Native Plants

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Smarty Plants Question Topics
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Plants for a bioswale in TX February 18, 2011 Dear Mr.Smarty Plants, What kind of plants are best suited for a bioswale in Edinburg, Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for a bioswale in New York City August 03, 2010 I am interested in learning about the best vegetation for planting in a bioswale in New York City. Can you help? Thanks! 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 | ||
Grasses for moist, steep hillside in Tupelo MS July 01, 2010 I have a very steep bank that I have pampas grass planted in spots. It must be a natural spring in the bank because it stays very wet and runs into the street below. Can you suggest something to pla... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for area with occasional standing water in Illinois June 25, 2010 ..similar to the question posed by the Aurora, Illinois bioswale on 11/30/2009 - I am an architect who designed the reconstruction of a historic structure in Pana, Illinois and have an area that is ap... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Rain garden Plants for Colorado April 22, 2010 Can you recommend native plants for a rain garden in Colorado Springs View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Rain garden plants for NC April 19, 2010 I have a small creek at the back of our property, it's normally dry except when it rains. Builders removed the natural plants and left it bare. What native plants could I plant in it to bring it bac... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Rain garden plants for Ketonah, NY March 30, 2010 Rain garden plant selections for lower NY state View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for a wet area in Ohio March 30, 2010 I have a lot of water in my front yard are there any kind of plants that I can plant to drink up some of the water? I live in North East Ohio View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Landscaping recommendations for site in Dubuque, IA March 27, 2010 I need a seed recommendation. Here are the variables: Location: Dubuque, IA (east Central Iowa) Soil type: Sandy to sandy and gravelly. Part is a riverbank facing east. Steep bank then flat to ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for floodplain in Fairfield, New Jersey March 21, 2010 I have an easy question for you... I hope... We just moved into the floodplains of NJ in Fairfield and are interested in some plants. We would like to know what plants are best suited to grow in flood... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Rain garden plants for Austin March 20, 2010 I have a 7'x1' shaded area in between my house and sidewalk where the downspout is, and would like to add plants for a more eco-friendly drainage solution. Which plants would be best? I know that th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Rain Garden plant for N. Mississippi March 03, 2010 Rain Garden Plants for North Mississippi/Mid-South Region. I wish the search parameters included plants which tolerate seasonal flooding and droughts, so that each state might search for its own r... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Rain garden for South Austin March 01, 2010 I have a TINY yard in south Austin. It is 8'x25', sandwiched between four houses and happens to be at the lowest elevation, so all of the neighbor's yards drain to ours. Originally, we had bermud... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for Bioswale in Illinois November 30, 2009 I have a 300ft by 15 ft bioswale in Aurora, Illinois. What plants would be best used? Is there a percentage of each plant to take into consideration? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Edible Plants for a Virginia Rain Garden October 21, 2009 Can you recommend edible plants that would be appropriate for use in a rain garden? I'm located in Charlottesville, VA, but this can be in general as well. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Bioswale for Indianapolis September 13, 2009 The city of Indianapolis has a very historic Central Canal, which was built in the 1830s. Due to erosion, the parent company of Indianapolis Water, Veolia, has proposed covering the banks with a type ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Installation of a bioswale in Decatur IL July 22, 2009 I want to install a bioswale in a 15' wide, 50' long ditch on a relatively steep hill. The ditch already has rip rap in it. Do I need to remove all the rip rap before starting construction, or can... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native plants for a bioswale in Baltimore July 22, 2009 What native plants would suit a bioswale in an urban part of Baltimore City? The clay soil gets waterlogged and the site has part shade. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Expanding clay soils near rain garden May 11, 2009 I want to put a rain garden in my yard in central TX (Kyle). My subdivision architectural review committee expressed concerns about the expansive clay soils becoming saturated and possibly shortening... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native plants for a bioswale in Indianapolis March 07, 2009 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, Can you please recommend the types of plants I should use in a bioswale or rain garden in Indiana? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
What plants can absorb the excess water in my back yard? February 20, 2009 I am looking for any plants and trees that can absorb the excess water in my back yard. There is a large area that is swampy and always wet. Could you please provide me some suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native plants beneficial to wildlife in Cincinnati, OH April 25, 2008 I live in Cincinnati, Ohio and I am looking for native plants to plant in a small area of trees behind my house. I would like the plants to be beneficial for wildlife, like maybe some wildflowers. T... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for a bioswale or rain garden January 06, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, What plants do you recommend for a bioswale or rain garden in Austin, Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native Texas plants for rain gardens March 07, 2007 I am looking for native Texas plants that would do well in very shady and partial shade rain gardens. Do you have any suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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