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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| Plants for strip between sidewalk and street June 21, 2015 Dear Sir, My name is Brandon. I live in Leander TX (just North of Cedar Park). I have an area that is in the "street strip" (in between sidewalk and asphalt) of my home that I would like to d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Aquatic Plants for a Small Pond in Missouri June 11, 2015 We have a small backyard pond (4' x 5' x 2' deep) with a shelf for marginal plants, and a pump that feeds a nice little creek and waterfall into the pond. We don't really want fish, but we'd lik... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shrubs for Central Texas that are Verticillium Resistant April 16, 2015 We need a list of at least a few shrubs in the 6'x3'+ size that are Verticillium Wilt resistant. We have taken out the affected Elaeagnus and would like to replace it with a screen of similar densit... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native Perennials for Bees and Butterflies in VA April 15, 2015 What native perennial plants and trees can we plant to help honey bees and butterfly larvae in Harrisonburg, VA? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Butterfly and Hummingbird Attracting Plants for CT April 15, 2015 Could you please give me a list of flowers that would attract butterflies and hummingbirds? I live in Darien, Connecticut and would love to make a butterfly garden. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| New Jersey Native Plants for a Raised Bed April 15, 2015 I want to plant some native plants in a raised bed in New Jersey along side a stucco wall that gets direct sun and is very dry due to an overhang. Any suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native Groundcover Suggestions for Under Florida Oak Trees April 03, 2015 I am looking for native plants that will do well under several oak trees in Northeast Florida. My yard doesn't get much sun and I'm told I have acidic soil. Are the any plants that would do well wit... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pool-Side Plants for Miami April 02, 2015 I am looking for plants, along the line of ti plant cordyline features, to plant around my chlorinated pool area with full South Miami sun. We have a dog therefore they must be non-toxic plants. The... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native wildflowers for an Asheville, NC garden. March 30, 2015 I live in Asheville. I just bought a small home for the first time with a .22 acre yard. It's extremely sunny on the east side and gets good sun most of the day. Like most WNC area yards it's on a s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Vines for Madison, Wisconsin March 12, 2015 What are some good options for non-aggressive native vines for southern Wisconsin? I am looking for something that can cover a chain-link fence and benefit local insects. I don't want it to take ov... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Deer Resistant Evergreens for Pennsylvania Woods March 12, 2015 We are looking for evergreens that will grow in a partially shaded/wooded area and are ideally deer resistant. Hemlocks are out because of a parasite infestation in our area of Pennsylvania. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-Toxic Flowering Vine for Sunny Trellis in California March 12, 2015 I am looking for a flowering trellis plant that is non-toxic to my dog, will grow in the California area that I live in, and will be in full sun. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shrubs for a Shady Foundation Planting in Texas February 28, 2015 We are looking for foundation shrubs, 2-4' mature height, for a totally shaded area which does receive bright light all day. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Short, Shady Plants for South Carolina February 24, 2015 I have a shady part of my mother's garden that doesn't drain very well. Do you have any suggestions as to what type of flowers or plants (preferably native to S.C.) that aren't red that might grow ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Companion Plants for Rhododendron periclymenoides February 24, 2015 Could you identify companion plants that work well with the pink azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides)? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant Database for New Jersey February 19, 2015 How can I find out where certain plants will grow, for example, will Indian Mustard (Brassica juncea L.) grow in New Jersey? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native Plants for Year Round Interest February 16, 2015 I'm involved in a paradigm shift from traditional bedding plants (petunias, zinnias, begonias, etc.) to native plants. I realize that native plants have natural life cycles where they look pretty bad... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Septic Field Recommendations for SW Austin February 09, 2015 What would be good native plants to vegetate septic drip fields in both sun and shade in Southwest Austin. The regulations want plants that are evergreen and shallow rooted. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a Narrow Fence Line in TN February 03, 2015 I have a very specific and difficult planting question. I have a narrow strip (about 2 feet at the widest) between my back privacy fence and a wire fence that marks the edge of my property. It is dire... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Annual Native Plants for Interplanting in Iowa January 20, 2015 I'm looking for suggestions for annuals that will flower from seed or from spring plants. I want to use them to fill in the space around newly planted coneflowers and asters that I fear will look spa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Number of plant species existing in South Carolina December 21, 2014 Where can I find the number of known or estimated number of plant species existing in South Carolina? I have tried several search engines, but perhaps I am not wording my query properly. Thank you f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Specifying sizes of plants for pond edge plantings in Austin area December 19, 2014 I am working on a list of pond edge plantings for the Austin area that will be in the fluctuation zone and I have my list of my plants but I need to know how to spec the sizes and to make sure my list... 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 | ||
| Small Tree for Texas Garden November 06, 2014 I would like to plant a small tree just 3-4 feet from my house, but I don't want to damage the foundation. Is there a small fruit or nut tree I could plant that would fit the bill? Failing that, is t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native NW Pennsylvania Plants for Soap November 06, 2014 Are there any plants in northwest Pennsylvania that can be used as soap? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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