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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| Seep Muhly in limited sunlight. July 01, 2015 Can Seep Muhly withstand just 3 or 4 hours of direct sunlight in an urban setting? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Advice for Texas Mountain Laurel in shady, narrow bed. June 08, 2015 My house faces N/NE and gets a lot of shade. I would like to plant a Texas Mountain Laurel in my narrow front bed, but what is the best way to amend my clay soil since it prefers rocky soil? What woul... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to protect Columbine plants from Texas sun May 12, 2015 I planted some Red columbine seeds in October of last year and they are now doing well, roughly 6-inches tall. I believed I was planting them in mostly shade at the time; that area now seems to get 6+... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Straggler daisy as a ground cover in Florida April 21, 2015 I live in Hillsborough county,FL. My yard has two large oak trees and is very shady. I am looking for a shade resistant ground cover that will do well for a yard used by children to play. I was told... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a Shaded Slope in Philadelphia April 17, 2015 I have a small slope along the North side of my house in a suburb of Philadelphia. A small maple tree grows there but most of it gets no sun at all (a large segment is under the tree). I had the soil ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native Plants for a Shaded Patio Container in Missouri April 17, 2015 What kind of native plants would grow well in a pot on a fully shaded patio? I live in Kansas City, Missouri. The patio faces north and doesn't get any direct sunlight, but it gets lots of indirect... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native Evergreen for Shady Back Yard in IL April 16, 2015 I am looking for a native evergreen to provide bird shelter in my southeast facing small back yard. I would prefer a horizontal juniper but don't know if it could grow in the shade of the 8 or 9 matu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcovers for Shade Under a Sweetgum March 25, 2015 I have 3 large sweetgum trees that produce so much shade each summer, and grass, even grass meant for shade, won't grow here. It's become a barren desert! I have English ivy but it only seems to gro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growing mosses in the Pacific Northwest February 05, 2015 Can you provide information on types of Mosses as well as Microferns in the Northwest Mountain region near Seattle? I assume that Mosses and Microferns are more resilient to foot traffic (i.e.Cush... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Small evergreen shrubs for part shade in Texas January 31, 2015 Mr. Smarty Pants, I'm, for some reason, at odds with myself about a shrub decision. I have need about 8 ft of hedge-like evergreen shrub(s) that I can maintain around 4ft to go under a window. It... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Thorny vines for a shady Louisiana fence January 17, 2015 Do you know of a fast growing, non-invasive, thorny vine that I can grow along a shady fence row in Baton Rouge, Louisiana? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a moist, wooded area in North Carolina December 06, 2014 I am looking to plant some native flowers in a wooded area in Surry County NC. The chosen location is fully shaded beside a creek. The water table typically sets about 2 feet below the surface of th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| O.K. to grow grass under a live oak? November 26, 2014 Is it a bad idea to plant grass around a mature live oak? We have erosion issues and trying to keep mulch in the beds around the tree groves is a challenge, even with edging. Much of the native dirt... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shade grasses for central Texas November 16, 2014 We are new to the area and bought a home this summer that has lots of shade in the very small backyard. The problem is that there was new sod laid in the backyard which now is 50% dead. We do not kno... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants to grow under pine trees in Riverside, CA October 15, 2014 Please tell me what plants would do well under pine trees in somewhat moist soil in Riverside, Ca. Also, I would prefer perennials that are easy to weed. (I currently have violets which are overrun wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native Texas Plants for a Terrarium October 08, 2014 I have a 55-gallon aquarium that I would like to make into a terrarium. Are there any Texas native plants that would do well in the limited artificial light of the tank? The plants should be of varyin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shady Container Plant for Austin August 20, 2014 I am looking for a tall plant/small shrub/ornamental grass for a very large pot that is placed against the north wall of our Austin home. That spot gets some morning sun in the summer, but virtually ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Magnolia species are allelopathic August 02, 2014 Have a healthy Southern Magnolia tree around 8 years old. It seems like everything I plant next to it dies.: Variegated Spirea, Stokes Aster, Hydrangeas. Is there something it secretes like the waln... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a Austin thicket underlayer July 25, 2014 We live in Austin, west of 183. We are planning to put a thicket in our backyard, where there is no threat of deer. Anchoring the thicket are a clump of live oaks, a Texas persimmon, an Eve's Necklac... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Competition between Horseherb and Chickweed July 04, 2014 Ok, sorry I did it wrong the 1st time!? I live in Houston, and I have chickens! I also have mass amounts of Horseherb, and I want to buy some chickweed seeds and plant it for my chickens! My question ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wildlife Attracting Plants for a Shady Patio July 03, 2014 We have a concrete patio that receives 2-3 hours of sunlight a day, so the only plants we will be able to grow will be in container. We are looking for plants that do well in shade, and containers and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcover for part shade in Albany NY July 02, 2014 Hello! I'm looking for: a native ground cover, mostly shade with only some morning sun, on a slope, edible is preferred but not necessity, mostly clay type soil for the Albany, NY area. Thanks for yo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Container plant in difficult sun exposure from Leander TX June 06, 2014 HELP!!!! I have a large Mexican terracotta pot on my front porch. This awkward area is facing westward, so receives the full dose of Texas sun after about 3 pm onward. Now here's the catch; my fr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is Phyla lanceolata (frogfruit) poisonous to dogs fromTitusville FL? June 01, 2014 Is Phyla lanceolata, also called Fogfruit, Lanceleaf Fogfruit, or Northern Fogfruit, toxic to dogs? We have it growing amongst our grass. I can't find it on any toxic plant list. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion Control for a Shaded Slope in Aliquippa PA May 07, 2014 What plants. shrubs or trees can I plant to retard soil erosion on a steep shaded hillside in PA View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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