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 | ||
| Tree with light-colored bark, thorns and long white clumps of flowers August 18, 2015 I bought a tree at the LBJWC plant sale a couple years ago but lost the name of the tree. I'm finally ready to plant it in the ground and would like to learn more about what its needs are. Can you ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identity of tree in South Carolina August 18, 2015 I don't know if this is native as I'm new to South Carolina. This is a tree about 40' tall. The leaves are trilobal, 10" to a foot across/long and are trilobal, not glossy and have big veins. T... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Perennials in the Family Solanaceae (Potato or Nightshade Family) August 15, 2015 Hello, What plants, in the Night shade (Solanaceae) family, are Perennials? Thank you! Kristy. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Green Pearls or String-of-Pearls plant August 13, 2015 Years ago I had a plant I called green pearls because that's what it looked like. It was an inside plant. Can you please help me with this? Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowering shrub for Kihei, Hawaii August 12, 2015 I live in Kihei Hawaii, near the beach but across the road from it. I am looking for a hedge that flowers, can be trimmed is dense and grows rather quickly. 3-4ft in height. We have bougainvillia now ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will Bermuda grass survive a drought-induced dormancy? August 12, 2015 If I stop watering a Bermuda grass lawn and let it go dormant, will it green up again when it rains again? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of flower in book August 12, 2015 Hi, I make paper flowers and I came across this flower in my book under the name camellia. But I am sure it is not. I tried finding out similar flowers but i am lost as I don't know if such a flower ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Vine with big flowers or fruits August 12, 2015 I need a vine that will take over a 8ft wide x 12 ft high lattice. It will be the center piece of the front of the house. It will be In sun almost constantly throughout the day. I'd like something wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native flowering plants for Frisco, Texas August 12, 2015 Hi There, I recently moved from Ohio, Cleveland to TX, Frisco. Could you please suggest me native flowering plants in my back yard and front yard. I like different flowers. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Can a Quaking aspen grow in central Texas? August 11, 2015 I live in Austin and like the idea of a Quaking Aspen tree. I live on a creek and the tree(s) would get good sun and water. Am I crazy? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion controlling plants for a shady Minnesota lakeside August 11, 2015 I live about 50 yards from a lake and there is a steep embankment. Recently someone decided to cut the trees off the embankment and now the dirt is eroding off the embankment as well as off my back ya... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen privacy screen August 10, 2015 We are looking for a good plant(s) that would provide a privacy screen by our fence. We were looking at clumping bamboo (maybe black) because it grows quickly and it not too thick. The new plants woul... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant Identification August 07, 2015 I live in southeastern Michigan. I found a plant growing in the backyard that caught my eye. I chalked it off as a weed, but it's unique. It is shaped like a bushing type plant, has red stem, each cl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of vining shrub near Fort Worth August 07, 2015 Please let me know what this plant might be. Saw it one county west of Ft. Worth, in a wooded area, and I've never seen this in this region before. The form is a vining shrub. Leaves are heart-sh... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| American Beech with Brown Leaves August 06, 2015 I have a North American beech tree in Oregon. Its leaves started out with big brown spots on the leaves and is pretty much turning all the leaves on the tree brown. What could be causing this and wha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Planting Flame Acanthus in Texas August 06, 2015 I recently purchased three flame acanthus in 1 qt. pots. I had planned to hold these in a shaded spot for planting once it cools off, but the plants are 2 1/2 to 3 ft. tall. Should I cut them back, pl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Lace Bugs on Lantana August 06, 2015 All my lantana bushes are suffering from severe lace bug infestation. The lace bugs have been seen via microscope as well exoskeletons and poop. The buds are destroyed and I have no flowers for hummin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Beautyberry Dying Back August 06, 2015 I've got an American Beautyberry which I planted in the spring. It's now about 2-3 feet tall and has 3 trunks (or limbs). It's in an area which gets about 5 hours of direct sun per day and I've be... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pest Dug Up and Ate Hypoxis Corms August 06, 2015 After years of no problems, something recently dug up and ate all my Yellow star-grass corms. What is attracted to them and is there an organic way to prevent it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Bee-friendly bush with small yellow flowers in Minnesota August 04, 2015 I was up north in Minnesota and saw a bee friendly bush with small yellow flowers clustered so they looked like small (4"-6") flocked Christmas trees. Any ideas? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Controlling Cocculus carolinus vines August 04, 2015 I live in Oklahoma City and want to rid my yard and flowerbeds of Cocculus Carolinus vines, I already have a infestation, I cant count the number of vines that were already established before I found ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| American beautyberry losing leaves in San Antonio August 03, 2015 I planted 3 American beautyberry last fall, and 2 of them are doing great. All the leaves on the 3rd one suddenly started dropping about 2 weeks ago and it looks dead. I can't find anything to tell... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Where to find Horseherb seed August 02, 2015 I would like to purchase some Horseherb seeds. Can you tell me where I can do that? Either locally or on line. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pests on Fan Tex Ash July 30, 2015 We planted a Fan Tex Ash last year on our property. It's doing very well, but there are a lot of large stink bugs, yellow jackets and red wasps on it daily. We cannot seem to find any information on ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Powdery Mildew on Monterrey Oak July 30, 2015 Monterrey oak developing gray-white patches on some but not all leaves leading to wilting. could this be powdery mildew? Tree not stressed. Thanks. Best treatment? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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