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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| 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 | ||
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