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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| Ground cover to withstand dog traffic in Michigan November 02, 2010 I need a soft ground cover that will grow in sand, and be able to take four big dogs that love to run in the yard. Grass just doesn't make it. Someone suggested that groundcover might work. Thanks... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native ground cover for Fort Lauderdale, FL. November 02, 2010 I just moved into a duplex with a narrow back yard with dark sandy soil and no irrigation system. I travel and am looking for a hardy ground cover that can take heat, drought and limited sun between 1... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What habitat would my Antennaria solitaria like in Red Bank, TN? October 26, 2010 I want to know what habitat my mystery plant will like- sun, shade, dry or moist. I think it is an Antennaria solitaria or Little Pussytoes. I got it at a native plant sale here in Chattanooga. It has... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Groundcover for area under oaks in Lake Conroe, Texas October 17, 2010 I live just off Lake Conroe, and my backyard is more dirt than grass. It is under a number of oak trees, and the dirt is more of a silt than a sand. I need suggestions for a quick growing ground cover... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover for East Texas October 05, 2010 Thank you for your response to (Hamelia), it was very helpful. I recently moved to East Texas and I live in a rural area at altitude 754ft with a sloping landscape with good drainage. My property is... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native Groundcover for High Activity Location in Austin, TX October 01, 2010 Howdy! We live in South Austin and have a smallish backyard that we're perennially working on. We have two young, very active dogs that spend a lot of time RUNNING and we never can keep ground cover ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need evergreen hedge and groundcover for shade in Carmel, Indiana September 27, 2010 Our property is bounded by a fencerow that is wooded and mostly shaded by mulberry and hackberry trees during the growing months. We'd like to create a 5'+ tall evergreen barrier on the property li... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fast growing groundcover for New York September 02, 2010 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I love your site! But I can't quite find this answer: can you recommend a fast-growing groundcover native to southern NY State (Dutchess County) that I can plant NOW (Augus... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Low growing groundcovers for pond banks in Brookville PA July 30, 2010 What are some good low growing ground cover plants for pond banks? Zone 5, mostly sun, preferably something I could start from seed? Hopefully low maintenance & non-evergreen. Perennial & hardy pre... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover for heavy dog traffic in Huntsville TX July 23, 2010 We have recently moved to Huntsville, TX where our backyard is very shady and has only a small patch of St. Augustine grass and the rest is a dry, sand-like soil. We also have 2 Great Danes and 2 Pugs... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover for roadside in Elk Rapids MI July 13, 2010 Elk Rapids, MI (Lake Michigan, East Grand Traverse Bay) Greetings – We are looking for a native ground cover that will cover an area along a roadside, about 100 feet from the Lake Michigan shorelin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for difficult site in Jacksonville, TX July 07, 2010 East Texas (Cherokee County) red clay hillside, hard-packed, difficult to get to, 40' of it slopes 4' down in about 6'! Another 30' of it is flat. Between the hillside and the flat clay area is a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Groundcover for area with impact from rain from roof June 25, 2010 The small garden on the side of my townhouse gets some hard rainfall during every storm. We've found ways of redirecting and using much of the rainfall (gutter and downspout to rain barrel, permeable... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pet-friendly plants for ground cover in Bastrop TX June 21, 2010 Any pet-friendly plants that can be used for ground-cover in Central Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for pool area in Kentucky June 12, 2010 We live in central Kentucky and have a backyard pool that desperately needs some landscaping. I would like plants that don't drop a lot of leaves or "trash". I'd like a list of great poolside pl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Replacing non-native iceplant in El Cajon CA June 11, 2010 Help! We are clearing fungus dead iceplant on a massive steep bank. Should I avoid replacing it with more iceplant? Would myaporum prostrate be a better option? Fast growing, erosion resistant, zero m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Short flowering plant that will grow in sand in Black Creek WI June 03, 2010 I would like to know what kind of flowering plant would grow good in sand? A short plant. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen ground covers and low plants for Dallas area May 25, 2010 Would like a list of low growing (24" or less) evergreen plants including ground covers, scrubs, etc-flowering and non-flowering that are hardy and require low maintenance in the Dallas area. So ofte... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Eliminating straggler daisy from St. Augustine grass in Hochheim TX May 14, 2010 I have straggler daisy in my St. Augustine grass. What herbicides work well on straggler daisy and won't ding up the grass too bad? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover for steep slope in Washington DC May 07, 2010 We have a steep slope in our garden in Washington DC which has sun from noon to sun set. Could you please recommend some low maintenance plants which would be a good ground cover and limit erosion? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover for a clay/shale bank in PA April 06, 2010 We have a 200ft x 30ft bank in front of our house (PA) the soil is made up with clay and shale. what ground cover will grow fast View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Groundcovers for a slope in MA April 04, 2010 We live in Eastern MA. We have a hill behind our house that was previously mulched. Slope is 45 degrees in direct sun, clay soil. We have another hill by the road side that is partially shaded with ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover for a slope in NY April 04, 2010 I live in New York State about 60 miles north of NYC. I have a very wide hill in the front of my house that I am just unable to keep up with. I can mow the bottom portion but using a weed trimmer fo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Low growing, flowering evergreen plants for Pflugerville TX March 30, 2010 I am wondering if you can suggest some low growing, flowering evergreen plants for my garden. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover for shallow soil in hillside north of San Antonio March 27, 2010 I live in the Hill Country north of San Antonio. The yard around the house has very shallow soil and is sloped. Bermuda has a hard time maintaining. Are there any other low growing ground covers that ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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