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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| Southern Magnolia Damaged by Deer April 16, 2015 I have a young Southern Magnolia (about 6 feet tall) that was damaged by deer on the main trunk. The bottom 2 feet looks okay, but where they damaged it and tore branches off, and above that, the leav... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native Perennials for Bees and Butterflies in VA April 15, 2015 What native perennial plants and trees can we plant to help honey bees and butterfly larvae in Harrisonburg, VA? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need plants to replace Red Tipped Photinias in Bonham, TX April 11, 2015 I have 7 red tipped photinias that had all their leaves eaten last summer by an infestation of grasshoppers. I do mean all. They are or were about 10 years old. Can you tell me if they will grow back ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Live Oak Mess in Liberty, TX April 09, 2015 Should I leave the pollination debris that has fallen from my 3 historic live oaks on the ground surface beneath them or use a leaf blower to remove. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shade Tree for Sunny California Yard April 03, 2015 I am getting ready to sell my home in Van Nuys, California. My home had a beautiful fruitless mulberry that had to be removed. My front door faces west. The house is now very hot. I would like to know... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Companion Plants for Salix nigra in Texas April 02, 2015 I'm looking the list of companion plants as well as those that might not go well with Salix nigra. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need plants to provide a privacy screen in Cedar Creek, TX March 31, 2015 We need to screen out neighbor's house. What can we plant (fast growing tree or hedge) in partial shade? Area is dry in summer, but does get soggy during heavy rain. We live east of Austin in Cedar C... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Screen Tree for Lockhart, TX. March 30, 2015 What is a good screening tree for a ranch in the Lockhart area that won't get much water. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Source for Hickory in Texas March 25, 2015 I'm looking for a nursery in Texas that sells hickory trees. I've used your supplier links and gone through many, many websites of suppliers. However, the only nut tree anyone sells is pecan. I'... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcovers for Shade Under a Sweetgum March 25, 2015 I have 3 large sweetgum trees that produce so much shade each summer, and grass, even grass meant for shade, won't grow here. It's become a barren desert! I have English ivy but it only seems to gro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of mystery tree in Huntington Beach, CA March 25, 2015 Have a "tree" that has grown from about 18" tall to about 10' tall in a little over a years time. It has a central trunk that is about 3/4" in diameter at it's largest. It has short thin branch... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trees with white blossoms in Crockett, Texas March 21, 2015 What are the trees that are blooming just East of Crockett Texas (off of Hwy 21) right now - fairly large trees - multitude of white blooms - almost like a wild plum or pear, but tree seems too large?... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Inquiry about the Arizona Cypress trees in the Family Garden March 20, 2015 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I recently visited The Wildflower Center and enjoyed seeing several features that were new since my last visit two years ago. In the Family Garden areas I saw several beautifu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pinus taeda (Loblolly pines) for a property in Van Zandt County, Texas March 17, 2015 I want to initiate a stand of loblolly pine trees on our property in Van Zandt County in NE Texas. Assuming the ph factor is within range, how do I obtain seedings for this endeavor? Any other advic... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of wild plum in Childress County, Texas March 16, 2015 I have a Wild Plum follow up question. My wife grew up around the Childress TX area. She remembers going around the creeks and gathering Wild Plums for her mother as a child. Would you have any ide... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Why did the blossoms on my mountain laurels dry up before they flowered? March 15, 2015 Why did the blossoms on my mountain laurels dry up before they flowered? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Saving a 350-year old Live Oak March 14, 2015 I live in Jefferson Parish outside New Orleans. I have a large Live Oak tree that is over 350 years old and has been damaged by Katrina. I have contacted one arborist and they said that the tree is st... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Companion Plants for Texas Mountain Laurel March 12, 2015 I am building a garden from scratch and need help. I want to plant a Texas mountain laurel on each front section of my house in front of a window, and I also want to use Thumbelina Leigh English laven... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Deer Resistant Evergreens for Pennsylvania Woods March 12, 2015 We are looking for evergreens that will grow in a partially shaded/wooded area and are ideally deer resistant. Hemlocks are out because of a parasite infestation in our area of Pennsylvania. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Dealing with live oak suckers in Central Texas March 05, 2015 Hi, I have a couple huge Live Oak trees in my back yard. Trunks are 4' in diameter. These Live Oaks produce a lot of root sprouts/suckers. I had always head that a tree's roots feed on water/oxyg... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What shade trees have non-invasive root systems? March 03, 2015 What shade trees have a non-invasive root system? I am in zone 7a. Thank you, Mr. Smarty Plants! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need suggestions for planting trees in poor soils in Austin, TX February 27, 2015 Due to the clay soils and poor drainage in East Austin, what ornamental trees do you normally suggest? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
February 24, 2015 I have an Ehretia anacua in the way of possible development of a new building and I have a few questions.\r\nWhat is the typical life span of that tree and are the roots sensitive to compaction and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Insect damage to Meyer lemon in Texas February 19, 2015 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a Meyer Lemon tree in Galveston. It produced a lot of lemons. However, something has bit up to quarter sized holes from the side edges of the leaf. Could you please... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need fast growing deciduous trees for Austin, TX February 14, 2015 We'd like to plant several fast growing deciduous trees in a full sun yard with a hard alkaline soil in the western edge of Travis Heights in South Austin. I've noted several locations in our neighb... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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