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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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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Ornamental grasses under desert willows from Dallas, TX September 06, 2013 I am planning on planting 3 desert willows in full sun, below the power lines at the back of my back yard in the White Rock Lake area of Dallas. I would like to plant some ornamental grasses in the be... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Riverbank Plants for Minnesota September 04, 2013 I would like to stablize a steep riverbank slope along the Upper Mississippi in St. Cloud MN. The slopes are almost 1:1. We are using an open cell concrete matt in which we are going to plant native... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Carex texensis for Gainesville, Florida August 31, 2013 I am interested in planting Carex texensis in Gainesville Florida (zone 9). The site is part shade with little water. However, I do not see it listed as being used anywhere in Florida. Is it restric... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Ornamental grass next to golf course pond August 26, 2013 I need an ornamental grass or shrub that will grow on a terrace next to a golf course pond and be ~ 3' of height. The plant will receive afternoon sun, must survive periodic flooding in the spring an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Benefits of Habiturf from Austin August 19, 2013 I have been reading about Habiturf and my question should be easy to answer. Is this is a grass you would recommend for kid play? Sitting on the lawn, kicking a soccer ball, etc. Any information a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Salt tolerant plants for shade on tidal inlet in NY August 11, 2013 Are there any salt water tolerant grasses or forbs with deep roots that grow in shade? I live on a tidal inlet/canal on Long Island NY. The southern bank has cedars and oaks but the soil is eroding ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Replacements for yuccas from Georgetown TX August 07, 2013 I have lost some softleaf and variegated yucca to a beetle grub destroying the root system - like the Agave snout beetle does. I have put an insecticidal drench on my remaining plants, but suspect wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Hillside Erosion Control for Gainesville GA August 07, 2013 I have a steep bare hill and the runoff from it is heavy this year. I need help with a fast growing groundcover that will help control erosion and runoff. Planting on the hill is difficult because you... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Erosion tolerant plants for shade from Kerrville TX August 06, 2013 We have just cleared a lot of cedar out of a small draw and would like to know the best groundcovers, shrubs, etc. to plant to hold the soil. Deep shade most of the day. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Wind and erosion tolerant plants from Austin August 05, 2013 I recently cleared a fire break by removing cedar from around my home in West Austin. I'd like to plant the exposed NW facing slope with native shrubs and trees. Looking for selections that can wit... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Privacy screen for Sedona AZ August 02, 2013 I live In Sedona Az. A builder just built a house next to my house and the new house is ugly to look at. What plant or tree would grow fast and reach 18 foot in height fast. It can be about 5 to 6 foo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Ground cover for shady area in north Texas July 29, 2013 I'm looking for a ground cover for a mostly shady area where St. Augustine won't grow. I don't want the ground cover to overtake my established St. Augustine in the rest of the yard. The area is un... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native Desert Willow and bunchgrass for Lubbock TX July 29, 2013 We live in Lubbock and have decided to try to make our front yard as native as possible. It has been a very difficult process finding native species locally (even the local Aggie nursery sells a lot ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native turf and trees for Odessa TX July 29, 2013 What native turf and trees can I grow in my Odessa, Tx back yard? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for hanging flower boxes from Austin July 27, 2013 I have two long flower boxes 17" x 15" x 25 feet long one on the north side of the apt and one on the south made of metal suspended about four feet from the ground. One will get the morning sun and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Looking for a native turf grass for the Houston area July 25, 2013 Looking for a native turf grass for the Houston area. In some of your 2012 responses, you stated that "The good news is that research into turf-type grasses native to the coastal region is in the pla... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Erosion Control with perennials for a shady Dallas bank July 25, 2013 Thank you for your help with turf or perennials on a shaded bank, 4000 sq ft, for the Dallas area that has good roots, grows in semi shade to shade, is on a steep bank so cannot mow, and flowers the l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Problem with Habiturf. Is it dormant or dead? July 24, 2013 We planted habiturf in spring 2012. It's beautiful. But since last summer, we have had one area that seems to go dormant much more rapidly than the rest, even though it receives the same amount of ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Developing fields with native plants from New Egypt NJ July 24, 2013 I have several acres of fields that I want to develop with native grasses and flowers. I would like to know the best time to mow the fields so that bushes and volunteer trees don't take over and that... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Is Milium effusum 'aureum' native to North America from Iowa City, IA July 23, 2013 I have seen the cultivar grass milium effusm aureum described as a native of both Europe and the N. America. Both continents HAVE a subspecies of m. effusum. Which is more accurate; is MEA a cultivar ... 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 | ||
Grasses for Pennsylvania July 18, 2013 What type of grass does the best in my area? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Grass for a Miniature Garden July 18, 2013 Please let me know what kind of grass is nice and short and tight for a miniature garden in a wooden box. I want to grow this grass in the box and I also want to know if I need to drill holes in the b... 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 | ||
Recreating a wildflower meadow, central Texas July 02, 2013 We have an acre on our property that has bluebonnets. Unfortunately, it also has other plants that we don't want -Johnson grass, nettles, burrs. We plan to do a controlled burn in the fall and re-... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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