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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| Plants for church gardens in Ft. Worth TX November 07, 2013 Second attempt. Our church has many gardens in Fort Worth, TX. There are gardens for blue,red,yellow,white,purple,orange,pink,mixed,community garden,roses, and more. I am interested in the la... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Rose bush varieties and time to plant from Hutto TX October 31, 2013 What rose bush varieties are recommended for the Hutto Texas area and what time of year is the best time to plant into ground? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Do white-tailed deer consume King Ranch bluestem? October 25, 2013 Will white-tail deer in central Texas consume King Ranch bluestem ? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flying insects eating leaves of non-native Brugmansia in Aline CA October 17, 2013 I have an Angel Trumpet tree. We live in Aline, California 30 miles east of San Diego. Little yellow and black flying bugs eat the leaves. Do you have a remedy for this problem. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sprout from a non-native sago palm in Poinciana FL October 16, 2013 I have two mature (10 years old)sago palms. One of them sprouted a new "head' at the top of the trunk. It is competing with the original one. It is not a pup coming from the root area. Can I cut it ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Correction of tree name from Bay Point CA October 16, 2013 The tree should of been Mulberry don't know how it was changed!! Tuesday - October 15, 2013 From: Bay Point, CA Region: California Topic: Non-Natives, Cacti and Succulents, Trees Title: Non-... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native alternative to tulips from Milford MI October 15, 2013 What could be a good alternative to tulips? I have not seen a native plant quite like a tulip (except a tulip tree). A good alternative should bloom in April or May and have showy flowers. I searched... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Comment on previous answer from Austin October 15, 2013 Ms Bradford, You just answered my question about St. Augustine grass.. actually, you didn't answer it.. You said "sorry, wrong number". Very funny. I think you misunderstood... I would rather no... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Questions on non-native St. Augustine from Austin October 15, 2013 I have St. Augustine grass in my yard. I am having work done in my yard soon, which will require new sod. I know the St. Augustine has to take root in the ground before the first freeze, to assure t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native jade plants and spider plants beneath Mayberry tree in Bay Point CA October 15, 2013 I have a fruitless Mayberry in my back yard that's about 50/50' can I plant jade and spider plants under it? The tree is very healthy. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with non-native photinia in Austin October 07, 2013 Hi, I live in Cedar Park, TX (Austin Suburb)and have planted a number of Photinia shrubs in various areas of my property. All about 10 months old. The leaves are curling along their length on many... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with non-native St. Augustine lawn from Austin October 06, 2013 We have St. Augustine in our front lawn. There are some patches where the grass has entirely died but mixed in with the dead areas are little clumps of living grass. It seems to be spreading througho... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native grasses for golf courses from Austin October 06, 2013 I may be working on two different golf courses and wanted to know if any native or hybrid native grasses would work for the fairways and rough areas? The rough areas are no problem as a number of ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wrapping a newly planted non-native Japanese maple from Fraser MI October 01, 2013 Does a newly planted Japanese maple need to be wrapped in burlap for the cold and snowy winter of Macomb County, Michigan? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Distribution vs. Native Distribution in NPIN? September 27, 2013 I'm a Habitat Steward in Austin and conducting a native plant swap tomorrow, 9/28/13. I need to be able to tell people who come whether their plant is native or not. I want to use your smart phone ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of non-native zoysia grass from Burgettstown PA September 12, 2013 What is the most effective method of killing zoysia grass? We bought a house that sits in the center of four acres of mature zoysia. It looks beautiful, however, despite our best efforts at "weeding... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation of poinsettias in water from Houston September 06, 2013 Pointsettias - we have a broken branch that is thriving in a jar of water with new leaves and additional small branches. When we plant the stem in dirt and even a muck, the growth starts to wither. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with non-native Chinaberry tree from Tucson AZ September 05, 2013 I have a 30+ year old Chinaberry tree and this year the branches are much sparser with leaves and there are a lot of small dead branches. Should I fertilize and what should I use? Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What are the differences between Arbutus xalapensis, A. unedo and A. marina August 29, 2013 One nursery lists madrone trees as arbutus uneda compacta and arbutus marina. The other lists it as arbutus xalapensis, which is the only name I can find in the data base. There is a very large pric... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting wildflowers from Wichita Falls, TX August 24, 2013 Hi, Thanks so much for the answers you give! You've been very helpful to me in the past. I have two quick questions: 1) I have been harvesting seeds from my wildflowers. I wonder when the best time... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Does non-native Crown of Thorns cause cancer? August 24, 2013 Does the plant, Corona De Cristo (Crown of thorns) cause cancer? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shriveling agave from Miami Florida August 23, 2013 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, Most upset - My beautiful agave (wish I could have submitted an image) has stared to misbehave. The once first liquid filled leaves, are starting to look more like the skin ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant ID of invasive vine from Austin August 21, 2013 A friend lives in southwest Austin and has a vine that's coming up all over her yard. I am a Williamson County Master Gardener and have asked all the garden gurus in my group what it is from a photo ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native Japanese maple for East Northport NY August 20, 2013 I live in NY and I am looking to plant a Japanese maple in front of my house. It would be in front of a window so I'm thinking should I get a dwarf? Or a semi dwarf? I know I want a red color but un... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rose care for Austin August 18, 2013 I am a transplant from the Pacific NW and need to relearn rose care for Austin. When is the best time to cut back the roses, or do I even bother? I also need to find out how far back I can trimming a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Has Texas Black Persimmon been crossed with non-native persimmons from Austin August 17, 2013 Hi. I just found a Texas Black Persimmon in my neighborhood. The fruit is olive green and then black, then it explodes into a black slurry of seeds and syrup. The color is so strong I find myself wond... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Arborvitae for house plant from Austin August 15, 2013 I am a Northerner transplanted to Austin, TX. While I love Austin it feels like many of the plants & trees I came to love up north won't grow here at all. Could I grow an arborvitae in my home as a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of tree bought from a magazine ad August 11, 2013 I recently submitted the following question to Ask An Expert. They were unable to identify the plant. I hope you will be able to. Can you help me by either identifying this plant or advising me a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possible maple scale on non-native mophead hydrangeas from Newport RI August 07, 2013 I have a mophead hydrangea that has small white cottony tufts under the leaves and on the stems. I believe this is maple scale. Is there a home remedy I can use to rid this disease? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with non-native, invasive Japanese Privet from Peoria AZ July 31, 2013 I have Japanese Privit bushes. one out of 6 has started to grow very small leaves and does not look healthy. Moon Valley told me shortage of zinc, but that has not helped in 3 months. What can I ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a nursing home resident from LaQuinta CA July 26, 2013 I take care of an elderly woman with dementia. She is in a nursing home and she's always LOVES flowers and plants. Do you have any suggestions for potted outdoor blooming plants for the summer in... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| A cactus-like plant with stinky flowers July 22, 2013 Because of the green parts looking like certain cacti, a friend insists that this plant she saw in Mexico is one. Its blossom doesn't have the rose-like structure that cacti have, but resembles the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native St. Augustine grass failing for 5 years in Houston July 21, 2013 My townhome in Houston has a mid-size backyard, which receives full sun for much of the day. I've re-sodded with St. Augustine for 5 consecutive summers, but it consistently dies over time (proper fe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Red pods on Canna Lilies from Windsor VA July 21, 2013 What are the dark red pods on my canna lilies? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Are non-native hostas causing fly invasion from Eastpointe MI July 14, 2013 I live in Michigan with a small backyard. I have 5 large hostas with the purple flower blooms which are located by my patio. I was wondering if they can be causing my large population of unwanted flie... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native Royal Empress tree with only green leaves from Chambersburg PA July 12, 2013 I have 3 Royal Empress trees in my yard that are between 2-4 yrs old and have never been any color other then big Green leaves. Do you know when they will turn Purple? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native zoysia and bermuda grasses in Austin July 11, 2013 We have Bermuda grass in the front and Zoysia in the back yards. The back grass is fine but the front yard Bermuda isn't. We have watered once each week during the spring and during the past 3 weeks... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Support for non-native, invasive Nandina Domestica from San Antonio, TX July 09, 2013 I consider nandina domestica to be a perfect plant for San Antonio, but see that it is on the list of invasive plants for surrounding eco-areas. How should I respond regarding one of my favorite land... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tree with taproot for Jodhpur India July 05, 2013 I am a resident of India. I need information of a tree with tap roots to grow in my backyard. We have moderate to hot climate here. It needs to be as small as possible due to lack of space. It'd be g... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is Sucissa pratensis (Devil's bit scabious) allelopathic? July 04, 2013 Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center pointed me to you. Can you comment on Devil's Bit Scabious? A neighbor pointed out these volunteer plants in my yard and wants me to kill them. He called them Devi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with non-native weeping willow from Hazlet NJ July 03, 2013 Leaves turning yellow on weeping willow planted in May. What causes this and how can I fix it? Mother's Day gift after SANDY uprooted huge tree. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native Sago palm roots damaging house foundation from Keystone Heights FL July 03, 2013 Will sago palms roots hurt a house's foundation if too close? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-flowering plants in Scottsdale AZ July 01, 2013 I have three plants that are supposed to do well in Arizona but mine are not flowering. The yellow bells and orange jubilee I have get full sun, drip watered 3 x a week for 1 1/2 hrs (at 4am) and are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growing non-native Cabernet Sauvignon vines in Central Texas July 01, 2013 Hi. I recently moved into a remodeled home in Taylor, TX, and have experimented with Cabernet Savignon vines before. I have a 1/2 acre and a chain-link fence I want to put vines on. (I have a book o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is a mulberry tree undesirable? June 27, 2013 I have a hard time keeping plants alive, so I was happy when a random plant just started growing and thriving about 5 years ago in my yard. My mom (a frequent volunteer at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildf... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning non-native Chinese fringe flower from Austin June 24, 2013 When is the best time of year to prune Plum Delight? And how severely can it be cut back? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Forget-me-nots choking a spring in Bethlehem PA June 20, 2013 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I am restoring a native plant area along a spring that feeds directly into our local creek. Right now the spring is becoming choked with forget-me-nots, that I am trying ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Lily plants being chewed from Austin June 20, 2013 Something is chewing my lily plants to the ground. Any ideas what and do I stop them? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| White specks on unknown houseplant from Ridgeway SC June 20, 2013 I have an unknown houseplant that seems to have some sort of pest or disease on it. It has white snowy specks atop its leaf. I bought this purple fuzzy leafed houseplant from Walmart in Winnsboro, SC ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Waxy deposits on Magnolia fuscata from Ethel LA June 18, 2013 I have a 4yr old Magnolia Fascata (aka banana shrub)- I noticed that it has small oval shaped yellow waxy deposits on the branches.. I have also noticed small black ants on the branches. The unknown d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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