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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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 | |
| Eliminating yuccas from yard in Woodinville, WA August 21, 2008 My plant areas are being overrun by Yucca plants. They are also growing and destroying my asphalt driveway. How can I get rid of some of them permanently? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bugs on yucca plant in New Jersey August 06, 2008 I noticed small bugs ALL OVER 4 established yucca plants all near each other. They may look like Halticotoma valida but I'm not positive. There is no brown on the leaves except for the large amount... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is Sedum recommended for a greenroof project in Houston July 23, 2008 Would you recommend using Sedum for a green roof project in Houston, Texas? Will the humidity effect the sedum? If sedum would be a poor choice, what would you recommend for Houston? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Texas natives to plant in July and August July 23, 2008 My husband and I have a disaster of a lawn that we were planning to develop slowly, over time, with a sustainable design we contracted from a landscape designer. However, we are having to move out of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Large agave (century plant) flower stalk June 17, 2008 HI.I live in Blythe, Ca. and have a GIANT of an agave in my back yard. It is now over 40'high and is blooming. I first noticed the stock growing at Easter when it was about 12' high. It is now t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| What to do with bloom stalk on yucca June 08, 2008 Six years ago, I dug up two small narrow-leaf yuccas from a deer lease outside of Junction, Texas. I planted them in a raised bed in my yard and the smaller of the two survived and grew. To my surpris... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Landscaping on South Padre Island June 07, 2008 I'm in charge of landscaping at my beachfront condo in South Padre Island and find the wind, salt air, and heat challenging for growing almost anything. We would like to incorporate native plants, b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Leaves turning black on Agave americana June 06, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants- We have a ~5-year-old agave americana that began to have leaves turn yellow (to black in some areas) just this past spring (2008). A neighbor's tree had started to overhang t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trimming back Agave havardiana June 05, 2008 Hi.. thanks for all the great information on Agaves. We have a number of Agave Havardiana (blue) that love where we planted them. Several have gotten HUGE. So much so that they are starting to ge... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Mystery cactus in Williamson County, Texas May 27, 2008 We have a cactus plant on our place that I have not seen anywhere else in central Texas. The flowers are bright yellow with wine-red centers, but very sparse--only one flower blooms at a time. The p... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Bloom on non-native Agave attenuata May 13, 2008 I have an Agave Attenuata that has grown a long and unsightly stem.Is there a way to cut the plant portion off and re-root the plant without killing the petal portion? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for pool area in Florida May 09, 2008 My husband and I have a pool with 4 planters and are looking for plants that we can put into our screened in pool area. We live in Central Florida and looking for ideas of plants that are slow growin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Natural fibers for lashing bamboo in weaving May 07, 2008 I live in Austin and am looking for plants I can use for weaving fibers, e.g. lashing bamboo for a small project. What plants and parts do you recommend? What resources do you recommend for informatio... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Information about ice plant (Carpobrotus edulis) May 06, 2008 I recently planted some Carpobrotus edulis, Ice plant, and wanted to know if I can mulch or put stones around the entire garden and plants. They are a ground cover plant. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possibly non-native succulent identification March 27, 2008 My mother has a plant that grows on a stalk, 2.5' tall, leaves are about 4-5" on the mature plant. The leaves are scalloped on the edges and seeds grown in the scallops & fall off and make new plan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for highlights in a cactus garden March 12, 2008 Hi, I'm looking for some groundcover (succulents or herbs), shrubs, and other perennials to plant along with the cactuses (20 or so) I got from the CDRI plant sale in Fort Davis. The most important ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Succulents for 9150 feet in New Mexico March 04, 2008 What succulents could grow in Angel Fire, New Mexico, at an altitude of 9150 ft.in a northwestern windy exposure in rocky-ish soil? Are there any that are perennials? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Worms found in Agave used in tequila February 06, 2008 Hi, I am a writer and have been trying to find some referenced information regarding the moth larvae/'worms' associated with Agave and some mezcal beverages - specifically, Hypopta agavis, Aegiale ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Possibility of growing Buckleys yucca in South Carolina February 03, 2008 I live in Lexington, SC. I am wondering if I can grow Buckley's yucca (yucca constricta) here and if so, where can I purchase the seeds or plants? I am from Texas and we are trying to create a "we... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants that are deer resistant for high desert climate in Utah January 23, 2008 We are building in a high desert climate in Dammeron Valley, Utah. We want plants that are both deer resistant and require little watering. Can you advise which plants (shrubs, flowers, cacti) that ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Dying cactus plants December 16, 2007 Two large cactus plants on the grounds of our condominium complex have begun to turn yellow and appear to be dying. A "staple" of our landscaping, this is the first year that they have developed th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of mature agaves November 20, 2007 Hello- we live in Austin, TX and have a bed of different varieties of agave. They are near the walkway to our house, and are so out of control they pose a hazard to our guests walking up to the house... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of green succulent plant with red tubular flowers October 08, 2007 Hi there, i have this plant which is green,leaves are succulent, and these red tubular little flowers about an inch long grow rampantly all summer. i wanna know what it is called as i take cuttings a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bloom stalks on agave plants September 26, 2007 Hi, We have Agave plants in our garden for years. But in the past few weeks, we noticed a giant asparagus looking thing growing out in the middle of the plants. We don't know what it is, but every d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| New agave plants, offshoots of parent plant, transplanting September 16, 2007 I have different varieties of Agaves that are sending off new plants from the mother. Some have 1-2 and some have 6-7 plants. Is there a proper method for removing (cutting them a certain way) for t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Trimmng and fertilizing yucca September 07, 2007 Should I cut the stalks of the Yucca that have already bloomed or wait until they dry? How often should I fertilize? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Century plant dying after bloom August 12, 2007 My century plant is so tall that it is up to the top of the telephone pole top lines that carry our streets electric. I was wanting to know if you knew if I cut the stock off would it save the plant ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of July 23, 2007 I'm trying to identify a plant and I'm having trouble doing so. The plant was called moss by my mother,but it looks like a succulent. It grows on the ground and looks like small vines with pink stem... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Propagation of Agave americana by seed July 11, 2007 Dear Mr Smarty Pants, My Century Plant is fulfilling its one wish and blooming flowers from its massive stalk. Although I am very sad to see it go, it is certainly a sight to behold. This plant, ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Crown rot in Agave americana June 13, 2007 My Century Plant's leaves get soft toward the base and eventually fall over and I have to cut them off. What causes this? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Care for century plant June 06, 2007 What is the best way to care for a Century Plant? We were given one as a gift and don't know what to do with it. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Care of Spanish Dagger (Yucca treculeana) after blooming May 27, 2007 I live in Austin and have a 5 ft spanish dagger in my backyard. Now that it has bloomed and the flowers have withered in May, should I cut off the center stalk or will it bloom again from the same st... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Ravaged by snails May 23, 2007 Our Prickly Pear Cactus is being completely ravaged by snails. Is there something in my yard that could be attracting them? Is there something I can do to keep them off the plant? Also is is safe to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Semelparous: plant that dies after reproduces. Agave and bamboo. May 15, 2007 There is a term for a plant who lives its life (usually more than 2 years) sends up a spectacular flowering structure, and then dies. what is that term? a certain plant that falls into that category... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Root depth of opuntia May 15, 2007 What can you tell me about the depth of roots of the opuntia? Does it vary with different varieties or is there formula to estimate the depth according to the mature size or to the culture - garden ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| 20 years to bloom May 02, 2007 My girlfriend and i have come up with an interesting question, we were wondering if there is a plant in existance that takes over 20 years to bloom, and how many different kinds (if any) there are? We... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Eliminating prickly pear March 24, 2007 What is best practice for eliminating 100+ acres of dense prickly pear? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Soil for Agave americana March 20, 2007 Can you give me some information on soil admendments for growing Agave (Century Plant)? I kept it in a pot during the winter and now I am ready to plant it in my beds View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Selenicereus anthonyanus, Rickrack or Fishbone Cactus February 28, 2007 A friend of mine gave me a plant he said was a rick rack plant. I have tried to research it on line with no luck and I don't know the scientific name...any help? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Boundary plants to control cats June 06, 2006 Is there a plant especially ANNOYING to cats that I could plant along my fence line to keep him away from the street beyond? It would have to be hardy enough for hot temps & full sun. Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for full sun and low maintenance May 13, 2006 I have volunteered to plant flowers/bushes around a sign at my church. I want to plant indigenous plants so the maintenance is low but I also want attractive plants. The soil is clay and the locatio... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Century plant dying after bloom April 06, 2006 Help!! I want to save my Century Plant from dying. I have already lost one and I don't want to lose this one. Can cutting the stalk before it gets too big save this beautiful plant? Please, pleas... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Projected longevity of Opuntia fragilis (Fragile Prickly Pear) November 25, 2005 How long does Opuntia fragilis live? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants to accompany cactus and agave October 09, 2005 What plants would look well with cactus and agave to soften the look of spikiness? Also, a homeowner in our association wants the association to plant a pyracantha at the corner of the street to preve... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Landscaping with native plants in Austin October 06, 2005 I'm expanding a flower bed in front of my house and would like to keep it all natives. 1) How do I find out what type of soil I should add? (I live near Hyde Park, Austin and haven't had a soil te... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Monocarpic plants for Indiana October 06, 2005 We were in Hawaii this summer and became acquainted with the Silversword. This plant (according to what we were told) blooms only once in it's lifetime (of 50-70 years). Are you aware of any other pl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on bio-security June 11, 2005 Hello, My friend and I are summer interns at the Bryan Mound Strategic Petroleum Reserve Site in Freeport, Texas. Our jobs as the interns is to find a plant that is friendly to the animals around our... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tropical-looking landscape in Austin, TX March 24, 2005 I'd like to have a tropical-looking landscape in my front yard. What plants would you recommend for Austin, Texas? I would prefer plants that can stay outside year-round, but will take suggestions on... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How do cacti stay in ground February 25, 2005 How do cacti stay in ground? I know that flowers stay in the ground by their roots but what about cacti? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native perennial winter plants for Waco, TX November 03, 2004 I live in the Waco area, and would like to know winter plants that I could use that would come back each year, flowering or otherwise. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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