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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| When is the best time to transplant Esperanza bushe in Buda, TX? September 04, 2013 When is the best time to transplant an Esperanza bush? I want to move it because it is overwhelming my front yard. Thank you, View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| When is best time to transplant Ezperanza shrubs in Buda, TX? September 02, 2013 I need to transplant 2 huge Esperanza's...when is the best time to uproot them and not kill them? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting large Silverado Sage bushes from Mesa AZ August 19, 2013 We just bought a condo with three Silverado Sage, each one is 6-8 ft tall, trained to grow as "trees" with bare branches for the bottom 4 feet or so, and beautiful flowering branches on top. They ar... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Gregg's Mistflower stressed in Fredericksburg TX August 07, 2013 My Gregg's Mist Flower plants are very stressed. The blooms have turned brown and the leaves are drooping. Plants are receiving moderate sun, partial shade. Do they need daily watering this time o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Should a tree near a water well be transplanted? July 31, 2013 I have a water well and have about a 6 yr live oak planted in close proximity to it( about 10 feet). Would it be wise enough to transplant the tree while its this young or leave it alone. Also I need ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Caterpillars on Mountain Laurel from Austin July 25, 2013 My 1-yr old mountain laurel has been decimated by small yellow and black catepillars. It recovered a bit and pushed out some fresh new growth, and more came and decimated that too. Are these caterpi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Soaptree yucca falling over in Mesa AZ July 24, 2013 My soaptree yucca is about 5 ft tall and has fallen over. Does this plant require staking for I thought not, or is something else going on with it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Failure to bloom of one of two Texas persimmons from Wimberly TX May 04, 2013 Last year my son planted two texas persimmon trees. One is blooming ok this year and the other is not. It does not seem dead. What can I do or is is in fact dying? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wild plum tree failing to bloom from Simonton TX May 04, 2013 I have a wild plum tree that has been in the ground for 3 or 4 years and it has not ever flowered. Why? I don't know what kind it is. I dug it up from a friends yard. Her wild plum trees have flowere... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting Eve's Necklace from Round Mountain TX April 16, 2013 We have dozens of small Eve's necklace plants coming up in our large yard. I would like to share them with my friends who aren't so lucky. Many years ago, I tried to transplant one, and it didn't... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting Seedling Texas Mountain Laurels April 15, 2013 I have two mountain laurels that I grew from seed. They are in pots, but the roots have grown through the bottom and into my flower bed. The trees are about 6 feet tall. They have already bloomed. So ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native turkscap failing to thrive in Shiro TX March 19, 2013 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, Two years ago I transplanted several native (not cultivars) Drummond's turkscaps in the proximity of water oaks in the front yard. All get shade and some sun. They seemed to ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replanting yaupon in Blanco TX January 16, 2013 How do I replant Yaupon in its native area Blanco TX? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting a bald cypress from Houston December 10, 2012 We would like to transplant a bald cypress from front yard to back. It is about 10 ft tall, 3" trunk diameter, 2-1/2 years old and in good health. Any idea how large the root ball might need to be du... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Propagation of rain, oxblood, and copper lily bulbs November 30, 2012 I have Rain Lily, Oxblood Lily, and Copper Lily bulbs out of the ground, that are putting out some green growth. I would like to plant them soon. Is it okay to plant now and in December, or do I hav... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replanting of non-native Christmas Palm from Sarasota FL November 28, 2012 Do you know of a proven technique to plant a Christmas Palm in a built-in concrete pool deck planter box - using gravel around the soil root ball to delay the root bound condition we just ripped out? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Newly planted nuttall oaks from Houston TX November 16, 2012 I recently purchased two Nuttall Oak Trees in Houston Texas (October). They are both 15' or taller. I planted them within 24 hours of being delivered, watered them in, staked them, and within 3-4 d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Freeze-resistant palms for Central Texas November 09, 2012 I live in Lytton Springs just north of Lockhart. What is a good hardy palm that I can get that will grow without the worry of freeze? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting a young lilac November 05, 2012 This past spring I planted a hybrid lilac in the ground. The weather here has started to get cold, and much more so at night. Also, the temperatures go from warm to cold and back again as if unsure wh... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting Esperanza in Abilene TX November 03, 2012 I have 3 beautiful Gold Star Esperanzas that are too large and need to be transplanted. How can I do this and what time of year. They are five years old and always return in the spring. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| When to transplant volunteer Cedar Elms in Cedar Park, TX? October 11, 2012 We have a number of volunteer cedar elms we would like to transplant. When is the best time to do this? Should they be potted first and later transplanted or transplanted immediately? Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Keeping a Texas Madrone alive from Belton TX October 01, 2012 I have found a supplier of a Texas Madrone and have been wanting to grow one ever since our family vacation to Big Bend NP. My question is how do you have success with this tree? Many people say it is... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Removing existing shrubs from Grapevine TX September 24, 2012 We just bought a house and we have some shrubs and hedges we want to remove. What is the best way to remove them so that they don't grow back? We have some holly hedges, a very large cedar or juniper... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting Silverado Sage from Temple TX September 24, 2012 Hello, I've got some mature Silverado Sage. Can they be successfully transplanted or do I need to buy new plants for the next residence? I have them planted in a raised bed. I realize that IF it is ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Speed of growth of quercus agrifolia from Torrance CA September 20, 2012 I planted a quercus agrifolia in my front yard about 2 years ago without considering its ultimate size (it's about 10 feet from the sidewalk and 10 feet from our house). The tree is growing really fa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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