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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Esperanza failing to bloom in Odessa TX September 01, 2009 I have 3 Esperanza plants that have not bloomed this spring/summer. I live in Odessa, TX. We had about 5 inches of rain in July in one week (very unusual), but they have not bloomed-before or after. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
PVC pipes for irrigation in ground in Austin August 19, 2009 Mr. Smarty Plants,What are your thoughts on installing PVC pipes into the ground around trees and shrubby trees? A classmate's grandmother had a pipe pushed or pounded into the ground near her speci... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Why do the leaves of my potted Esperanza plant look droopy? August 13, 2009 My Esperanza plant leaves look droopy. I have it in a big pot and have for 3 years. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Watering oaks during drought in Austin July 29, 2009 Should we be watering our live oaks and Spanish oaks during this drought? How often and how much? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Why is my Weeping Fig crying leaves? July 27, 2009 I have a weeping fig that I bought Memorial day in Birmingham, Al. It has 8 or 9 trunks growing altogether. It sits on a porch with eastern exposure, only about 2 hours of sun. It has been losing l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Yellow bands around edges of leaves in Whitney TX July 20, 2009 How can you tell whether esperanzas are getting too much water or not enough - ours have a small yellow band around the edges of the leaves - crape myrtles - same question View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Fungus gnats on house plant in Edwardsville IL July 16, 2009 I recently purchased a Trailing Perennial Plant, and I am seeing a lot of gnats flying in my house. Could this be the problem? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
How to care for newly transplanted Live Oak. July 02, 2009 I planted 3 B & B, 6" caliper live oaks in February and they lost most of their leaves during the normal time but when the new leaves grew back the amount of leaves were quite a bit less. I have th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants around swimming pool June 23, 2009 What kind of plants can I plant around my swimming pool and will not be harmed by the chemicals of the pool? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Why are the leaves of my century plants yellowing? June 22, 2009 I am taking care of the Agaves (century plants) for my condo community here in Austin. They are planted in 18" or 20" pots. A couple of the plants have leaves that are yellowing around the bottom.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Trailing snapdragon hanging basket has flowers that are turning brown. June 09, 2009 Trailing snapdragon hanging basket in yellow, flowers are turning brown all over the plant. Why? I water every day as told & fertilized once in 3 weeks. It was so beautiful. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
How will my Texas Mountain Laurel survive clay soil? June 09, 2009 Mr. Smarty Pants: I live in a new neighborhood (brownfield site) in Central Austin where the developers have put fill in the yards. After not much more than 2 inches of topsoil you encounter fairl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Topmost leaves on yucca are brown June 08, 2009 I live in the Lansing, Michigan area, in the lower peninsula and have a couple yuccas whose topmost leaves are brown emerging from winter. Do I prune those, or has the plant died? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Problems with tomatoes in tubs in Campbellton, TX May 30, 2009 I have my tomatoes planted in big black plastic tubs, they are starting to wilt and dry up. I have put Sevin dust on them for bugs. I haven't been over watering. Could you please tell me why they are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Problem with Salvia Mystic Spires in Chesterfield VA May 30, 2009 Last August, our local Lowes had these beautiful, unusual blue perennials on the discount rack called "Salvia Mystic Spires". For 50 cents each, they looked terrific, so I bought all they had, about... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Will chlorinated pool water affect the soil in a vegetable garden? May 22, 2009 For the first time I'm going to plant a vegetable garden, and I have an area cleared. My swimming pool cover came off over the winter, and the pool water is a dark green to look at, but looks clear w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Failure to thrive of Cherokee sedge in Spicewood, TX May 18, 2009 I have several Cherokee sedges, just planted in March. Three of them are doing fine, but the rest look like they're dying. Some are right next to one that is doing great. Any ideas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Desert willows not doing well in Navarro County, TX May 16, 2009 Planted 3 new desert willows , 3-4 ft.in February. Live in East Navarro County and soil is clay with slight slope to Richland Chambers lake area. Had a wet spring. These plantings appear not doing we... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
My newly planted Mountain Laurel isn\'t doing well. March 13, 2009 My mountain laurel was planted from a container in Dec. It is in part sun, clay soil, and its leaves are turning yellow. should I move it or will that kill it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Recently planted live oak tree in Boerne, TX February 07, 2009 My brother planted a live oak in August. It was from a nursery and had a root ball. It looks dead but I keep watering it. The trunk is about 6 inches around. The leaves died but when the winds came th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Berms to hold water around roots December 05, 2008 I planted new flower beds this November. There are currently dirt 'berms' around each plant - creating a well for water to seep into the immediate plant area. How can I keep these berms from erodi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Repotting of lemon cypress for drainage October 26, 2008 Hi, I bought a lemon cypress tree in a nice tin, It is in Plastic and the bottom has about 1.5" of water with no drainage in the plastic or tin. It will be kept inside. Does the plant need to be in... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Watering needs for a new landscape October 11, 2008 How much and how frequently are you supposed to water after implementing a new landscape? For example, perennials and succulents that are drought tolerant. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Leaves dropping on native Texas Mountain Laurel in San Antonio September 20, 2008 Please help. We have a beautiful TX Mountain Laurel in our front yard. This year the leaves are dropping like snow in the north. What do you think is wrong with our tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Failure to thrive of Hamelia patens in Laredo September 19, 2008 I have a question regarding Hamelias patens(firebush)that I have been trying to grow for 2 years. I live in Laredo, Texas and this area should be an excellent climate for this plant. I planted 12 of t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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