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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| topic | question | |
| Non-native crape myrtle resistance to deer from Annapolis MD April 06, 2013 Is Crape Myrtle tree resistant to deers? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Landscaper recommends non-native zoysia in Austin April 05, 2013 My landscaper recommends using "zoysia" grass throughout my new lawn, in full shade, partly shaded, and non-shaded areas, including in the gaps between leuder stone walks. I haven't heard about th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Space between trees from Blythewood SC April 05, 2013 I'm planting 4 green giants in a back corner of my yard. I also have a kumquat tree to plant. I have somewhat limited space. What is the minimum spacing between the four green giants and the green gi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning of non-native Senna bicapsularis from Ocean Springs MS April 04, 2013 I have 4 Senna plants (cassia bicapsularis) that I planted late last spring. They about 3-4 feet tall but are very gangly with leaves at or near the tips only. How should I prune them to encourage g... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of plant at funeral that smells similar to honeysuckle April 04, 2013 What plant or flower smells similar to honeysuckle? I live in Ohio and I smelled some kind of flower or plant at a friends funeral last spring that smelled similar to honeysuckle. It was... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Dietes bicolor invasive from Brisbane Australia April 01, 2013 We have dietes bicolor growing in our garden. I am changing the type of garden and cannot seem to kill it. I've dugged it out, spent too many weekends pulling out every new shoot, used poison, but t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will corn fall victim to allelopathy from hackberry in Clarkridge AR March 30, 2013 Will my corn be inhibited by a nearby hackberry and if so would it help to cut it down? I understand that sometimes the soil is full of the chemicals the tree produces. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Planting petunias around base of oak tree from Houma LA March 30, 2013 I live in south Louisiana and I want to plant petunias. Can I plant petunias around the base of an oak tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-native dwarf palm leaves yellowing in Katy TX March 30, 2013 1 month ago we planted dwarf palms, the leaves are turning yellow, does this mean we are over watering them? If so how much water do they require? Is there anything we can give them? We also have a fa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Apples, pears and geraniums in Kipling, Saskatchewan March 30, 2013 My geranium's leaves became yellow - Why? Where can I buy a good nice apple tree? Will apples and pears grow in south Saskatchewan? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Death of non-native eleaegnus from Austin March 30, 2013 We have a long hedge of elaeagnus, about 5 ft tall. Four of them died in the middle of the hedge. Where can we find such big plants? Is it advisable to unroot and transplant from another area? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Death of lantana in Bryan TX March 28, 2013 I would like to know what killed several new gold lantana in a single bed that died over the winter. They looked quite healthy last fall. I have several other new gold lantana that survived the wint... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will non-native and invasive Mexican petunias grow under oak trees from St. Augustine FL March 24, 2013 Will Mexican Petunias grow under an Oak tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deer resistant plants for Trinity, TX March 23, 2013 I need a list of deer resistant flowers, herbs and plants that would could be planted in Trinity, Texas. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion control in Spicewood TX March 20, 2013 I am from a small community along the Colorado River a few miles East of Marble Falls. We are looking for a ground cover/grass to prevent erosion on on our beach front. We had planned to use Bermuda G... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Habiturf for Round Rock TX March 17, 2013 Topic Habiturf. We have just aerated our lawn. We were planning on throwing out bermudagrass seed. We already have bermudagrass as well as many weeds in the lawn especially the blue stem clump grass w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Supplier for non-native Norfolk Pine to East Texas March 17, 2013 I would like to buy a Norfolk Pine Tree for my uncle who lives 90 miles east of Dallas, Texas. He saw my Norfolk Pine tree in CA which is 30 to 40 ft. tall. Where can I find a company that will ship... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Drought resistance of non-native Abelia from Austin March 14, 2013 Are abelias drought resistant? I have a spot that is sunny from early morning till about 2-2:30 in the afternoon. Is this enough sun? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native vs Non-native Insect Host Plants March 14, 2013 My understanding of a host plant is that it is a plant that an insect will lay its eggs on. Is this correct? If this is so then can a cultivar be a host plant for the same insect? I have read Mr. Doug... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to tell the difference between native and non-native thistles March 13, 2013 It's thistle time already. There are many plants in the aster family with thistle in their common name. Are "real" thistles only those in the genus Cirsium, or are there others as well? We are tryi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Fruit on Jasmines March 13, 2013 My jasmines have grown some small purple fruits and she is about to get her full bloom soon. Should I cut them off to help the plants out? What are they? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Edibility of non-native garlic sprouts from Brancburg, NJ March 12, 2013 I have regular garlic in my refrigerator. It had sprouts growing out of it so I put it in a cup of water. Now that the stems are large enough to put in food, my question is.. Is that part of the garl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowering landscape plants for Montgomery TX March 07, 2013 Hello I live in Montgomery TX. I am looking for low growing evergreen flowering plants for the front of my three deep beds. The first plant closest to the foundation is loropetalum, then I have a blue... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Care for non-native Centipede grass February 27, 2013 My lawn is Centipede. I have created a new lawn area. Can and when should I seed/overseed my lawn? I have Rye in the new area. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removing a non-native windmill palm from Austin February 27, 2013 I have a fairly good size windmill palm (about 15ft high) that is planted too close to the house. I also don't like having to constantly remove its fronds as they block a walkway. Is there a good wa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Black Sooty Mold on Bay Tree February 25, 2013 I have a large bay tree and all the leaves are covered with a black mold-like substance on the top part of the leaf. Under each leaf are some black/brown spots. I have washed the leaves with soap and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identifying non-native lichens from Austin February 23, 2013 Can you provide help identifying lichens? If not, can you suggest someone who can? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will native plants become invasive from Grapevine TX February 23, 2013 Main Question - I want to convert my front and back yards into a native plant sanctuary but worry about if these plants growing out of control/invasive and if neighbors will complain about these "wee... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bringing Non-native Cannas out of Winter Storage February 15, 2013 Mr. Smarty Plants - Is it possible to force canna tubers? Would placing them on a heating pad help? I am in Ohio - zone 5. Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Privacy Tree for Austin, TX February 10, 2013 Can you recommend a tall privacy plant similar to the Thuya Green Giant that is suitable to the Austin environment? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Tree roots under concrete from Ft. Worth TX February 10, 2013 We bought a house that has 2 trees (I believe ornamental pear trees) within a concrete patio. I found info that said basically, remove the concrete. We can't do that now (although I have encouraged... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pride of Barbados seed for Ft. Worth TX February 07, 2013 When can you plant the Pride of Barbados plant seeds and how to go about it in Fort Worth Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hiding a chicken house from Glen Rose TX February 06, 2013 To hide a chicken house, which do you recommend, crape myrtles or chinese photinias? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning pink skullcap and rock daisy from Austin February 06, 2013 I have some pink skullcap and rock daisy and other plants in my yard that never entirely die back over the winter. Can you tell me what kind of pruning is appropriate? How far can/should I cut them ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning Cuphea Plants February 04, 2013 The David Verity cuphea (cigar plants) that I planted last spring are now 3-4 feet high. I would like to move them, but before I do they seem to need pruning. All the branches are brown and dry lookin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Vegetables to plant now from Marble Falls TX January 28, 2013 What are the best vegetables to plant now? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sweet cherry tree for New Mexico January 23, 2013 What is the best kind of sweet cherry tree to plant in Santa Fe, NM? I have apple, apricot, peach and pear. Would like cherry unless it is a bad idea. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mexican feathergrass from Pflugerville, TX January 23, 2013 How deep are the roots of Nassella tenuissima? I'm looking for something that could possibly discourage my neighbors' bermuda grass from encroaching into my native plantings. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Landscaping in Avalon TX January 23, 2013 I just bought my first and last home in Avalon Texas. I am looking forward to starting my garden. I am interested in all year around flowers. however I am in the country, when it rains, my yard becom... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Water requirements for fruit trees in California January 15, 2013 Dear Sir; In which of these options (fruit trees) the need for watering in irrigation process is higher than the others: -Olive tree -Nectarines and peaches trees -Hazelnut trees -Pistachios and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Red berry that changes the taste of other foods January 15, 2013 Hi, your site is fantastic. I heard from a friend that he tried a red berry in Florida which when eaten change the taste of other foods eaten afterwards. He ate a lemon after trying that berry and th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Protecting a non-native Meyer Lemon from Freezing in Austin January 05, 2013 What is the best way to protect my Meyer Lemon tree from freezing Austin weather? It has been planted in my yard for 1 year and is about 4 feet high View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Indoor plants for El Paso TX January 05, 2013 I want to know what kind of plants will survive indoors in El Paso. It is so dry here, is there anything leafy or flowery that will thrive indoors in this climate? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native avocado trees in Rio Grande Valley from Austin January 05, 2013 I just read the article in the Austin American Statesman about growing avocados outdoors. Don't know if they grow here, but they certainly don't just grow in south Florida. I used to live in Wesla... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mexican species Orbexilum melanocarpum. January 04, 2013 This is not a question; just a note to supplement a previous MSP post answering a query about a source for Orbexilum. The "mountain pea" that the original questioner was asking about is the e... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growing non-native avocado outside from Austin December 27, 2012 My son has a very large avocado tree that he rooted from a pit that is currently growing in a large container. However, it has gotten too big to winter inside. Can it be planted in the ground in Aust... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with non-native Japanese privet from Glendale AZ December 26, 2012 We have Japanese privet shrub and they seem to be suffering from a disease, need help. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of yellow fruit with many fingers December 24, 2012 This is a yellow lemon smelling fruit with many fingers. Yellow in color. Looks like an octopus. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for oak shade from Whitney TX December 24, 2012 I live in Whitney, Texas and have a number of beautiful Live Oak trees in a portion of my yard providing deep shade. Asian Jasmine grows in about 5 ft circle around them and then nothing! I have walk ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care for non-native Kalanchoe from Belton SC December 23, 2012 The leaves on a Kalanchoe that we bought from Logee's has leaves starting to curl. It has been this way since I bought it. It is in a south window, it's cold out so I put the plant inside. Besides c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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