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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| A bounty of options for planting natives in Hockley Texas April 21, 2011 I have about 1 acre of land in Hockley Texas, outside Houston, that we had cleared of shrubs and poison ivy. We kept the trees so there are some areas with mostly shade and some areas with partial su... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Location of Indian Paintbrush in Lewisville, TX area April 21, 2011 Know the location of any spots where Indian Paintbrushes grow in North Texas? I'm in Lewisville, about 10 miles north of Dallas. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need information about broadcasting wildflower seeds in a pasture 70 miles east of Dallas, TX. April 20, 2011 We recently moved to upper east TX - 70 miles East of Dallas. I would like to broadcast wildflowers in our pasture. I'm assuming I'll need to wait until next fall, but not sure about that. Can you t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need help with a Coreopsis eating beetle in Shiro, TX April 20, 2011 Mr.Smarty Plants,(Sorry, I kept messing up with my emails) Anyway, here goes: I usually have a beautiful meadow full of lanceleaf coreopsis blooming by now. Not this year. I found to my horror every s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wildflowers for a slope in PA April 16, 2011 I've got a steep southeast-facing slope near the house that is mostly overrun with day lilies. It gets plenty of morning sun. I've had some luck with goldenrod and New England aster along the steps ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Moving Iris bulbs April 15, 2011 I will be moving and want to take my Iris bulbs with me. Can I dig them up now that they are in flower? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Best time for wildflower planting in the Ozarks April 13, 2011 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I live in the Ozarks, and have an open bottomland valley area I want to transform into more natives for many reasons. I am starting a 2 acre field of NATIVE grasses (warm sea... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wildflowers blooming in upstate South Carolina from Seneca SC April 13, 2011 When do most wildflowers bloom in upstate South Carolina? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for restoring a North Carolina pond site April 12, 2011 I reconstructed the dam to a 50 year old cattle pond at our high-end residential development in Charlotte, NC. There are many large mature trees around the pond but also some good sun exposure at two ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bluebonnets and paintbrush for Fredericksburg VA April 10, 2011 Can I broadcast Texas bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush seeds, in Virginia, during early Spring and get germination; or, do I need to winterize and plant next spring. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wildflower succession from Austin April 02, 2011 I am interested in learning about a wildflower "cycle" (not sure of a better term). I recently saw the Wildflower special on PBS that talked briefly about an area that had wildflowers that naturally... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Stabilizing a steep slope in KY March 31, 2011 We are building a new home and have a very steep hill behind the home. Our highlift operator just cleared it off - I would say about 15 to 20 feet in height and at least 150 feet in length. What wou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| When to plant wildflower spring mix seeds in Ashburn VA March 15, 2011 I just bought wildflower springmix and want to know when to plant them, is there a specific temperature? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Zexmenia in upstate NY March 13, 2011 Will zexmenia survive in upstate New York (Albany)? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native wildflowers attracting bees in Schulenberg TX March 12, 2011 What native wildflowers are honey bees attracted to? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Are bluebonnets toxic to horses from Pearland TX March 10, 2011 Are bluebonnets toxic to horses? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Alternatives to Lily of the Valley in Arkansas March 08, 2011 I saw the question from the person who was looking for a native equivalent to Lily of the Valley and immediately thought of Solomon's Seal, which has similar bells on a stalk and grows in similar loc... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to grow bluebonnets in Atlanta TX March 04, 2011 How can I grow bluebonnets in Atlanta Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Preplant dip for wildflowers from Gilman IA March 02, 2011 I am growing wildflowers in a greenhouse for wholesale spring sales. The very tall varieties such as cimicifuga stretch very quickly. Do you know of any chemical treatments as a preplant dip that have... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wildflowers for sunny garden in Bedford TX February 27, 2011 I live in North Central Texas around Bedford. I have clay soil which I have been building with soil to enrich the soil foundation. I need a wildflower garden that receives at least 6 hours of su... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native Equivalents to Lily of the Valley February 24, 2011 Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majuscula) with its delicate drooping flowers is my favorite flower. Unfortunately, it's hard to get in central Texas as a cut flower, much less to grow. Are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trimming back wildflower beds in Cody Wyoming February 20, 2011 I live in Cody Wyoming and I have some wildflower beds in front of my house that didn't get trimmed back this summer...they look like swamp plants now, super nasty. Should I trim them now? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will recent freezes delay wildflowers from Dripping Springs TX February 15, 2011 What effect will the recent freezing temperatures have on the Texas Hill Country Wildflowers? Will it delay blooming? Thank you! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wildflower trails in the Hill Country in Texas from Austin February 13, 2011 Where can I find information about wildflower trails in the Hill Country (from Llano southward to Uvalde area)? I am planning a driving trip the week of April 18th. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need Advice on Rescuing Winecups in Hurst, Texas February 03, 2011 My grandmother's back yard used to be filled with the wild wine cup flowers, but they disappeared for years, due to (I think) flooding caused by runoff from housing development. Last spring I noticed... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| French Provincial Garden using Natives January 31, 2011 I am designing a French provincial garden near Waco Lake, I am looking for some native shrubs and ornamental grasses to augment the myriad of lavender, roses, and lilies in the proposed design. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Are Texas wildflowers dying out from Portland, TX January 27, 2011 I am doing a school project on whether or not wildflowers are dying out in the state of Texas or not. I need to find a specialist who specializes on this subject. Could you help me??? Please contac... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Goldenrod recommendations for Buda, TX January 22, 2011 I am looking for a Solidago species Goldenrod that is non-invasive and suited to the area around Austin/ Buda, TX. I prefer to use a native, non-hybrid, especially since I am adjacent to a wild area. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What plants grow well in Athens, TX? January 18, 2011 Athens, Texas, we have very sandy soil mixed with clay, what plants grow well here? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Raising bluebonnets in Stanford CA January 17, 2011 I'm a Houston girl now living in Northern California (Stanford). I would like to know if I need to adjust my growing timing for lupinus texensis? Mostly, I want to know when I should actually put th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is Annual Rye Choking Out Wildflowers in Austin? January 15, 2011 We live about 3 miles from the wildflower center on 3 acres and there is a natural area on our property that gets a lot of wildflowers. Last winter we threw out annual rye seed to have some greenery ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| List of most popular wildflowers in Texas Hill Country from Austin January 15, 2011 Can you please tell me the top 10 wildflowers found in the Texas hill country..by numbers, not popularity? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Indoor Lantana Care from VA December 28, 2010 I have a Lantana plant. When I moved it inside, it was fine. Then I watered it too much. Is it possible to replant( to dryer dirt) in the winter time. Is has been in the 30's here, but inside 68. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native wildflowers for Tennessee December 24, 2010 Can you suggest some native wildflowers for west Tennessee and a source for seeds? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need to Control Giant Ragweed in Wildflower Field in Austin, Texas December 11, 2010 I have an acre pond around my business park planted with several different kinds of wildflowers. I let all the vegetation grow until the first frost, because I have wildflowers that grow throughout ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| When will bluebonnets bloom in Texas this year from Nacogdoches, TX December 09, 2010 When can we expect to see bluebonnets blooming in Texas this year? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planters for wildflower exhibit in Jemez Springs NM November 28, 2010 I am planning to have a wildflower/pollinator exhibit at a visitor center located on a high elevation grassland (no trees). I would like advice on the size of the planter boxes.The area is located at... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowers found blooming in February in Austin November 17, 2010 For people visiting from other states, which flowers usually bloom in February in Austin? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| April Wildflowers for South Texas November 16, 2010 Can you tell me what wildflowers grow well in south Texas? I would like to plant in the fall for bloom in April. Is this possible? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Interested in planting wildflowers in the area of Paige, TX. November 02, 2010 Interested in planting wildflowers in the area of Paige, TX. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wildflowers for leach field in Maine October 31, 2010 I am looking for a wildflower mix that would suitable to plant over a leach field. What plants should I look to avoid? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native flowers for September wedding in Kittanning PA October 27, 2010 I am planting flowers for a wedding on September 17th 2010. What flowers bloom best. Looking for blues,whites and pinks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wildflower seeds affected by mulch in Austin October 24, 2010 I have a small wildflower garden in my central Austin yard. In early summer, I had some extra mulch and put it in this garden. Now I'm thinking that was a mistake. The bed has re-seeded itself for se... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Early blooming wildflowers for PA October 23, 2010 What is the earliest wildflower to bloom other than the mountain laurel in Upper Northeastern PA? (near Honesdale, PA) View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| First to Bloom in Western PA October 02, 2010 What spring wildflower is consistently among the first to bloom in Butler, PA? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting for wildlife in Union County, New Jersey. September 23, 2010 I would like to get rid of my front lawn, which is small, and replace with wildflowers or something that bees, birds, butterflies would like. Live in Union County, New Jersey, which is central-north.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Should Bluebonnets Be Planted in Mulch in Spring Branch, TX September 23, 2010 I would like to plant bluebonnet seeds in my flower bed. The bed has a layer of shredded cedar mulch. Do I need to remove the mulch where the seeds will be planted, or will the plants grow up through ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fertilizing hayfield with wildflowers in Brenham TX September 20, 2010 I have property near Brenham, TX that produces wild bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush and other wildflowers each year. I would like to fertilize the pastures to help with hay production (the grass is ha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to make a lawn into a prairie in Arlington, Texas September 15, 2010 I am removing lawn grasses in order to start a native prairie meadow. After grass removal, I'll put down 1/2" of compost. I will broadcast wildflower seeds on the compost. If I mulch after broadcas... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to Propagate Mexican Bush Sage in Marble Falls, Texas September 14, 2010 I need advice on when, how to separate Mexican bush sage. Ours is happy and HUGE but is now sprouting from the roots at the base. Since we've been so successful with this plant, we want to divide it... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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