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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| Yellowing leaves on non-native Betula pendula July 03, 2008 I live in Puyallup, Washington. I purchased and planted a weeping birch on June 21, 2008. For the first few days all seemed well and the tree seemed to be settling in to its new home. Less than e... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting native bluebells in Texas July 02, 2008 Hello Smarty, Italy TX here again! Your advice on crape myrtles has inspired me to try harder, but now I have a question about a TRUE native wildflower,the Texas Bluebell, growing in my pasture. I ca... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Decline of non-native Star Jasmine in California June 30, 2008 We just had 2 trachelospermum jasminoides planted in a redwood planter box about a month ago. We can't figure out if we are watering too much or too little but some leaves are turning yellow and the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Decline of non-native weeping willow June 30, 2008 I live in Breckenridge, Texas and last year I planted a Weeping Willow tree on my property. It grew fine and seemed to be very healthy until this month. All of a sudden it has steadily lost all its ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Buffaloberry from Grandma June 25, 2008 I have a "BUFFALO BERRY" that my Grandma brought back from South Dakota.It is approx.8yrs.old.All was well until this spring.It was budding out when we had a very hard freeze and got 3" of snow.Now... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Decline of indoor lemon cypress June 25, 2008 I received a lemon cypress as a gift. I have kept it indoors in bright light and tried to keep it moist. When I received the plant the foliage was soft and now it has become brittle and dry even tho... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Can Gaura coccinea be transplanted June 14, 2008 Hello, I had Gaura coccinea growing on my property when I lived in Albuquerque. I have been looking for it for years to plant in my xeric aroma garden. Taking a walk yesterday I found some in a ditch ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Promote blooms on non-native plants June 11, 2008 I am trying to promote blooms on my several types of flowering scrubs and ornamentals, but not having much luck. I have used Miracid SuperBloom occasionally but not sure I am using enough, yet I may ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trimming back Agave havardiana June 05, 2008 Hi.. thanks for all the great information on Agaves. We have a number of Agave Havardiana (blue) that love where we planted them. Several have gotten HUGE. So much so that they are starting to ge... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Propagation of Ashe junipers June 04, 2008 I am trying to re-build what man has destroyed in the Kingsland/Marble Falls area on a property we own out there. I would LOVE to plant a couple ashe junipers for several reasons, a couple being: 1. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Turks cap not blooming in Austin June 03, 2008 Why is my Turks Cap not blooming? It gets about an hour of sun in the morning, then shade for the rest of the day. It gets watered with the sprinkler system that waters our lawn. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock in Liatris spicata May 25, 2008 I bought a liatris spicata start a month ago, and transplanted it into my front yard (full sun, clay soil, moist due to all the rain recently). The plant immediately wilted so I transplanted it in ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock of non-native Bougainvillea May 22, 2008 Well I bought two Bougainvilleas, the first one I transplanted is doing great, the second one not so good when I was taking it out of the original pot the root ball stayed in the pot but the plant wit... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native wildflower garden for Pennsylvania May 21, 2008 Hello, I am interested in making a garden, and I would like to use only or mostly native wildflowers in it. Do you have any good suggestions for wildflowers that I can transplant from places where the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock for non-native Plumbago auriculata May 19, 2008 I planted some full plumbago plants that were in containers, in a partially shaded area, they had beautiful flowers when I purchased them, but have since lost them all and the plant is looking very wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hummingbird plants and Indian Hawthorn May 13, 2008 I live in The Woodlands in a new section of homes. I planted some hummingbird plants in full sun and they did ok last year for 4 months, then lost all their leaves and died when the winter came. At ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Brown, dry leaves on weeping willow tree May 01, 2008 We live in central TX and have just planted a weeping willow tree. Our back yard has a retention pond and ravine that parallels our property and we were told that the weeping willow will do perfectly ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure of older branches on Bauhinia lunarioides to thrive April 27, 2008 We planted a sapling of the Anacacho Orchid Tree (Bauhinia lunarioides) winter (Jan, Feb?) and now it has leaves and blooms - but only off of new branches near its trunk, as the old branches haven't ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growing Sophora gypsophila from seed April 23, 2008 Sophora gypsophila B.L. Turner & Powell Do you have any information on growing this small tree from seed? I have a few seeds and would like to try. What conditions break seed dormancy? I have grown ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care in planting native Shumard oaks April 16, 2008 I am going to plant 3 shumard red oaks on the west side of my property. The land is basically rocky. What should I put in the holes to help the tree grow? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for sandy soil and not much water April 14, 2008 I am planning a new garden at home and would like to grow native plants that can handle sandy soil and don't need much water. I do not water my gardens.I would prefer plants that can have more than o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure of Bald Cypress to fully leaf out April 14, 2008 My family just moved to a house in Burnet County, about 7 miles south of Bertram, close to the Balcones Canyonlands NWR, with very rocky limestone soil. We bought several trees last fall, including a ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of leaves before transplanting April 05, 2008 Before transplanting a plant, is it a good idea to remove leaves? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Viability of Texas Mountain Laurel in Louisiana March 19, 2008 I just returned from a visit to Austin and I saw the Texas Mountain Laurel everywhere. I live in the Baton Rouge, LA area and would like to know if performing some soil amendments would allow me to gr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Viability of Texas Mountain Laurel in Florida March 12, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants While visiting Pinnacle Peak in Scottsdale we saw a beautiful Texas Mountain Laurel tree. What are the chances of this surviving in the Ft. Myers, Florida area. Either in t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) trees, concern about cultivars February 06, 2008 I would like to place some yaupon in the perimeter areas of my yard. I own other rural property that has an abundance of yaupon and was considering trying to transplant some small bushes. Is yaupon ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possibility of growing Buckleys yucca in South Carolina February 03, 2008 I live in Lexington, SC. I am wondering if I can grow Buckley's yucca (yucca constricta) here and if so, where can I purchase the seeds or plants? I am from Texas and we are trying to create a "we... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Moving a red oak away from the house foundation January 24, 2008 About a 3 weeks ago I noticed a 5 ft. red oak growing in my flower bed. I hadn't noticed it growing up through my shrubs until the leaves turned bright red. The problem is that its coming up about tw... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Division of impatiens grown in a pot December 08, 2007 I have an impatient and it is growing out of the pot. I was wondering if it were possible to divide it somehow and have two medium size plants. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagating yaupons (Ilex vomitoria) November 30, 2007 Dear Mr. Smarty, I enjoy your weekly tips printed in the Austin Statesman. We live in the Texas hill country where the soil is essentially rock. One of the nice benefits of our yard and the are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting care of Mayten tree (Maytenus sp.) November 06, 2007 I planted a Mayten tree 2 years ago. It's about 8 feet tall. The trunk is about 1-1/2 or 2" in diameter. The earth around it sunk and now there is a "bowl" that fills with water in the rain. I... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Optimum planting time for perennials and trees November 02, 2007 Our group is running out of fall workdays. Is it OK to plant native perennials and small trees in Central Texas during the winter months? Or should we wait now until the spring? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Newly planted anacacho leaf browning October 15, 2007 I have just put my anacacho orchid into the ground and its leaves are turning brown and falling off. Is that normal for this time of year, or have I shocked it? What can I do to ensure its health? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care of Styphnolobium affine, Eves necklace October 05, 2007 I have an 18 yr old Eve's Necklace tree that is dying from the "bottom up". It has only a few leaves at the very top of the tree. I have, connected to the gutter, a rain barrel from which the exc... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| New agave plants, offshoots of parent plant, transplanting September 16, 2007 I have different varieties of Agaves that are sending off new plants from the mother. Some have 1-2 and some have 6-7 plants. Is there a proper method for removing (cutting them a certain way) for t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting Turks Cap, when and how September 10, 2007 Mr. Smarty Pants - We have an enormous healthy Turk's Cap - not the lily, but the one with red flowers(Malvaviscus arboreus v. drummondii) It has also produced a new plant nearby. Please tell us how... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock in Texas natives garden August 20, 2007 Dear Mr. Smarty Pants, I thought that my new Texas Natives garden was recuperating from ALL the rain. But, suddenly, my Texas Red Bud and the Eve's Necklace next to it have MANY yellow leaves. Is the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock in Dakota mock vervain July 23, 2007 We just planted some Verbena bipinnatifida in our back yard and when we planted it, it had purple flowers on it but now they've all dried up. We live in central Colorado and thought this plant was fa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Care and propagation of American Beautyberry July 20, 2007 We have an American Beautyberry growing on our lot. Before we fenced the backyard it was browsed by deer, and survived by wedging itself between the fence and a juniper tree. How can we: 1. encou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Recovery from transplant shock for bougainvillea July 12, 2007 I live outside of Phoenix. I just bought a bougainvillea in a large pot. It was doing nicely until I brought it home. I placed it in a sunny spot in my front yard inside of a large volcanic rock that ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock in Vacccinum corymbosum (highbush blueberry) June 28, 2007 Blueberry plants - We planted Northland and Blue Crop, 2 of each. All 4 plants have some leaves that are turning brown. This starts at the tip of the leaf, eventually encompasses the entire leaf, a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Invasiveness of native Viola sororia June 13, 2007 I live in Warwick, RI and have a section of my backyard overgrown with common blue violets. My husband and I would like to relocate them to a more scenic location if possible. The advice the cooperat... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting Magnolia grandiflora June 11, 2007 We just moved to Plano TX and there's a magnolia tree planted between our house and the driveway. (The tree is 7ft tall and it's about 7ft from the side of house and 4ft from the driveway) I alway... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplant shock in Achillea millefolium May 28, 2007 I had a clump of yarrow in my garden and was worried that it would become very aggressive to the other plants. I decided to transplant it into large clay pots to control it. Immediately after the tran... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Optimal time to separate and transplant black-eyed Susan May 26, 2007 When is the optimal time to separate or transplant black eyed Susan. I have some in a planter on my patio, but it has multiplied and become too crowded for the pot; it needs water daily. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation and transplanting of Vernonia lindheimeri April 10, 2007 I have located a wooly ironweed plant and have taken some seeds to start. This is the only ironweed I have seen. Any suggestions on how to start the seed? Also, if development of the property appea... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting large trees in Austin, TX March 30, 2007 Hello, I'm new to Austin and live in Circle C Subdivision off of Hwy 45 and Spruce Canyon. We would like to plant a couple of trees that will provide shade. I've read your Q&As but would like ad... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting roughleaf dogwood in Pflugerville, TX March 28, 2007 Hello. My rougleaf dogwood is suckering enthusiastically, and rather than mow off all the root suckers, I'd like to transplant a couple of them to the stream bank in the greenbelt behind my house. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting seedlings washed out of area by rain February 17, 2007 I sowed a rather large area in my wild back yard in wildflowers. There is no grass. A few weeks later after we had been watering them because of no rain (in Sept), we got way too much rain and many o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting time for Smoketree in Quebec September 14, 2006 I would like to transplant my smoke tree. It is two years old. When would be the best time of the year to transplant. I live in Zone 4. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting native, protected Ostrich fern in New York September 05, 2006 Please give advice about how to transplant Matteuccia struthiopteris. What is the best time of year to do this? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting honeysuckle September 02, 2006 How do I transplant Honeysuckle? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems in germination of Asclepias tuberosa in New York August 31, 2006 I am a member of the Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College and I need information on Acleptis tuberosa. I am in USDA zone 6. Last year I planted fresh seeds purchased from Johnny's S... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock July 27, 2006 Today I dug up a new natchez variety crape myrtle that had only been planted about 3 months ago. It is fairly young. It was very difficult to dig up as it's root were pretty settled in the spot it ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Soapberry Transplant shock symptoms July 21, 2006 Please suggest a cause & cure for general yellowing of the leaves of Western Soapberry when planted in the ground 20 miles NW of Austin (thin, poor clay over limestone). Trees still in containers are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Salvia, geum transplant shock symptoms July 21, 2006 I need some help. I transplanted 2 xeriscape plants and they are not doing well. 1 is Pitcher Sage-sorry I don't know botanical name; the other is White Avens. The've grown a lot but all the leave... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Root rot and transplant shock in Texas betony July 13, 2006 Texas betony is supposed to be drought resistant but also likes to be kept moist, but I have had trouble getting it established. These seem to be undemanding plants I have had entire stems dry up and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Leaves falling off recently transplanted mature Mountain Laurel July 05, 2006 I have recently purchased a Mountain Laurel for my backyard landscaping. It is a fully matured ML standing over 9 feet tall by 6 feet wide. Since it was planted (about 6 weeks ago) it has been losin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting Mustang Grapes June 15, 2006 What is the best way to grow mustang grapes? We have vines established over the property but up too high to continue to harvest and a couple of young vines on the ground that haven't reached the clo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant of non-native Lathyrus tuberosus in North Carolina June 13, 2006 I have a tuberous sweetpea vine that grows wild on our property. When would be a good time to move this plant to a better location? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting an immature Sweet Bay Magnolia May 30, 2006 Hi Mr. Smarty Pants: I just found what I think is a Magnolia Sweet Bay growing wild next to an oak and a pine tree in my back wooded yard. It has blooms on it and is about 2 feet tall. There are tw... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Saving or transplanting stand of white trillium that has lost shade May 29, 2006 We have a generous stand of white trillium that has been under the shade of a white oak for many years. Now the 100+ year old oak has died and the trilliums are in the sun. Are we in danger of losin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting of yucca plants May 26, 2006 We have several Arkansas Yucca plants in our yard that we want to transplant to a plant bed. How do we do that? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Survival possibility of transplant of sucker from oak tree May 15, 2006 My neighbor has a young oak tree in his front yard. It has small leaves and round acorns and once a year sprouts shoot up at its base. The neighbor was kind enough to let me dig some up to try to tr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting of non-native Vitex April 29, 2006 I live in El Paso and have a fifteen year old vitex tree planted too close to a mesquite tree in my backyard. As a result of this, the vitex has failed to thrive. My question is this: can I replant ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Repotting from 4-inch pots April 18, 2006 Hello. A week ago I purchased some native plants at the wildflower center plant sale. I would like to know how to repot these seedlling native plants. They are in 4" pots right now. I have as follows... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Information on care and transplant of non-native Bamboo in North Carolina April 15, 2006 I am considering transplanting some bamboo from my backyard to my side yard in Northern Randolph County, Central Piedmont, North Carolina. Could you offer me any pointers on a direct ground to gro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting trilliums in dormancy in Michigan February 15, 2006 I live in Michigan. I have a Trillium in my yard and we are having a new septic field put in. I need to know if I can save the whole plant and can I keep it in the house or do I just need the bulb a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with propagation of Indian Paintbrush (Castileja indivisa) February 07, 2006 We are growing Indian Paintbrush. I have 2-300 seedlings. They were sown with fescue and have grown beautifully. Now they are approximately 4-6 inches high, a few have bloomed and many seem to be dy... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Conditions for wisteria bloom on Ontario, Canada November 05, 2005 I live in Ontario Canada, and about 4 years ago I bought a shrub which was called wisteria. I loved this bush when I visited a cousin out in British Columbia. The problem is it has no trouble growing ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation of Gay Feather September 22, 2005 Can I transplant the flower Gay Feather any time or should I wait until the plant dies this winter? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting Colorado blue spruce in Indiana August 16, 2005 I live in Indiana. I have a Colorado blue spruce that I would like to transplant to a different part of my yard. What is the best time of year to transplant it? It is only about two foot tall. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on dutchmans pipe July 24, 2005 How do I care for and transplant dutchman pipe? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting native azaleas in South Carolina June 09, 2005 When is the best time to transplant azaleas in South Carolina Low Country? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on mockoranges May 25, 2005 I live in Colorado where it is common to have 1 or 2 late frosts. I planted 4 littleleaf mockoranges (Philadelphus Microphyllus) 2 years ago and they are pretty much in full sun most of the day. I h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on potted plants May 23, 2005 How do you know when it is time to transfer a potted plant to a bigger pot? Everytime I do this my plant dies. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting crabapple tree from root sprouts March 24, 2005 I have a Crabapple tree that is sending up sapling shoots. Can these be dug up and planted? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting wildflowers before construction begins September 23, 2004 Can wildflowers be transplanted? I'm building a house and wonder what can I save before the builder clears the lot. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on daylilies July 29, 2003 I have a number of Daylilies that are rapidly multiplying in my flower bed. If I relocate some of them to the field behind my house, will they crowd out the native wildflowers? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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