Maine and have clay-ey soil with a lot of sun. I suspect the soil is acidic as well. We would like to replace at least part of our small front lawn with native ground cover or gras... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Elimination of bermuda grass from St. Augustine lawn January 04, 2005 Dear Mr.Smarty Plants, I am so frustrated with the bermuda grass mixed with St. Augustine grass. I have tried Ortho-B-gone but it did not work. Is there any measure to kill the Bermuda grass but not... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Value of planting wildflowers versus maintaining turf November 02, 2004 I'm trying to determine the cost/value of planting wildflowers and whether it is less costly than maintaining turf. Do you have any research on this topic? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mixture of native grasses as opposed to buffalo grass monoculture November 26, 2003 My husband and I just built our home on Lake Travis. Our lot is very rocky and is on the side of a hill. We would like to plant something on the incline at the front of our home that doesn't need a l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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