Native Plants
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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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| Mechanism for Cenizo bush blooming before rain October 04, 2006 Why does cenizo (aka barometer bush) bloom before it rains? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Drought resistant plants or flowering shrubs with pink flowers September 15, 2006 I need a hardy, drought resistant flower or flowering shrub for my renter, who likes pink flowers. She doesn't remember to water and most likely won't do any weeding. Area is Corinth, TX. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of Tacoma stans or Yellow Bells September 05, 2006 We have seen a plant along the freeway here in Round Rock...beautiful greens leaves and the most amazing yellow flowers. Someone told us it was an esperanza plant and drought tolerate; however, I can... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replacement of barberry hedge with native, bird-friendly plants August 30, 2006 I am looking to replace an existing barberry hedge with a deciduous hedge, using a plant that is native to the northeast. I am in zone 6. The site is sun/part sun with decent drainage. The mature si... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Protecting hibiscus from cold in Eastern Washington State July 28, 2006 I recently purchased a Hibiscus Brilliant Red. I planted it in an area of my garden that will give it full sun for most of the day. In the Pacific Northwest where I live (Eastern Washington) it can ge... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Moisture as trigger for Cenizo bloom July 17, 2006 Does the cenizo bloom because it has had water on its leaves and stems? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Blooming of native swamp azalea in New York July 04, 2006 I have a native swamp azalea, very healthy, but it has never bloomed. Do you know why or how I could get it to bloom? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning of Hamelia patens, Firebush June 23, 2006 I have a Hamelia Patens (Fire Bush) it says it will grow to 12 feet high and 5-6 feet across. Can I keep pruning it to about 5 feet without damaging the shrub? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native Texas Hill Country nitrogen-fixing plants June 07, 2006 Please help me find a listing of native (TX Hill Country) nitrogen-fixing plants. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hill Country natives for a hedge June 01, 2006 Can you recommend a "hedge type" bush to use in lieu of a fence along the road in the San Antonio region? My whole back yard is planted with Hill Country natives and I would prefer to keep the the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native holly (ilex) for Austin area May 28, 2006 Hi--my brother and his family live in Austin, TX--their german shepard "Holly" just died (she was 13)--I was throwing around the idea of sending them a holly plant of some sort to have in honor of H... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Natural location of Ceanothus impressus in California May 21, 2006 Where is Ceanothus impressus 'victoria' native? I need as specific as you can. Thanks much. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Locating Rosa rugosa for Massachusetts May 09, 2006 There is a shrub that grows out on the Cape especially at the beach. I have always called it Beach Rose and I have heard other people call it a Beach Plum. However, the most recent picture of a Beac... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Western Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale) for Southern California May 04, 2006 Are there any fragrant varieties of azalea that will grow in Southern California? There are some wonderful native azaleas I found in North Carolina, such as the r. alabamense and r. atlanticum. I h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure of fragrance in Sweet Shrub (Calycanthus floridus) in Illinois April 30, 2006 I have a sweet shrub bush that I took from the root of another one. Every year it blooms but never has even a smidgen of fragrance. The bush it came from was very fragrant. Should I do something to th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants with little sun and northern exposure for New York April 26, 2006 I live in a co-op and want to fix up the backyard. The backyard area has a west area to plant with a northern exposure and little sun and I am looking to plant something to cover the area. I would lik... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native, non-invasive plants for Canaan Valley, WV April 23, 2006 I recently purchased a home on an acre of land in the middle of Canaan Valley, WV. The front yard is flat and sunny, the back is on a ridge and is a little forest with a creek at the bottom. The tre... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Xeriscaping in clay on a slope in Fort Worth April 06, 2006 Xeriscaping in clay (Fort Worth) on a slope -- Please offer suggestions and publications. Thanks View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native plants suitable for rock garden in New York March 26, 2006 I'd like to start a rock garden. The area is very rocky, the soil is shallow and it's partially shaded. I'd like mostly perennials that flower from spring to fall. I hope to make some purchases fr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen fast-growing native shrubs for privacy shield in Baytown, TX March 07, 2006 A gas well is going in across the road. We need a fast growing native tall shrub to line our property next to the road. It needs to maintain its leaves in the winter also. We hope to cut down on th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Low cost, low maintenance, water tolerants native plants for New Jersey February 25, 2006 I am planning a bed around my deck which will include shrubs and flowers. I am looking for plants that require a lot of water due to the wet soil conditions and poor drainage in my yard. Do you have... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Use of cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens) for tea February 20, 2006 Back in the 50's when I spent the summers with my grandmother south of Hondo, Texas, she use to pick leaves from the cenizo (purple sage) bushes, dry them and then brew them for tea. I asked one of m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Inadvisability of introducing American Beautyberry to Michigan November 25, 2005 I recently brought back to Michigan from Florida 2 young beauty berry plants. I currently have them in a pot inside my home. They are growing quite well, and show a hearty appearance. What are th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hearty, bushy native plants for windowboxes in Abilene, TX October 08, 2005 I live in Abilene, Tx and am a horrible gardener. I would love to have window boxes with some sort of hearty bushy plant. Any suggestions, I'm at a total loss...? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Monocarpic plants for Indiana October 06, 2005 We were in Hawaii this summer and became acquainted with the Silversword. This plant (according to what we were told) blooms only once in it's lifetime (of 50-70 years). Are you aware of any other pl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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