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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Relocating native oak trees in compacted soil September 14, 2008 Can you replant and relocate small oak trees in compacted soil and will they grow or go into shock? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Leaf browning on blackfoot daisy in Arizona August 26, 2008 Blackfoot daisy plant was doing great; then, in one day, it turned brown like it had no water. Have a watering system in place which waters once a day for one hour 1/2 gallon a hour. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Leaf fall from Cedar Elm planted in clay August 17, 2008 I saw the answer to leaves falling off a cedar elm planted in clay. However I planted a Cedar Elm in my back yard. I dug a hole in the grass then planted and put grass back on top. I water every other... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Proper watering of cedar elm trees in Sachse, TX August 15, 2008 I've just planted two Cedar elm trees in clay soil, each about four inches in diameter, and I want to water them correctly. I'm aware that too much water can be bad as well as too little water. I ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Failure to thrive of closet plant August 13, 2008 I have a closet plant that is old and was doing fine and then started having droopy leaves. It needed to be in a larger pot so I transplanted into a larger pot with new potting soil. It continues to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Self-watering planters August 12, 2008 I'm a big proponent of the EarthBox (tm) phenomenon - that is, so-called "self-watering" or sub-irrigation planters where a separate but connected reservoir underneath the soil in the planter is fi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Hollies not retaining leaves in Tulsa August 10, 2008 I have Little Red Hollies that have lost their leaves, some areas being bald. They are also not full - you can see through them. These were planted in this condition Spring of '08 and have been wat... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Transplanting a Texas redbud sapling July 27, 2008 I've just discovered a Texas red bud sapling (baby tree)that decided to grow next to our fire pit. Although there's no reason for us to sit around the campfire in 100 degree weather, I would like to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Effects of greywater on plants and soil July 25, 2008 What are the biochemical effects of greywater in plants and soil, because both are related. The effects can be harmful and as well as beneficial, can you give me the details of that? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Should I acidify my well water for native plants July 15, 2008 Should I acidify my well water for irrigation of native plants? There is not enough rainwater collection. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Shriveling and dying of non-native impatiens July 14, 2008 Several years now many of my impatiens after a month or so seem to shrivel up and eventually die. They are planted in a row and not all are affected. I am not noticing any slug evidence which I would... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Mites in soil of house plants June 25, 2008 Hi there! I recently noticed tiny silver mites in the soil of my plants that I only notice after watering. These plants are indoors in on a window ledge (a dwarf palm, aloe plant and Hawaiian Scheffle... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Decline of indoor lemon cypress June 25, 2008 I received a lemon cypress as a gift. I have kept it indoors in bright light and tried to keep it moist. When I received the plant the foliage was soft and now it has become brittle and dry even tho... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Yellowing leaves May 06, 2008 What causes yellowing of native garden plant leaves? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Brown, dry leaves on weeping willow tree May 01, 2008 We live in central TX and have just planted a weeping willow tree. Our back yard has a retention pond and ravine that parallels our property and we were told that the weeping willow will do perfectly ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Care in planting native Shumard oaks April 16, 2008 I am going to plant 3 shumard red oaks on the west side of my property. The land is basically rocky. What should I put in the holes to help the tree grow? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Failure to bloom of Texas Mountain Laurel April 15, 2008 My +/- 4 yr old Tx. Mountain Laurel, has never bloomed. It is in full sun. I sometimes (minimal) fertilize it. I've pretty much planted it and let it grow. Its been pruned back last year when som... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Correct cultural conditions for liatris April 15, 2008 I recently bought some gayfeather (liatris pycnostachya) and planted in my yard in a nice full sun spot. Gets sun for roughly 10 hours a day. However, it's also the single driest spot in my yard (jus... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native plants for sandy soil and not much water April 14, 2008 I am planning a new garden at home and would like to grow native plants that can handle sandy soil and don't need much water. I do not water my gardens.I would prefer plants that can have more than o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Failure of Bald Cypress to fully leaf out April 14, 2008 My family just moved to a house in Burnet County, about 7 miles south of Bertram, close to the Balcones Canyonlands NWR, with very rocky limestone soil. We bought several trees last fall, including a ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Sudden death of Texas Mountain Laurel April 14, 2008 Last year, my 15-year-old Mountain Laurel died very suddenly. The leaves began to curl up and turn brown, and it was dead within about 15 days. What happened? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Withering plants recover with water February 17, 2008 Why do withering plants stand up when you give them water? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Effect of epsom salts and gray water on plants December 04, 2007 We live in Phoenix where water is a precious commodity. We have decided to use as much of the gray water as we can for watering our garden, shrubs and trees. One of the suggestions we heard about w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Transplant shock in Texas natives garden August 20, 2007 Dear Mr. Smarty Pants, I thought that my new Texas Natives garden was recuperating from ALL the rain. But, suddenly, my Texas Red Bud and the Eve's Necklace next to it have MANY yellow leaves. Is the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Overwatering and fertilization of whiteleaf manzanita July 27, 2007 Hi, I have an Arctostaphylos Dr. Hurd, southern California coast, several years old, 10 feet, that has a few large branches with yellowing and spotted leaves... also dropping many. causes? remedy? sh... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Environmentally friendly and drought resistant alternatives to St. Augustine grass September 28, 2006 As a member of the planning committee of our property owners association in Wimberley TX, we are researching ways to make our landscape environmentally friendly and drought resistant. We have 60,000 ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Recommended irrigation schedule for Austin, TX September 04, 2006 With the very hot summer and the conservation of water so important, could you let me know what would be a good watering schedule? I am fortunate enough to have a sprinkler system so I can set my pop... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Transplant shock July 27, 2006 Today I dug up a new natchez variety crape myrtle that had only been planted about 3 months ago. It is fairly young. It was very difficult to dig up as it's root were pretty settled in the spot it ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Root rot and transplant shock in Texas betony July 13, 2006 Texas betony is supposed to be drought resistant but also likes to be kept moist, but I have had trouble getting it established. These seem to be undemanding plants I have had entire stems dry up and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Poor drainage in wildflower bed November 10, 2004 I have a flower bed that has given me difficulty because it has poor drainage but typically receives sun for most of the day. Salvia gregii was the only survivors for the initial landscaping attempt. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Daily water absorption of live oak from soil December 04, 2003 How much water does the live oak absorb from the soil per day? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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