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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| Fruit in the compost bin June 07, 2009 I have a compost bin and I use the pulp from fruits and vegetables as one of the ingredients in my compost pile. We juice everyday so will all this pulp be too potent for new seedlings? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with Green Cloud purple sage in Buda TX May 30, 2009 I planted the "Green Cloud" variety of purple sage about 3 years ago. Yesterday, I noticed yellowish dots on the underside of the leaves of some plants. Is this harmful? The plants seem to be ok ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problem with Salvia Mystic Spires in Chesterfield VA May 30, 2009 Last August, our local Lowes had these beautiful, unusual blue perennials on the discount rack called "Salvia Mystic Spires". For 50 cents each, they looked terrific, so I bought all they had, about... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is cement leaching into flower beds in Colorado Springs? May 16, 2009 I have posed this question to a number of garden centers in our area around Colorado Springs--only to rec. a repeated--"Gee, I don't know." When we moved to our new home there was a rock concrete ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Desert willows not doing well in Navarro County, TX May 16, 2009 Planted 3 new desert willows , 3-4 ft.in February. Live in East Navarro County and soil is clay with slight slope to Richland Chambers lake area. Had a wet spring. These plantings appear not doing we... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Should shredded Ashe juniper be composted for mulch? May 06, 2009 Our neighbor shredded some Texas Hill Country cedar trees. Can we use it safely as mulch? Do we need to wait until it composts some? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Older leaves yellowing on Savannah holly in Dallas May 01, 2009 I planted a Savannah Holly in Dallas, TX in the Fall of 2008. It has new growth and some white buds all over it, but some of the older leaves are turning yellow and dropping off. Is this normal? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Low maintenance replacement garden in Ashburn , VA April 30, 2009 We live in Ashburn, VA (Northern VA). Our house is 10 years old and the contractor grade plants have died. We are planning on digging everything up and re-doing the landscaping in our front yard - r... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shelf life of hawthorn leaves in Florissant, MO April 30, 2009 I have a bag of hawthorn leaves that were harvested in 2007. Do you know if they're still effective? How long is the shelf life of hawthorn leaves? Thank you for your assistance. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Foundation garden in shade in Durham, NC April 29, 2009 I'm trying to replant a 3'x8' garden near the foundation of our house in Durham, NC. This part of the yard gets little, if any, sun and is mostly clay. I've tried adding compost and soil conditi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yellowing leaves on yaupon in Ft. Worth April 23, 2009 I planted a Pride of Houston Yaupon Holly in January in full sun. It is blooming little white flowers right now for spring, but a lot of leaves are turning yellow. Do you know what is causing this? ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting honeysuckle bush in Illinois April 18, 2009 Want to transplant 3 honeysuckle shrubs 10 to 12' tall this month, although not the best time. Please advise. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Combining native shrubs for hedge in Austin April 15, 2009 Smarty, Please tell me what the definitions are for all the various water, soil moisture, drainage and light requirements mean. Are the definitions global? I live in Central East Austin and inten... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| 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 ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting redbud from field in Edmond, OK March 30, 2009 I want to transplant a small redbud from a field to my yard. The trunk diam is about 1.5" and the tree is about 4' tall. What is the best way to do this? Should I plant it in a pot first? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting a Texas Persimmon in rocky soil in Krum TX March 27, 2009 I have recently purchased a 10 gallon Texas Persimmon plant that I want to put as a highlight plant in my yard. According to the nursery, it has been in the pot for 2 years. I have been "blessed(or... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Stubs of Texas Star Hibiscus in Abilene, TX March 26, 2009 We have cut back our outdoor Texas Star Hibiscus for 4 years and now have a large number of old stubs that the new growth must navigate around. Will it kill the plant if we dig up the old stubs? At so... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fertilizer amounts for native perennials in Belton, TX March 18, 2009 I am a novice gardener and need advice on how to fertilize my native perennials. I would like to use organic fertilizer and need advice on exactly what to use. I have a compost pile but it does not ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yellow leaves on non-native pittisporum in Wharton TX March 17, 2009 Green pittisporum that I planted 2 years ago and 1 year ago are getting a lot of yellow leaves. Variegated pittisporum that I planted at the same 2 times are doing fine. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| My newly planted Mountain Laurel isn\'t doing well. March 13, 2009 My mountain laurel was planted from a container in Dec. It is in part sun, clay soil, and its leaves are turning yellow. should I move it or will that kill it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for screen in Colleyville TX March 12, 2009 My soil is pure sand that goes down as far as I can dig. I am needing native plants to use as a screen, that grow to be 6-10 ft. tall. Also, since my plantings dry out so quickly, would it be helpfu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for flower beds in Aledo, TX March 10, 2009 I have 2 beds that together run the length of the house foundation (25' each), we have 2 spots I would like to plant a Yaupon (Pride of Houston) in each spot approximately 2' from the foundation;is ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Can hackberry twigs and leaves be safely used in compost? March 05, 2009 If Hackberry trees and leaves have growth inhibiting compounds, should they not be used in compost piles? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Coffee grounds as mulch into vegetable beds February 05, 2009 Can you put too much coffee grounds as mulch into vegetable beds? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Probably non-native crapemyrtle trees damaged by hurricane January 15, 2009 I have 5 crape myrtle trees. I live in Galveston, Tx and when Hurricane Ike came through in September the salt water I think killed them. They have not come back since then and are brown with no leave... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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