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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| topic | question | |
| Transplanting wild sumac September 23, 2010 About a month ago I dug up five sumac from my backyard in Aylmer Quebec. I potted them. They now look dead. I wanted to transplant them at my cottage in Barrie Ontario. Can I still transplant them... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting star hibiscus seeds from Austin September 21, 2010 TX star hibiscus seeds. How & when to plant in ground & in pots. Thank you, Carol View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting time for late October bloom of Cowpen Daisy from Marble Falls, TX September 18, 2010 How fast does Cowpen Daisy grow from seed to flower? Do we still have time to plant seed and get flowers by the end of October in order to attract late migrating Monarch Butterflies through the Austi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Information about moist stratification September 07, 2010 I have some seeds of scarlet leatherflower I'd like to try and I read the instructions under 'Propagation' in your Native Plant Database that say "Moist stratify at 41 degrees".. What does "... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Male and female Maclura pomifera trees in Boaz AL September 06, 2010 To grow a Maclura pomifera female tree, do I have to have a male tree for the female to produce fruit? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting sumacs in Ontario August 23, 2010 I live in Aylmer Quebec. I have 10 baby sumac in my back yard and want to transplant them at my cottage in southern Ontario on Lake Simcoe. When can I do this and how? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hybridized Indigo Spires having problems in Wimberley, TX August 19, 2010 I planted 7 Indigo Spires from one gallon containers in May and now each plant is about 18" tall. 4 of the 7 fell over about 2 weeks are. The plants still look healthy with no dropped or curled leav... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Aromatic sumac in Travis County August 14, 2010 This is an answer to article in today's, August 14, newspaper. I assume that aromatic sumac is native to Travis county because I have it all over my property. It turns bright red in the fall adding... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need some information about wild native grapes in Gatlinburg, TN. August 13, 2010 We have some wild grapevines growing on a southern exposure eroded bank. They are providing assistance in reducing erosion with rapid growth. Do these plants develop ground contact as they grow? In... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Seeds for madrone tree in Austin August 10, 2010 I want to find or purchase some seeds from the madrone tree. Is there any source or person I can contact to get these seeds? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagating agarita from berries in Leakey TX August 09, 2010 I would like to pick the berries off my agarita and plant them in other areas. When can I plant the seeds and do I need to prepare or dry them first? What is best way to plant in ground? thanks View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sagebrush for Westminster CO August 06, 2010 On a recent visit to Taos, NM we fell in love with the local sagebrush. We would like to plant this sagebrush in our yard. We are located near Denver Colorado. Would this plant survive and how do we g... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Seedlings from established plants in Parma Hts., OH August 02, 2010 I have 20 yr old shrubs and hedges along my back yard. I don't know their variety. How do I keep the seedlings from encroaching in my lawn? The seedlings have sprouted 3 feet into the lawn. Any ide... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation of Cordyline fruticosa from Port St. Lucie FL July 23, 2010 Hawaiian Ti Plant, Good Luck Plant, Ti Plant (Cordyline fruticosa) I found 4 of these cut without roots. What is the best way to have them grow roots? Directly in water, moist soil, or regular soil... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| When are seeds of Indian paintbrush mature from Bend OR July 14, 2010 How do I know when to collect seeds of Indian paintbrush - when are they mature? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yucca sprouting shoots in Oxfordshire, England July 11, 2010 I have a 20ft outdoor yucca with four huge branches.It is 11 years old. For the first time it has sprouted two side shoots on one of the trunks. They are about 12 inches in length. What is the best wa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grafting to a cherry laurel for edible fruit in Austin July 01, 2010 I was the one who asked earlier about grafting to a Cherry Laurel. I will happily graft a local plum on it, say a Mexican Plum or American Plum or one of the naturalized peaches (a friend has an India... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting suckers on Cenizo in Austin June 21, 2010 Our large silverado sage has produced some volunteers, which are now about 1 ft - 1-1/2 ft tall. Is it possible to transplant them or has the taproot grown too deep for transplanting? Also, will the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Can trimmings from non-native globe willows be planted from Broken Arrow OK? June 13, 2010 We have 2 globe willow trees in our back yard. We trim low hanging branches. Can we take these cut branches, -plant them and have it grow into a new globe willow tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting a Dutchman's pipe in Beaverton MI June 10, 2010 When can I transplant a full grown dutchmans pipe plant? It is growing along side of the house and it needs a bigger place to grow. This is June and the plant is in full bloom full of pipes, but need... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trimming iris leaves in Pickerington OH June 08, 2010 I recently trimmed the stems and leaves of my iris plants in late May - I realize now this was a bit early. The leaves are still about 3-4" out of the ground. I would like to half them and move som... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting native yaupon into yard in Lowake TX June 08, 2010 I have lots of wild yaupon in my pasture,can I transplant it to the yard? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting Lupinus perennis and Lupinus polyfyllus together in NH June 03, 2010 I got a seed package with both Lupinous perennis and polyphyllus combined. Would they be okay to plant together in NH? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Are the seeds of my Graptopetalum paraguayense in Macon, GA fertile? June 01, 2010 I have a Graptopetalum paraguayense that has finished blooming. I put several of the dead flowers into a Ziploc bag and shook them around, and a few hundred seeds came out. They are oblong and very sm... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Harvesting seeds on the American basket flower (Centaurea americana) May 30, 2010 Where are the seeds on an American basket flower? How do I get them out to propagate them? When can you get them out? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pollination of blackberries in Lake Winnebago, MO May 27, 2010 Not sure if blackberries are native, but my daughter got a start of one at a plant exchange at the nature center. Do we need more than one for it to pollinate correctly? We have strawberries growing i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Texas mail order nurseries for perennials from Centennial CO May 27, 2010 Can you advise Texas mail order nurseries for perennials? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| When is it safe to mow wildflowers in Castroville, TX? May 26, 2010 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, My yard in Castroville, TX sprouted many wildflowers early in April. By now the Blue Bonnets are seeded and gone. However, I still have a lot of Mexican Blankets. My husba... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagating Texas Mountain Laurel by seed from Tucson AZ May 20, 2010 Propagation of Texas Mountain Laurel from seed View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grafting edible plums onto Cherry Laurel in Austin May 18, 2010 Grafting edible plums onto Cherry Laurel - possible? Insane? What? Could I do that? Could I graft, say, Green Gage Plum, or Mexican Plum, or Saturn Peach, on a Cherry Laurel and have any success? I ha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with Shumard oak in San Antonio May 18, 2010 Hello. I live in San Antonio and Have a question about a Shumard Red Oak. It's growing at an average pace, seems a little more vigorous this year. It's a nice tree with great fall colors. HOWEVER, w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting and grafting pecan in Granbury TX May 18, 2010 I found several native pecans on my property this spring. Apparently they grew from nuts buried by squirrels. I put small protective fences around them and plan to dig and move them (bare root) next... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to tell the girls from the boys in wax myrtles (Morella cerifera) May 14, 2010 How would I be able to identify whether my wax myrtles are male or female plants? I was given two plants last fall (that came from a family members back yard) and the person who gave them to me didn'... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-blooming or fruiting Oregon grape holly in Elmhurst IL May 14, 2010 I have an Oregon grape holly bush that has never bloomed and has never had fruit. I have had the bush for at least 6 years, it is approximately 5 ft tall. Have had no problems, just no flowers/fruit.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Should a bloom stalk be cut down in Yuma AZ? May 07, 2010 I have a plant in my front yard that looks like an aloe vera. It doesn't have any thorns or needles but does have a tall stalk like stem coming from the middle of it. The "stalk" is now approx. 5'... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How and when to harvest bluebonnets. April 30, 2010 A previous answer mentioned harvesting bluebonnet seeds by pulling up the whole plant when the seed pods turn brown. Two clarifications - when do the seed pods turn brown as these plants are hard to ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Taking a cutting from Niagara grape in Warfordsburg PA April 27, 2010 How do I take a cutting from a Niagara grape plant, and then re-plant that cutting? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| 200 year old white oak with no acorns in Oregon City OR April 26, 2010 We have a white oak tree in our yard that is about 200 yrs old. We have lived in the house for 30+ years, and have never seen an acorn. We have had it pruned by an arborist, who said it is in good... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Adventitious sprouts on oak tree in Austin April 26, 2010 Hello, I have an Oak tree which was planted in about 2002, which has adventitious sprouts. The tree has always sent these up, and we cut them off below ground. The tree has always been a 'runt', b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rooting house plants April 22, 2010 Hello Mr SP: I've had Philodendron house plants (many) for years now, because they're easy to grow & that's about my style. Years ago I tried to grow a new plant from a cutting off of one, but it... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Compact possumhaw holly for Plano TX April 19, 2010 What variety of possumhaw holly would be best planted close to a house? I'm looking for a variety 15-25 feet, as compact as possible. Any suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Propagation of Jack in the Pulpit in Lansing MI April 18, 2010 I just received some Jack in The Pulpit corms. Which way is up; does the pointy thing go up or down? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Moving milkweed to another location in Maine, NY April 15, 2010 I live in up-state New York. I have a 'patch' of milkweed growing where I don't really want it to grow - but have left it because the butterflies and bees love it. I would like it to grow in my ba... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants that will grow under a magnolia tree. April 14, 2010 We live in California near San Diego and have a Magnolia Tree. We have tried to plant many types of flowers around the tree only to have them die. Is there a particular type of plant that we should ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Spanish Dagger plant interfering with walkway in Ingram TX April 09, 2010 I have a Spanish Dagger that is now 8 feet tall and about to fall over in a walkway. Due to the danger of these very sharp tips I need to either cut down the plant or try to root in and replant. If ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to grow milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) for monarch butterflies March 31, 2010 I tried and tried and tried to grow Asclepias viridis, A. asperula and even A. oenotheroides from seeds and even tubers for fourteen years! Do you have advice for growing these and other milkweed plan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Time to plant echinacea seeds in Austin March 28, 2010 When should I plant echinacea seeds in Austin? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation of Lime Prickly Ash in Austin March 22, 2010 We found only one small what we think is Zanthoxylum fagara or Lime Prickly Ash, Colima on our 8 acres, and the deer had apparently recently broken the main stem. I quickly made 6 or 7 cuttings, dippe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Time to mulch without inhibiting seeds in Hitchcock, TX March 17, 2010 When would be the best time of year to put down mulch, if I want my native plants to re-seed? I don't want to bury the seed under mulch layers or new dirt. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What kind of alcohol to use with Passiflora seeds? March 12, 2010 Hi, I read a question and answer related to gernmination of passiflora incarnata. You recommended a 5% alcohol/water solution to soak the seeds prior to sowing. I just want to make sure that you are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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