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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| Native turf grass for Arlington, VA. September 10, 2015 Hi, could you please provide me with a recommendation for a native turf grass to plant in a large commercial area in Arlington, Virginia. Currently Kentucky 31 is being used, but we would like to iden... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-toxic evergreen shrub around duck pen September 10, 2015 I live in Zone 6a, and am looking for a non-toxic evergreen shrub to use around our fence that pens in our ducks. It doesn't have to be native to our particular state. I have 74 feet of fence on th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Recommendations for a steep slope in Arlington, VA September 10, 2015 I have a side yard area about 35' long and 10' wide. It is very steep and get full sun. I recently I removed all the weeds down to dirt. I want to do low maintenance plants with mulch. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will Convallaria majuscula grow in Texas? September 10, 2015 Can I transplant Convallaria majuscula, American lily-of-the-valley I originally brought from northern Wisconsin a few years back to the Chicago area to my new home in Buda Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| The Importance of Sourcing Local Genotypes September 09, 2015 I would like to respond to the answer I got to my Mr. Smarty Plants question about native cultivars vs. straight species. 1) So if I, like many gardeners, don't have access to native plants with a lo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Urushiol Oil Persistance? September 09, 2015 I'm trekking into poison ivy infested areas for work every other day. I make sure to wear long pants, long sleeves, boots, and long socks over my pants. I walk into my office to drop off supplies and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Connecticut Plants for a Steep Slope September 09, 2015 I am looking for the best plants to retain a steep, dry, fully shaded slope in zone 5, Connecticut. It must be deer resistant. Plant height is not a factor. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wildflowers of April wedding in Liberty Hill TX September 02, 2015 We are planning a wedding for April 9 in Liberty Hill, TX (78642) and live on several acres. We would like to plant wildflowers on the land to use for bouquets and centerpieces. Could you please recom... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Blue mistflowers fail to bloom in Austin, TX September 02, 2015 We live in Austin, Texas and we have several blue mistflower plants that are not flowering. In a previous year we had lovely flowers but last year and this year we have no flowers in spite of the fact... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need help with Wheeler's Dwarf Pittosporum September 02, 2015 We have about five Dwarf Wheeler Pittosporum plants. All of them are mature and were doing well. I was on vacation for a week or so and when I came back I saw of each of them is plant 90% dead. The d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Opuntia drooping in Austin, TX September 02, 2015 I planted an optunia spp. in March. It has nearly tripled in size. This week, I noticed the entire plant has started to droop. Temperatures have been very high with no rain for weeks. The cactus is... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning Spruce Pine (Prunus glabra) September 02, 2015 I have a Pinus glabra/spruce pine that is approx. 7' tall. It's limbs are few and some have been broken. Will trimming back the longer limbs to give it a Christmas shape harm this tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Are Native Cultivars As Beneficial to Wildlife? September 02, 2015 I am working on adding more native plants to my small acreage. I would like to know if using a selection or cultivar of a native species is as likely to have wildlife benefits as using a randomly prop... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Souce for Glass Mulch in Austin September 02, 2015 Is there a special reason that broken glass is used in the courtyard flower beds? It's beautiful, wondering where to purchase some. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Georgia Monocots for Dodder Infested Location September 02, 2015 I have a 12'x12' area where we planted carrots, and we got a surprise - dodder! Next year we planted corn - no dodder! This year we planted cosmos, and behold, we had dodder. I understand monocot... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Webworm on Texas Mountain Laurel in Texas September 02, 2015 I thought my mountain laurel had web worms and I sprayed for them. Now the plant looks like it still has the worms even though none are present. Also, I sprayed with a fungicide because some of the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wildflowers for April wedding near Austin TX August 31, 2015 Home wedding April 2016. Live North of Austin.on 200 acres ranch and would like to plant wildflowers. What to plant? When to plant? Flowers that will sustain in vase or bouquet? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Wildflowers for an Indiana septic drain field August 29, 2015 We just had to have a septic system replaced due to our state highway consuming some of our front yard along with our original septic. Since this has happened, our lateral lines now lie in our back ya... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Dieback of river fern and maidenhair fern in the Texas summer August 28, 2015 My river fern and maiden hair fern are dying back. I know it is hot, but they are in shade and watered regularly. The river fern is dying back from the tips. Any fungus or bugs I should be looking ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need suggestions for plants for bioswales in Philadelphia, PA August 24, 2015 Hello, Are there a handful of species you would recommend for inclusion in bioswales throughout the US? I realize plants need to be selected based on climate, but I'm wondering if there are two or... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Question about a beetle eating bees August 22, 2015 I have a beetle that is about index finger or pinkie fingernail size. I have a bee hive and it's eating the bees by injecting it with an inch long probe and sucking out the liquid of my bees. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| List of native plants found in South Texas counties August 22, 2015 Does the LBJ Wildflower Ctr. have a place on its site where lists of native plants found in each Texas county can be accessed? I am working on a comparative database of commonly used sources (e.g., La... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Source of seeds or plants for 5 regions of Virginia August 22, 2015 I am a teacher and am planning a lesson about regional plants of Virginia. I would like to create a type of planter where we can plant seeds from each of the 5 regions in Virginia (Appalachian Platea... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is Convolvulus equitans poisonous? August 22, 2015 Hello, Can you tell me if convolvulus equitans is poisonous? If so, can you tell me how poisonous and which parts are poisonous? I am considering putting this in my backyard but I have a dog and an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What does the name montana mean in a species name? August 21, 2015 What does the name montana mean in a species name? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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