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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| Conditions for growing Prunus mexicana March 23, 2007 Will a native Wild Plum do well in the Cat Spring area west of Houston. The soil is quite sandy. I was told that the plum trees attract deer. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Control of ball moss in oak trees March 23, 2007 I live in San Marcos, Texas and I have a two acre lot with lots of oak trees. Most of these trees have so much ballmoss attached to them that the leaves and branches are not visible anymore. Is ther... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Decline of pollinating bees around Mexican plums March 19, 2007 Dear Dr. Smarty Plants While out working in my yard (about nine miles southwest of the Wildfower Center) this morning, I became aware that there was no sound of bees buzzing. I checked our Mexica... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of native dogwoods in Williamson Co., TX March 12, 2007 Hi Mr/Mrs SmartyPlants What are the small-ish wild trees that are blooming so beautifully now? They are practically covered in pretty white blossoms. I've always called them dogwoods but in the vari... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Retailers of possumhaw March 11, 2007 How can I find retailers of possumhaw (Ilex decidua)? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possible reasons for non-fruiting wild plum March 10, 2007 My grandfather has land in Lee County with thickets of wild plum, I believe creek plum is another name. However, they never seem to produce plums while thickets nearby on the roadside less than one mi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Differentiating between Iles decidua and Ilex vomitoria February 15, 2007 Is there any way to tell a male possum haw holly from a female? I have a possum haw that never lost all of it's leaves and has no berries. Could it be a male? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Diagnosis of problem and treatment of damaged Cedar Elm February 01, 2007 Part of our mature Cedar Elm looked damaged last summer. We were advised by a landscape designer to spray it with Kocide in late January as a treatment. Is there an alternative to this? Should we h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Alleotrophic effects of caffeine found in Ilex species January 24, 2007 I'm doing research for my biology class on the alleotrophic effects of caffeine. I'm planning to use Ilex vomitoria as the caffeine-producing plant. As the control I want to use another non-c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fast growing, native fruit trees for Northeast Texas January 23, 2007 What kind of fruit tree will grow fast and be pretty in Northeast Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fruit-bearing crabapple for Austin, TX January 07, 2007 Is there a fruitbearing crabapple that will live in Austin. If so, what soil type is required? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Texas Ash January 03, 2007 Where can I purchase a Texas Ash? One native tree nursery advertised Texas Ash but the trees turned out to be Fan-Tex, which I believe is an Arizona Ash cultivar. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Viability of Desert Willow and Hong Kong Orchid Tree in Spring Branch, TX December 26, 2006 We live in Spring Branch, Rt 281 north of San Antonio. We want to plant a Regal Desert Willow tree and a Hong Kong Orchid tree. Will the cold / freeze be a problem? Where locally can we purchase th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowering and fruting of Texas wild plums and where they grow November 28, 2006 Could you please tell me about Texas wild plum trees—when they flower, when they bear fruit and where they grow. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possible woodpecker damage in Monterrey Oaks November 17, 2006 I live in NW Austin and have two Monterey Oak trees, each about 30 - 45 gal in size. They both were planted approximately 9 months ago. Both trees seem to have some cracking bark on the trunk along w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possibility of symbiotic relationship between cedar elm and ashe juniper November 14, 2006 Is there a symbiotic relationship between cedar elm and ashe juniper? We have a small ashe juniper sapling and a small cedar elm sapling growing near each other (actually, we planted the juniper 2 yea... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting time for Smoketree in Quebec September 14, 2006 I would like to transplant my smoke tree. It is two years old. When would be the best time of the year to transplant. I live in Zone 4. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Availability of seeds or plants for Texas Mulberry September 12, 2006 Is there any source of seeds or plants for Texas Mulberry? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yellowing of Thuja occidentalis leaves in early Fall in Maryland September 12, 2006 Mr. Smarty Plants, I am from Maryland. Please help. I have planted 23 Thuja occidentalis Smaragd in my front yard a few months ago. Height of about 3 feet. Most of the trees have turned golden brown.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of Cockspur Hawthorn as Crataegus crus-galli September 05, 2006 What is cockspur hawthorne? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possible wilt disease in mountain laurels August 31, 2006 Three of about 24 of my mature mountain laurels died suddenly, the leaves turned brown almost overnight, scratching the bark revealed no green tissue, the small branches practically cracked when bent,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Control of borers attacking Prunus serotina August 30, 2006 Where can I find information to control borers that seem to attack only Prunus serotina v. exemia? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Determining gender of Texas Hill Country native trees August 22, 2006 How can I identify which (Tx Hill Country) native trees are separate male & female? Specifically Tx Pistache and American Smoke Tree. Do I have to wait until they flower and inspect the flower for c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Survivability of birch trees in Texas August 16, 2006 Is it known whether Gray birch (Betula populifolia Marsh) will grow in North Texas? It seems like the only birch variety which might - and how short is a "short lifespan" for a tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Selecting landscape trees for Denton Co., TX August 11, 2006 I live in Denton County and I'm trying to select a few trees to plant in my yard. I'd like them to be native or at least "antique" (hardy varieties which have adapted to the conditions without bec... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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