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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| Leaf burn on hydrangeas July 11, 2008 What causes my leaves to burn on my healthy hydrangeas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rust spots on non-native red tip photinia July 10, 2008 I live in Oklahoma and my red tips have rust spots on leaves and some plants are losing leaves. This is a clay soil; can you give me any info. on how to solve this problem? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with rhododendrons in Germany July 07, 2008 I am writing with questions about rhododendrons. I purchased four small rhododendron/azalea hybrids in April. Because I had to prepare the garden before planting them, I left them in the pots they cam... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting native blueberry bushes in Tennessee July 07, 2008 I have long wished to have wild blueberry bushes at my home. They are native to mountainous regions of my state, but I don't know whether or not it is reasonable to expect to be able to grow them wh... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Information about blackleaf elderberry July 03, 2008 I was given a blackleaf elderberry. Do I plant this tree in shade or sun? Also, does it require a lot of moisture? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of shrub in Florida July 03, 2008 Hello Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a question about identifying some bushes. The bushes I have seen through areas of Florida and they seem to be used most often as natural fences. These are the charac... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for wall with afternoon sun in Oregon July 03, 2008 Portland, Or. We have a stacked cement wall about 30 feet long that receives afternoon sun from the west. we would like to plant something edible along that wall that can tolerate afternoon sun. G... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Darkened leaves on blueberry bush July 02, 2008 I have a blueberry bush planted in a very large pot. It has been doing very well, producing berries and new growth. All of a sudden the leaves have begun to turn dark. I have it potted in good soil... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants looking similar to Camellia sinensis in Venezuela June 30, 2008 Is there another plant that looks similar to the tea plant? I need to do a photoshoot of a tea plantation, but canīt really get to one, so I was wondering if there were other plants that at least look... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to bloom in hybrid lantana June 30, 2008 I live in Austin and have planted the newer lantana varieties which bloom with orange and pink flowers.They have been planted in full sun and get watered 2 times a week for about 15 minutes.They do no... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-blooming Tecoma stans in Fredericksburg, TX June 30, 2008 We have an esperanza plant purchased last year from Walmart and planted outside before winter. It flowered excellently last year. Just before winter we cut it back to about a foot. So far this summer ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What about the brown dots on my Silver sage? June 27, 2008 During the past year, the leaves on my silver sage bushes around the perimeter of the front of my house have turned yellow in places and there are tiny brown dots on virtually all of the leaves. If I ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Buffaloberry from Grandma June 25, 2008 I have a "BUFFALO BERRY" that my Grandma brought back from South Dakota.It is approx.8yrs.old.All was well until this spring.It was budding out when we had a very hard freeze and got 3" of snow.Now... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen hedge for constant rain June 24, 2008 We live in Washington State up north by Canadian border. We need a hedge that will survive the constant rain. We have tried cedar. They seem to turn brown and die,one at a time so we keep replacing th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants to put beside driveway June 24, 2008 I have a 100 foot dying grassy side to my driveway. It is about 5 foot wide. What could I plant that would not look like soldiers but be at least 4 foot high and I could use mulch or needles to beauti... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen shrubs for Michigan June 17, 2008 I'm seeking a small-medium, ornamental, fairly compact, evergreen shrub to complement my front yard woodland wildflower garden. I want a shrub that will flank both sides of my front porch steps. I wa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen plants for a windbreak June 13, 2008 Our church has need to plant a windbreak. We would like fast growing native plants, preferably evergreen or really early 'leafers' to protect us from our windy season beginning in mid/late February.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native trees and shrubs for Austin June 11, 2008 Hello, I'm searching for a small or medium-sized endemic or native tree (or tree-like shrub) to feature in the front yard of my South Austin bungalow. I want something that provides dappled shade so... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care for Vauquelinia angustifolia (Chisos Rosewood) June 08, 2008 Hello, I have another question for you. A friend has given me a plant called "Chisos Rosewood" which they bought on a whim but decided they couldn't use. It's said to be evergreen. It's about... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen shrubs for hedge in a Memorial Garden June 07, 2008 Can you recommend some drought tolerant, low maintenance, evergreen shrubs that would be suitable as a hedge for a Memorial Garden? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Landscaping on South Padre Island June 07, 2008 I'm in charge of landscaping at my beachfront condo in South Padre Island and find the wind, salt air, and heat challenging for growing almost anything. We would like to incorporate native plants, b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native sun shrubs and perennials to replace St. Augustine June 06, 2008 Hi, I live in Austin and I'm removing the St. Augustine from the southwest side of our house. This area gets intense sun all afternoon, and I'd really like to use a combination of native shrubs and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Advice about lavender (Lavandula sp.) June 03, 2008 I recently visited a Lavender Farm just outside Gainseville Texas. I was hooked. However, when I started reading about growing Lavender I found that you should have well drained alkaline soil. Since... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-blooming rhododendron in Connecticut June 02, 2008 A two or three yr old rhododendron has not blossomed - ever! All other plants in landscape doing well, but not this one. Help View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with non-native Cleyera and Red-tip photinia June 01, 2008 I planted a row of Cleyera in a bed that receives sunlight for about 3 hours during the middle of the day. My problem is that a number of the plants are dying. It begins with the leaves on one small... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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