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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| topic | question | |
| Rhizobium sources for bluebonnets March 25, 2008 Where can you buy Rhizobium for your bluebonnet seeds? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Texas bluebonnets for Illinois March 12, 2008 Thank you Mr. Smarty Plants. I will be closely checking the variety of Texas bluebonnets that I tried to plant. For the record, I did soak them first to loosen the seed shell. I think we probably just... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| History of the Texas Bluebonnet March 12, 2008 Hi, I'm working on an article for a newspaper and wondered if you could point me in the right direction to find out the history of the bluebonnet. When did it become the state flower? Is it really ill... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growing Texas bluebonnets in North Carolina March 11, 2008 I live in North Carolina and love the Texas Bluebonnets. Can I create my own mix of soil to be able to grow them here? Soil is basically red clay and icky. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Bluebonnet seeds north of Chicago March 11, 2008 Hi My husband is originally from Texas - we now live north of Chicago. Last year he bought a whole bunch of Blue bonnet seeds from a company that said they would grow in our area... I planted enough ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Blooms as far as the eye can see March 06, 2008 Why are some wildflowers capable of putting on spectacular sweeps of blooms "for as far as the eye can see" such as Indian paintbrush at Vail Pass in Colorado, or bluebonnets in the Texas hill count... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Bluebonnets planted in late spring bloom, will they bloom again? February 06, 2008 New to South Texas & we decided to plant bluebonnets around our house. The seeds were planted in late spring & we were delighted to watch them start their initial growth-cycle. They ultimately produc... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is there a variety of bluebonnet called black gumbo February 04, 2008 I live in Grimes County, Texas on the eastern edge of the Blackland Prairie. A few years ago my hillside of Bluebonnet seed was harvested. I was told it was a rare 'black gumbo' variety of bluebon... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| When do bluebonnets bloom in Austin January 03, 2008 When do Blue Bonnets bloom in Austin? We have someone who wants to come visit and see the Blue Bonnets and I want to tell them the right time of year.. Thanks!! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Germination of bluebonnets from seed December 16, 2007 I am having problems getting my bluebonnet (Alamo Fire and regular bluebonnets to germinate from seed). Usually I soak them in lukewarm water overnight then plant in a potting mix. I am only getting... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Wildflowers for a wedding site November 11, 2007 My fiance and I would like to get married on his family's ranch, just north of Johnson City on the Pedernales river, in April of 2009. Currently, we are clearing the over-grown meadows of cactus and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Soils for Central Texas wildflowers November 04, 2007 Our family is moving to 40 acres near Lexington, TX with deep soil. Briefly talking to personnel at the Wildflower Center during Goblins in the Garden, I found that not all flowers in the Central Texa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| When to plant bluebonnet seed October 16, 2007 When do I put out Bluebonnet seed? Do I soak them first? Thank You. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Inoculant for bluebonnets October 08, 2007 Where can I find inoculant for my bluebonnets? I have searched high and low. Native American Seeds does not carry it. I can buy it for soybeans in a huge quantity, but am not sure that this is the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removing St. Augustine, replacing with native plants October 06, 2007 Hello Mr. Smarty Plants, always excited to talk to the Green Guru himself. I've recently purchased a house in South Austin and am interested in establishing a small, 500+ sq ft, prairie grass and wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting and growing bluebonnets October 06, 2007 I am looking for bluebonnet seed planting suggestions. when? How? I found a source for seed. I want to plant about 2500 sq foot area. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Franciscans and bluebonnets October 05, 2007 I always thought the bluebonnets were native to Texas. However, I'm reading a book on the Missions of Old Texas and the author states the Franciscan brought into Texas the horse, cow, honey bees ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fertilizing wild bluebonnets September 26, 2007 Can you fertilize wild bluebonnets? If so, with what and when? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grow bluebonnets in Virginia September 04, 2007 I want to ATTEMPT to grow some Texas Bluebonnets in VA because I am homesick and both our kids are back in Austin. That said, the site says " it may be necessary to inoculate the soil with a rhizobiu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Toxicity of Lupinus ssp. (bluebonnets) June 25, 2007 Are bluebonnets toxic to cattle? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bluebonnets as a source of nitrogen fixation June 13, 2007 I am fascinated by Texas Bluebonnets and want to introduce them to k-12 students as a major source of Nitrogen fixation. As I want to present this to the teachers can I get any guidance from you, lik... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native flowers for color year round May 02, 2007 I have the opportunity to recommend plants for a religious organization. They want YEAR ROUND color in some areas, much like how commercial sites use annual color. I would like to suggest native/ada... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hardiness of bluebonnet seeds under water and white bluebonnets April 30, 2007 I was trying to find out more about the hardiness of bluebonnets. We own a lot on Lake Travis near Spicewood Texas. As you are probably aware, the lake was very low this spring due to a drought that ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting bluebonnets along highway April 28, 2007 We are in the process of fencing our land located on a main highway. We are supposed to fence 80ft. from the center of the highway. That is a lot of land just sitting there. I wanted to know since we ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Planting time for bluebonnets April 23, 2007 When is the best time to plant bluebonnets? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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