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 | |
| When and how to transplant a Texas persimmon January 02, 2009 When and how should I transplant a 12' Texas persimmon? How much root ball do I need to get? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for pavilion over fountain in Washington State December 26, 2008 I have a tall fountain in a 7 foot square which is surrounded by pavers. Inside the 7' square there is about a 2' mulched soil bed around the center fountain and an iron type pavilion that goes up h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Berms to hold water around roots December 05, 2008 I planted new flower beds this November. There are currently dirt 'berms' around each plant - creating a well for water to seep into the immediate plant area. How can I keep these berms from erodi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possibility of replacing Bermudagrass with native grasses and wildflowers November 24, 2008 Are there any native grasses and wildflowers that can compete with bermuda grass to make a nativ-y wild area without removing the bermuda? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Information about growing mountain laurels (Sophora secundiflora) November 15, 2008 I live just outside of Austin on 10 acres. I have several very large mountain laurels on my property that I planted from containers. Mine flower profusely every year. I feed them bi-weekly and wate... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Necessary sun exposure for Eves Necklace November 12, 2008 How little sun can the tree Eve's Necklace receive and still be happy and healthy? I have an intended spot that gets about 3, maybe 4 hours, some of that will be hot afternoon sun in the summer. Th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting Mexican bonebract in Floresville, TX November 12, 2008 My kids and I finally identified a small plant that we found growing in our pasture. There was only one and it is lovely. It is the Mexican Bonebract. What I am interested in finding out is how to tra... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Potting soil used in Wildflower Center nursery October 23, 2008 I recently purchased several beautiful little plants at your Fall plant sale and notice how very happy and healthy they all are! Please tell me if you mix your own potting soil and what your potting ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Watering needs for a new landscape October 11, 2008 How much and how frequently are you supposed to water after implementing a new landscape? For example, perennials and succulents that are drought tolerant. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Holding an Acer rubrum in a container for two years October 10, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I am thinking about ordering a Red Maple tree that is cultivated from Mount Vernon. I appreciate the historic nature of such a tree. The tree will be shipped to me and is ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Living fence of native plants for Ojai, CA September 20, 2008 I would like to build a "green fence" about 10-15 feet tall. I live in Ojai, CA where we have VERY hot summers and it goes below freezing every winter. The soil does not seem to drain well..it is e... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Submerged paving under lawn September 07, 2008 I had 4 patches of rectangular areas (about 4'x6'or more) in my lawn where the grass is fine in spring but totally dies in summer. I decided to till these bare patches so that grass may grow better... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Landscaping help for Gilmer, TX September 01, 2008 We have just moved to the beautiful hot state of Texas from warm California and we need some help! Our roses are dying, we have a patch about 25ft. by 3ft. that gets the rain run off like a little str... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yellow, pale green leaves on Cedar Elms in Texas August 30, 2008 I have had several cedar elms of various sizes planted in our yard over the last 10 years. Only the largest has dark green, healthy looking leaves. All the others have yellowish, pale green leaves. Th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Leaf browning on blackfoot daisy in Arizona August 26, 2008 Blackfoot daisy plant was doing great; then, in one day, it turned brown like it had no water. Have a watering system in place which waters once a day for one hour 1/2 gallon a hour. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pecan tree transplant in Elgin, TX August 26, 2008 Hello, Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a question about how to encourage a very young pecan sapling to grow, and whether I should use mulch to do so. I live in Elgin (Bastrop County) and the soil is extr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Browning leaves on non-native Burford holly August 22, 2008 I have several dwarf Burford hollies whose leaves are browning. The individual leaves have colors of green, dark brown to light brown extending from the stem. Any ideas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to bloom of non-native Althea in Oklahoma August 17, 2008 I have 2 Althea bushes that will not bloom. For the past 2 years, they become covered in buds, which eventually yellow, but never open. The buds are fully developed. This year the branches have starte... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Privacy plantings in Texas August 16, 2008 Our home currently has a 4' chain fence. We are a family of 7 with younger aged children and are looking for more privacy. In lieu of a replacement fence, what would you recommend planting to provi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Proper watering of cedar elm trees in Sachse, TX August 15, 2008 I've just planted two Cedar elm trees in clay soil, each about four inches in diameter, and I want to water them correctly. I'm aware that too much water can be bad as well as too little water. I ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting a Texas redbud sapling July 27, 2008 I've just discovered a Texas red bud sapling (baby tree)that decided to grow next to our fire pit. Although there's no reason for us to sit around the campfire in 100 degree weather, I would like to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of previously-planted perennials July 23, 2008 HI I JUST MOVED INTO A NEW HOUSE THIS YEAR THE PREVIOUS OWNERS PLANTED A LOT OF BEAUTIFUL PERENNIALS BUT I WANTED TO PLANT OVER ONE OF THE PERENNIALS THAT I REALLY DO NOT CARE FOR. IS THAT POSSIBLE? I... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Death of Tecoma stans after heavy rain July 21, 2008 I had two esperanza plants. They have been planted for about four months, this spring. They were blooming and growing. We had six inches of rain in five days and they began to wilt - and then they d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shriveling and dying of non-native impatiens July 14, 2008 Several years now many of my impatiens after a month or so seem to shrivel up and eventually die. They are planted in a row and not all are affected. I am not noticing any slug evidence which I would... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rust spots on non-native red tip photinia July 10, 2008 I live in Oklahoma and my red tips have rust spots on leaves and some plants are losing leaves. This is a clay soil; can you give me any info. on how to solve this problem? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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