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topicquestion
Plants for steep embankment on the Missouri River in Nebraska
July 01, 2009
Hi, My embankment along the Northeast Nebraska shoreline of the Missouri River is eroding the land away. Do you have any suggestions for seed I could throw over the side of the bank that would grow...
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Seeding wildflowers in Dallas
June 30, 2009
What is the best way to establish seed for wildflowers in Dallas, TX? The area does get some irrigation from rotors. Would hydromulch be the most effective option?
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Failure to come up of blackeyed susans in Lancaster PA
June 28, 2009
My blackeyed susans have been blooming for ten years. All of a sudden this year they didn't come up at all..why?
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When is the best time to plant or seed after a wildfire?
April 29, 2009
This past week our 1 acre lake property at Possum Kingdom Lake in north Texas was scorched by a wildfire. No brush, grass or bushes remain, and we're hoping not to lose all the cedar and mesquite tr...
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Creating a bluebonnet patch between Brenham and Houston.
April 12, 2009
I am creating a Bluebonnet patch in a well-drained section of my flowerbed. I just planted the plants (it is now early April and I'm between Houston and Brenham, TX). I plan to let them go to seed ...
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When to harvest bluebonnet seeds in Hurst TX
April 12, 2009
Can I harvest the Blue Bonnet Seeds now (April) or do I have to wait until they dry up & pods begin to open?
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Should I transplant my bluebonnets from the planter they came into soil in Austin?
April 10, 2009
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, Since moving to Austin two years ago I have fallen in love with bluebonnets. Last year I purchased seedlings from the Wildflower Center but a taste-first-evaluate-later inquis...
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Seed for Kosteletzkya virginica, salt marsh mallow
January 13, 2009
I have a nursery in North Carolina. We are looking for a reliable seed source for kosteletzkya virginica salt marsh mallow. We are www.campbellfamilynursery.com
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Photograph of seedling or pigeon berry (Rivina humilis) seedling
January 13, 2009
Where can I find a photograph of a pigeon berry seedling?
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Information about growing mountain laurels (Sophora secundiflora)
November 15, 2008
I live just outside of Austin on 10 acres. I have several very large mountain laurels on my property that I planted from containers. Mine flower profusely every year. I feed them bi-weekly and wate...
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Transplanting Mexican bonebract in Floresville, TX
November 12, 2008
My kids and I finally identified a small plant that we found growing in our pasture. There was only one and it is lovely. It is the Mexican Bonebract. What I am interested in finding out is how to tra...
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Camellia seeds
September 21, 2008
Hi Mr. Smarty Plants; I have a Camellia plant that has bulbs that look like they could be fruit. And when this bulb opened, four or five little nuts came out. Are they fruit or nuts and can they be e...
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Failure of Viburnum dentatum to produce berries in Maryland
September 20, 2008
I planted several Viburnum dentatum shrubs in a hedgerow for my yard. Although I have some other viburnums in the yard, this shrub blooms profusely but does not ever produce berries. What can I do t...
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How to get rid of plants spreading fluffy seeds
July 27, 2008
I live in Blaine, MN next to a Lake. The "buffer zones" next to the lake are filled with native grasses, weeds & wildflowers. We are trying to identify a plant that blooms July with lavender flowe...
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Die-off of Texas bluebells
June 04, 2008
I live in southeast Travis County east of IH35 in the Blackland Prairie. We have a gorgeous stand of Texas bluebells. Last year, the bluebells would look fine, then they would turn brown and die for...
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Mountain ash seedlings in Yorkshire, England
May 25, 2008
Is there any way I can stop Mountain Ash from seeding in my garden. This year in particular, I am absolutely overrun with the seedlings and once they get a hold they are difficult to remove.
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Too late to begin planting in May in Austin?
April 30, 2008
Is it too late to begin planting in May? I live in Austin Texas and have finally completed my plans for a native Texas landscaping (plants and grass) of my front yard. I'd like to get the landscapi...
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Growing Sophora gypsophila from seed
April 23, 2008
Sophora gypsophila B.L. Turner & Powell Do you have any information on growing this small tree from seed? I have a few seeds and would like to try. What conditions break seed dormancy? I have grown ...
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Planting bluebonnets
April 20, 2008
How long do bluebonnet seeds take to mature, and when is the earliest in their development they can be harvested? When can they be scattered?
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Information about Lady Lupine (Lupinus villosus)
April 20, 2008
Dear Mr.Smarty Plants, Lady Lupine grows in our yard in northeast Florida, and I would like to learn more about it, especially the stages it goes through, like now the purple petals themselves are c...
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Bluebonnets in memorial garden in cemetery
April 11, 2008
When is the peak time to scatter bluebonnet seeds? I have a loved one that recently died, and she requested that her body be cremated. She would like her ashes to be mixed with bluebonnet seeds and ...
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Germination of bluebonnet seeds in Hempstead, TX
April 01, 2008
We scattered 20 lbs of bluebonnet seeds on our property near Hempstead. Only about 10 plants have come up even though on another part of the property we have thousands. It is well drained and in sun....
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Problems with Eves necklacepods (Styphnolobium affine)
March 25, 2008
Mr. S-P, I urgently need your advice regarding two Eve's necklacepods that appear to be dying. They are in two completely different areas of my yard. One began leafing out and then the leaves sh...
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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.
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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 ...
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How to sow Eves Necklace seeds.
October 03, 2007
I have recently acquired some Eve's Necklace seed pods. In order to plant them, do I need to open the pod to get to the seed, or do I just plant the pod? Should I soak or scarify the pod/seed?
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Does Chilopsis linearis, var.Bubba produce seed pods? No.
October 01, 2007
We have a really beautiful 2-year old Bubba, Desert Willow. It is already about 12 feet tall. I really have two questions. One does the Bubba form the seed pods like the other types of Desert Willows?...
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Locating red clay for wildflower seed balls
September 26, 2007
I am trying to locate a local source for the Powdered Red Clay spoke about in making wildflower seed balls. I live in Round Rock, Texas and have called many local nursery and no one knows what I am t...
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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...
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Allelopathc qualities in sunflowers
June 19, 2007
I have a sunflower patch in the corner of my backyard (Maximilians, common sunflower, and silverleaf sunflower)and would like to use the spent stalks (sans the seedheads) as mulch in the fall. Howeve...
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Resprouting of native prairie plants after snowstorm
April 07, 2007
Will my prairie plants that have broken dormancy be harmed by a spring snowstorm? Temperatures have fallen down into the twenties and forecast to stay sub-freezing for five or six days. We have abou...
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Danger of seeds being damaged in cold stratifying
February 27, 2007
I started cold stratifying some wildflower seeds with some damp cloths in a refrigerator to plant them in the spring. When I was finished preparing the seeds the refrigerator door was somehow left ope...
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Smarty Plants on seed balls
September 27, 2005
Do you have the recipe for Wildflower Seed Balls? It's where you mix dry wildflower seeds, compost, red clay, and water to form a seed ball and then you throw it. I think the ratio is 1 part seed, ...
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More on bluebonnets
May 12, 2005
My bluebonnet plants have seed pods (I guess they are, they look like pods of snap peas). Can I collect these or do I just leave them alone and hope they multiply? If I can collect them, what is the ...
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Smarty Plants on seed harvesting
August 09, 2004
I am interested in learning more about harvesting native seeds. I manage a number of sites where restoration projects will involve planting, and we would like to use native seed stocks. Could you te...
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More on bluebonnets
May 09, 2003
When can I harvest my Bluebonnets?
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topicquestion

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