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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| Problem with Pterocaulon pycnostachyum September 17, 2014 I have a solitary Pterocaulon pycnostachyum in my wildscape; it invited itself. Some years it does not flower at all (or the bloom is eaten before I see it), and its stalks (usually 4) are not ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Butterfly Plants for Chicago September 13, 2014 I live near Chicago, IL and am interested in planting a butterfly garden. Not sure when to start, but I want all native plants that would attract butterflies. Can you please let me know which plants ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| When to Collect Rudbeckia triloba Seed? September 13, 2014 How soon after flowering may I cut Rudbeckia triloba flower heads to save seeds? Do cones need to be attached to the plant in or out of the ground to continue to mature? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hummingbird Bushes for Broken Arrow OK August 27, 2014 I am looking for bushes that attract hummingbirds. I live in Broken Arrow, OK. Can you recommend some? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Deer Resistant Plants for Newton Square, PA August 25, 2014 I'm looking for highly deer resistant plants native to PA. Thank you! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shasta Daisies without Petals August 21, 2014 My shasta daisies do not have the white petals, only the yellow center is in bloom. There are no visible signs of insects. They get a good amount of sun - about 5 hours per day. What could be the prob... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowering ofPluchea odorata in Houston, TX August 13, 2014 I sprouted Pluchea odorata seeds this spring, but the plants seem too small to bloom this year. Although your website characterizes this plant as an annual, do you think it will survive the Houston wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Soil Loosener/Pollinator Plants for Houston August 11, 2014 I am trying to establish a mostly-native pollinator way-station in a recently purchased lot in a 100 year old neighborhood in Houston. Much of the property has a thick layer of oyster shell four to si... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Making a pollinator garden August 11, 2014 Hello, I have a ditch right by my house and I want to turn it into a pollinator garden using native plants. My problem is, right now it's so full of weeds that we have to mow those down so soon. For ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growing Texas star hibiscus in Central Texas August 11, 2014 Hi there, I purchased a beautiful Texas Star Hibiscus that I want to plant in my yard. Unfortunately, my yard being in Travis Heights, I hit a lot of caliche when digging. To plant some other nativ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Magnolia species are allelopathic August 02, 2014 Have a healthy Southern Magnolia tree around 8 years old. It seems like everything I plant next to it dies.: Variegated Spirea, Stokes Aster, Hydrangeas. Is there something it secretes like the waln... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Looking for seeds for Carex texensis and Horse Herb July 27, 2014 I am looking for either plants or seeds of Carex texensis and horseherb with no success. I live in the Albuquerque,NM mountain region (at ~6800ft, zone 6). I need something that is very dought resis... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a Austin thicket underlayer July 25, 2014 We live in Austin, west of 183. We are planning to put a thicket in our backyard, where there is no threat of deer. Anchoring the thicket are a clump of live oaks, a Texas persimmon, an Eve's Necklac... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Gaura Plants Dying In PA July 16, 2014 I had six gaura plants. They were beautiful last year. Now I have one that is doing well and the others are dying slowly one at a time. I don't understand this. They are on a slight slope and have ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Starting Yarrow (Achillea) and Daucus from Seed July 16, 2014 I need to deadhead my cottage yarrow. I assume it has gone to seed. What do I do to plant it as seed? If I can do it, can I do it now or do I need to wait until spring. If I need to wait until spring,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Cutting Garden Plants for TN July 16, 2014 I would like to know what would be in a year round cutting garden in Nashville, TN for a novel I am writing. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| The Unusual Foliage of Green Dragon July 16, 2014 I was hiking last week (July 7-11, 2014) in Hocking County, Ohio and while in a gorge along a river I saw the weirdest plant I've ever seen in my life. It wasn't weird because it had bizarre flowers... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native Plants for a Steep Slope in TN July 15, 2014 Hello, I live in Knoxville, TN and have a very steep slope in our backyard. There is a lot of water erosion causing our grass to be covered with red dirt. I would love to try to plant something on thi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcover for Shady Front Beds in OK July 15, 2014 I need a groundcover for my front beds in Edmond, OK that are moist and in full shade. The groundcover would primarily be around and under a Japanese maple. Low maintenance is preferred. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Optimal time for trimming Fall asters July 04, 2014 RE: fall asters What is the latest date in the summer that I can trim my fall asters and still get a good amount of blooms in October? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Competition between Horseherb and Chickweed July 04, 2014 Ok, sorry I did it wrong the 1st time!? I live in Houston, and I have chickens! I also have mass amounts of Horseherb, and I want to buy some chickweed seeds and plant it for my chickens! My question ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Verbena bonariensis won't bloom in Galveston, TX. July 03, 2014 My Verbena bonariensis is thriving, but never blooms. The plants look healthy, are about 6 feet tall and in full sun. The buds turn light purple but never open to flower. My neighbor's vb are ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wildlife Attracting Plants for a Shady Patio July 03, 2014 We have a concrete patio that receives 2-3 hours of sunlight a day, so the only plants we will be able to grow will be in container. We are looking for plants that do well in shade, and containers and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Reblooming Potted Iris June 12, 2014 I have a pot of iris bulbs that are giving me just a bunch of leaves this year. Last year I had wonderful big blooms. Any suggestions about what I could do to get some flowers? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need to identify hemp-like plant in Bastrop, TX. June 09, 2014 What is the large stalky, hemp-like plant that populates our creek bottoms and ditches here in Central Texas? It has large 5-6 in. lobed leaves, and a fibrous central stalk that gets up to 7 ft tall. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with Copper Canyon Daisy from Austin June 08, 2014 We had 3 copper canyon daisies. Two of them bloomed profusely last year, but only one has come back this spring. We cut them all back as instructed. When it was clear that two were not coming back, we... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Purchase of Galphimia angustifolia from Austin June 08, 2014 I have a Thryallis, Galphimia augustifolia, or Thryallis autustifolia, growing from a limestone ledge in my yard in west Austin TX. I have tried unsuccessfully to buy this native. Do you sell it at t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Red poppies to bloom in November from Round Rock TX June 08, 2014 Hi, I want to plant poppy seed so that they bloom in November for Veterans and Remembrance Day. Can you offer any guidance? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Eliminating silverleaf nightshade from Albuquerque NM June 07, 2014 I have silverleaf nightshade in my yard and would like to eradicate it (yeah, I know, good luck!) or at least control it. Do you have any suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Stress on Goldenball leadtrees from Austin June 07, 2014 I know of two separate instances where young Goldenball Lead Trees (leucena retusa) have shown symptoms of defoliation and a bleeding of white sap from sores that have developed on the bark. The first... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is Phyla lanceolata (frogfruit) poisonous to dogs fromTitusville FL? June 01, 2014 Is Phyla lanceolata, also called Fogfruit, Lanceleaf Fogfruit, or Northern Fogfruit, toxic to dogs? We have it growing amongst our grass. I can't find it on any toxic plant list. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Giant Thistle-Like Plant from Elgin, TX June 01, 2014 I have a giant thistle like plant in my field we have been unable to identify. It looks like a milk thistle but it is short..only about a foot tall..stocky...and the flowers are giant..about 6 to 8 i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mildew on phlox paniculata from Morrisville PA May 30, 2014 My Phlox paniculata, all 7, have powdery mildew. I read about using NEEM to combat the mildew. NEEM is organic but the bottle says it is also an insecticide. The phlox are near my milkweed and gold... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Should Rock Harlequin stay green all winter? May 28, 2014 I have a rock harlequin that came up in a area that had been disturbed. It came up last summer/fall and the foliage survived our tough winter. I can not find anything about this plant staying green al... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Brown leaf problem with herbaceous blooming plants from Greenfield MA May 28, 2014 I have 3 plants cimicifuga brunette and lots of astile planted near each other. Suddenly the edges of leaves have turned brown and shriveled and spread to entire plant, all of them. It has not been ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcovers for North Central Texas May 27, 2014 I have a very large area that is in Palo Pinto County, Texas. We tried to plant grass but it never established. I'm looking for a ground cover that does well in shade (lots of oak tees) and is semi d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with non-native artichoke from El Paso, TX May 25, 2014 I have a five year old artichoke plant in the ground that gets sun and some shade, has plenty of fertilizer and compost. Gets enough water. It has been beautiful in years past and last year had 10 a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hanging Baskets for Batson, TX May 23, 2014 What plants can I put in hanging baskets for my shady porch? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Removal of thistles from Columbus TX May 20, 2014 I am sorry if you have an answer in FAQs but I could not find it. We recently cleared property near Columbus Texas of many cedars (ash junipers). This spring we experienced a profusion of thistle -... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will Canada geese eat Asclepias tuberosa from Cape May Court, NJ May 20, 2014 Will Canada geese eat my butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)? I know this plant is deer resistant. I really want to plant some on sandy bank near pond in my back yard, but I fear the geese will ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| How to Control Pests on Plants for Sale May 15, 2014 I am renting a closed spot at a flea market, and am having trouble with several infestations at once, and I am not sure how to control them. I am currently having trouble with aphids, whiteflies, and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Perennials for a Horse Pasture in Colorado May 15, 2014 I am looking for horse-resistant perennials for zone's 2-4. I live at 9,000 feet in Crested Butte, CO. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Muhlenbergia dumosa safe for horses from Austin May 13, 2014 Is Muhlenbergia dumosa safe for horses? Will horses eat it? I have a client who has a mini-horse who visits her property on occasion, and I want to ensure that what I plant is both safe for the hors... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion Control for a Shaded Slope in Aliquippa PA May 07, 2014 What plants. shrubs or trees can I plant to retard soil erosion on a steep shaded hillside in PA View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Early nectar blooms for Monarch butterflies from Austin May 04, 2014 Could you tell me any early spring blooming nectar plants that monarchs will nectar from. I'm specifically looking for bloom times in March and early April. I have plenty of May blooms but not ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for farm animals from East Greenwich RI May 03, 2014 What type of perennial flowers and shrubs are safe to plant around farm animals (dogs, horses, chickens, turkeys) in New England climate? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shade tolerant plants for erosion from Austin May 03, 2014 I live in Austin and my house backs up to Shoal Creek. I am looking for a native creeping vine or something that will grow on the shaded bank to help prevent erosion. It should be able to tolerate the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Synchronized blooming of cutleaf evening primrose from Brookshire TX April 29, 2014 I have cutleaf evening primrose (grandis) that puts on such an enchanting show, opening every evening in late April, precisely at 8:00 , that guests sit in chairs to watch the spectacle. Incredibly, ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Removal of invasive roots of Turks Cap in College Station TX April 29, 2014 I know people have asked you questions about propagating Turk's Cap, but my question is a little different. I have this plant growing in several locations, because I have a large garden with lots... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growth rate of non-native Asclepias curassavica April 29, 2014 As a volunteer at the National Butterfly center, I wonder how long from starting the seeds until the plant reaches approximately 20 cm tall does it take a tropical milkweed (asclepias curassavica) to ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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