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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| Growth on top of Echinacea purpurea (Eastern purple coneflower) July 03, 2012 I grow purple coneflowers in my garden. ONE plant has something growing on the top of each cone. I would like to know what it is but I don't see how I can add a photo to this post. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Location of Alamo fungicide kit from Georgetown TX July 03, 2012 Where can I buy the Alamo fungicide injection kit shown in the oak wilt video? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Time for trimming oaks from Boerne TX July 03, 2012 I want to trim a native red oak but am scared to touch it because I dont want to lose it. It is the primary source of shade in our back yard. Also I want to trim the live oaks and am surrounded with O... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Young oak damaged by falling tree from San Diego TX June 27, 2012 My neighbor's Palo Blanco tree was struck by lightning and fell over our fence and on to a young oak tree in our yard. We waited a few days to see if the neighbor would offer help, but he never did,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Yellowing of leaves in Texas Mountain Laurel from Austin June 25, 2012 I planted a Texas Mountain Laurel in my Austin, TX yard this January. The tree was good sized (about 5 feet tall) when I planted it. Recently the leaves of the tree have started to turn yellow alon... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Splitting bark on non-native mimosa from Buda TX June 24, 2012 What would cause my Mimosa tree to have splitting bark. I've only lived in this house for 8 months and am learning about this tree. The other tree seems fine. It looks as though it split and then ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wound in Monterey Oak from Austin June 20, 2012 I have a 10 year old Monterey Oak that has developed a wound that is secreting a white bubbly substance that has attracted all the bugs, like butterfly's , pill bugs, ants, and several others I don'... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Trimming oaks and elms from New Braunfels TX June 20, 2012 I would like to trim my live oaks and elm trees at the same time, if possible. I think they are American Elms. When is the best time to do this and avoid oak wilt and Dutch elm disease? Should all c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Possible fungal infection of oak trees in Mastic Beach, NY. June 19, 2012 Sir, I have a yard full of HUGE Oaks. The one in question is about 80' tall 48" in diameter at the base. They are all well maintained fed and trimed and elevated every 3 or 4 years. About 4 years a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant rootbound tree now from Kerrville TX June 10, 2012 I purchased a Blanco Crabapple tree. Should I plant it now or wait until Fall? (It is currently rootbound.) Second question: Our Mountain Laurel has a dead trunk and one trunk has already died. I c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Something eating holes in Texas Betony from Austin June 06, 2012 What pest is eating holes in the leaves of my Texas Betonys? They look healthy but almost all leaves have various sizes of round holes in them. What is the best cure for this? Thanks View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with Strawberry Hedgehog cactus from Temple TX June 03, 2012 I had purchased a Strawberry hedgehog Cactus (echinocereus stramineus) a few years ago from the Wildflower Center's annual plant sale and planted it then. It has now started to brown from bottom to t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Leafing out problems with oaks in Towson MD June 02, 2012 3 native 5-year-old oaks kept old leaves until March and are not leafing by the end of May. The few leaves that have emerged are shriveled. WHAT'S WRONG? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trees starting to die in subdivision in Hutto, TX May 31, 2012 I live in Hutto Tx, in a subdivision where everyone has the 2 trees planted in the front yard. My trees have started to die, and I want to find out what kind they are to find a solution View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Oak trees shedding leaves in Denton TX May 27, 2012 In Denton, TX we have two mature Quercus buckleyi. It is May 11th 2012 and one of these trees has been shedding green leaves for the last week. The only changes we have made are: planted English ivy... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Dying leaves on Autumn Blaze Maple tree in Littleton, CO May 25, 2012 I have an autumn blaze maple where for the last two years the left side of the tree turns light green, then brown, and leaves die. The right side is dark green, normal. Is this a water over/under pr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yellow in pin oak leaves from Allen TX May 25, 2012 I have two pin oaks and one is completely yellow - a sign of iron deficiency and the other is starting to turn completely yellow as well. I've a proposal for iron deficiency but it is quite expensiv... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Which plants are resistant to dog urine in Ashmore, IL?? May 21, 2012 Which native plants are resistant to dogs urinating on them? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Reason for tree canopy dieback from Mahopac NY May 21, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: Not a questions, just sharing, re person in Texas whose Ash Jupiter appeared to be dying "canopy very thin on top". We moved to Putnam Co. NY in 1970. Our house was shaded by... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Cultivar of Cercis Canadensis from Haskell OK May 16, 2012 We have a Hearts of Gold Redbud that first had dark edges to many of its leaves (about 2 weeks after planting). It now has multiple leaves w/ medium-dark brown spots on them. Are we looking at some ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with a Sherman (Shumard?) Oak from Bixby OK May 14, 2012 We have done extensive research on oak fungi/diseases/pests could be affecting our Sherman Oak tree but we are stumped. The leaves are falling off and have some sort of moldy bunch within the leaf it... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Oak bark problems from Stillwater OK May 14, 2012 In my clients large oak tree there is bark stripped from the limbs in small pieces. No piece is larger than 1 inch by 1 inch and occurs on limbs high in the canopy. It does not look like squirrel doin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to correct Anacacho leaves that are turning brown and curling in Driftwood, TX? May 11, 2012 Anacacho lunarioides leaves are turning brown and curling,how do I correct? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replacement Yaupon holly doing poorly in Pflugerville, TX May 09, 2012 I had to replace quite a few shrubs after the drought last year. I live in Austin, TX. I have planted 3 dwarf yaupon holly bushes in the exact same place where the previous three same type of shrubs... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Small oak tree with powdery mildew in San Antonio, TX. May 09, 2012 I have a small oak tree with powdery mildew. Is there anything I can do about? Will it kill the tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| A year and a half old live oak tree is doing poorly in Nevada, TX. May 08, 2012 We planted a live oak tree about a year and a half ago. the tree is still rather small. The leaves are of a vibrant green, however the leave have only grown through the center of the tree and not out... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| How do you stop the bark from peeling off the tree in Amarillo? May 07, 2012 How do you stop the bark from peeling off the tree? I live in Amarillo, TX. If you can't stop the progression, how do you keep the tree alive? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need to find a place to buy Western Soapberry in Paris, TX. May 05, 2012 Where is the closest place to purchase a Western Soapberry tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with evergreen sumac in San Antonio May 03, 2012 I planted 5 5-gallon (approximately 2 feet tall) evergreen sumac in early January. Since that time they have sprouted out new shoot with new leaves several times - every time the leaves have wilted a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Spots on bark of Mountain Ash from Engadine MI April 30, 2012 I have a mountain ash that is about 5 years old & have just noticed white, patchy, scaly looking spots on the bark. Is this something to be concerned about??? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with blueberries from Kernersville NC April 29, 2012 My blueberry plants have no leaves or scrawny ones. I have 13 plants, 5 of them are like this. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning live oak in Austin April 28, 2012 Hi, We recently purchased a house in South Austin and there is a huge Live Oak Tree about 6 feet from the back door (so so so love it!) The only real issues I have so far are: 1. Needing to trim a ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why did my Prairie Flax plant die in Austin, TX? April 27, 2012 Hello, We planted 4 prairie flax last fall in garden. They were all growing nicely until last month when I found that one of them has completely dried up and died. The plants are planted together a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need help with a fungal disease in oak trees in Austin, TX April 26, 2012 Two adjacent oak trees in my yard are showing distinct symptoms of Sudden Oak Death. Most notably, the lowest ten feet of their trunks have several bleeding cankers with thick, tarry ooze and no accom... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need to identify a fungus in a flower garden in Lansinging, MI. April 25, 2012 I have a fungus in my flower garden. It is white and ground hugging. It is in a moist area under a large spruce where mulch has been laid down. When I step on it , it expels a green dust. What is it a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tilling for grass under old live oak in San Antonio April 15, 2012 Hi, I have a 250+ year old Texas Live Oak. As usual, the lawn under the tree, after 18 years needs to be redone. MY QUESTION: to put down new sod the lawn company needs to till the soil about 4 t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with yaupon from San Angelo TX April 08, 2012 We have a 3-yr-old yaupon holly entering its 3rd summer. We have put store-bought wood-chips under the tree several times since it was planted. A plant has grown under the tree, possibly out of the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Texas wild olive tree April 05, 2012 I live in the Phoenix area. My Texas wild olive (Cordia boissieri) is about 5 years old, about 12 feet tall and has beautiful blossoms all year long. However, this past year (through all seasons... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Red oaks that didn't drop leaves in Austin April 04, 2012 I have a number of Red Oaks on land that did not drop leaves this past fall. Now these same trees seem to be dead? It seems there's some type of mold/fungus on the trees. Some trees have small patche... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Mountain Laurels are dying in Georgetown, TX. April 02, 2012 Ten year old Mountain Laurels both last year and this spring have had entire branches turn brown just after blooming this Feb. Round Rock Arborist suggested I contact you. Last year one of my laurels... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Hypoxylon Canker removal in Austin TX March 26, 2012 I have several oaks that appear to have been killed by Hypoxylon atropunctatum from last summer's drought. Is it safe to cut them down in March or does that risk spreading Oak Wilt too. Should I ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Black fungus on cholla cactus from Austin March 25, 2012 How to get rid of black fungus on cholla cactus? Cut it off? And treat with what? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with volunteer tree in Joshua TX February 15, 2012 I have a 'volunteer' tree which has been in our back yard for about 15 years. It has had the usual traumas, ie. lots of snow, ice, etc. but after last years drought, its bark is coming off and sev... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problem with non-native Houttuynia cordata (chameleon) January 30, 2012 I have a Houttuynia cordata chameleon plant in a clay pot. My zone is 9b and my yard is partial sun. Up until January, it was thriving. Now, it is dead. I think the cold killed it. I kept it moist at ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Live oak leaves yellowing from Denton TX January 26, 2012 In autumn of 2010 I planted 10 live oaks about 6 to 7 ft. tall. I have see that during the month of Dec. 2011 to Jan. 2012 they are showing some yellow leaves. What can I do to help them? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Habiturf installation after Take-All fungus January 24, 2012 Are other soil remedies needed (besides those listed in your Habiturf brochure) to install Habiturf on land which had a St. Augustine lawn which was decimated by take all patch. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Leaves dropping on evergreen sumac in San Antonio January 11, 2012 I have a large evergreen sumac in my back yard that started off as a small shrub 10 years ago. This summer the leaves turned red and now have dropped off. Is the plant dead? It sent out two smaller pl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Cause of trees losing bark in Arkansas December 27, 2011 I live in very rural Arkansas and we did have extreme heat this past summer and since then I have noticed several trees in the woods that have lost huge strips of their bark and I was wondering if it ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Live oak leaves turning yellow after planting in Houston December 19, 2011 We bought a 65 gallon live oak in early October, and have been watering fairly heavily three days a week. It seemed OK, then all of a sudden lots of the leaves are turning yellow. Is it getting too ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Failure to thrive of Tex-ash in Tucson AZ December 02, 2011 I planted a mature (15') Tex-Ash about a year ago. Lately more and more leaves seem to be browning and it has never filled out. I am concerned I am going to lose it if I don't get it something befor... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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