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.
Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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.
Search Smarty Plants
| topic | question | |
| Shrub to hide chain link fence August 12, 2008 Mr. Smarty Plants, Please recommend a tall, thick shrub to conceal the 6 foot chain link fence around the perimeter of our property. The fence is located down a hill from our home with western exposur... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to keep persimmons from staining patio August 10, 2008 We have approximately 4 female persimmons bearing fruit around our back patio. Birds are carrying the berries to our patio and eating them which leaves a dark stain on our patio. I'm having to go o... 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 | ||
| Identification of shrub with thorns August 07, 2008 I have a plant in my garden that I need to identify. It is a tall shrub (approx. 10 feet) that has very large thorns on its green branches. It is now showing small white flowers. I don't know if i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to thrive of Lantanas August 06, 2008 Here at work we have 4 beautiful yellow Santanas(should I say had), the leaves have started to turn brown and no longer blooming. Appears to have a fungus or disease. Please help! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Lilac bush roots dangerous to house foundations August 06, 2008 Are lilac bushes dangerous to the foundation of a house? There is a lovely white-blooming lilac that grows against the house outside my bedroom window. My ex-husband said that the roots would destro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning of Grape Kool Aid Plant in California August 03, 2008 I have a Grape Kool Aid plant and was told it would grow to 6 or 7 feet tall, but it is well over that and I need to know if I can prune it and if so how? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to bloom of Tecoma stans in Austin August 02, 2008 We Planted a Yellow Esperanza shrub 2 years ago that was blooming when we purchased it. It bloomed very little last year and not at all this year. It looks very healthy and each year gets about 10 f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning and deadheading rosa rugosa while blooming August 01, 2008 Can you prune the dead flowers and branches of rosa rogosa while it is still blooming? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will desert rose (Rosa stellata) survive in south Florida July 30, 2008 I have a mature desert rose and I wanted to plant it in the ground. I live in southwest Florida.I want to know will it survive and should I wait to plant it next year? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hardy plants for a narrow yard in Illinois July 28, 2008 I have an area in my yard that is approx 35 feet by 5 feet that is shaded on the east by a 4 ft fence and on the west by the house and above by trees. It slopes off to the neighbors yard (so doesn't ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Getting rid of wild plums (Prunus angustifolia) July 28, 2008 When I bought my land, there was a humongous thicket of wild plums (Prunus angustifolia) approx 10 ft high and covering 5-10 acres. I raise goats, and have known that wild plums (the leaves) can cause... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Eradication of mahonia repens July 27, 2008 What is the best way to kill and/or remove mahonia repens? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Small evergreen plants in Rhode Island July 27, 2008 Please name a few small flowering evergreen plants. Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Natural barrier for sheep in England July 26, 2008 Hi I am trying to find a plant that sheep will not eat to use as a natural barrier to keep sheep out of my R/C model flying clubs flying field.It will have to be a couple of feet tall and be a long li... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure of highbush blueberry plant to produce in New Hampshire July 25, 2008 One of my highbush blueberry plants completely stopped producing. What can I do to revive it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Florida shrub with tiny green pumpkin-like fruit July 23, 2008 I live in Central Florida and have a fast-growing shrub with long stems. The leaves are similar to sassafras and from a distance the red flowers resemble those of a geranium. It has pods that look l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of previously-planted perennials July 23, 2008 HI I JUST MOVED INTO A NEW HOUSE THIS YEAR THE PREVIOUS OWNERS PLANTED A LOT OF BEAUTIFUL PERENNIALS BUT I WANTED TO PLANT OVER ONE OF THE PERENNIALS THAT I REALLY DO NOT CARE FOR. IS THAT POSSIBLE? I... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Death of Tecoma stans after heavy rain July 21, 2008 I had two esperanza plants. They have been planted for about four months, this spring. They were blooming and growing. We had six inches of rain in five days and they began to wilt - and then they d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants to hide utility boxes July 16, 2008 What are suggestions for plants to plant around utilities boxes (3 of them clustered together) to effectively camouflage them but be attractive. We will outline a larger area in brick, plant evergree... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting shrubs and flowers under pine trees in New York July 15, 2008 We just started to plant flowers and the whole back side of our yard is pine trees. I was wondering what types of flowers can be planted under them, and what kind of plants or shrubs can be planted un... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen native plants for slope in South Carolina July 14, 2008 We would like to plant an evergreen garden in our backyard, which is on a slope. It receives the sun from approx 9-4. We have an above ground pool, and patio area. Would also like a recommendation of ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning blue potato tree (Lycianthus rantonnei) July 14, 2008 I wrote earlier about a blue potato tree(Lycianthus rantonnei) the top appears dead but if you break a branch it is still green, what would happen to it if I cut all the branches forming at the bottom... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants that are dog-proof in South Texas July 13, 2008 I live in Odem, Texas and would like to use only native plants in my front and backyard. I have two puppies who love to dig. What plants should I use that require minimal attention from me and will no... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to care for blueberries in Oregon July 11, 2008 New to oregon and to blueberry bushes - can you tell me the proper way to care for them - location-sandy, Oregon and unsure of which type of blueberry they are thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| topic | question | |