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 | |
| Shrub for shade in Austin, Texas. March 27, 2009 Live in Austin, Texas and need to plant a shrub or plant that will grow well in little to no sun. Can grow 4 feet in height View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shade tree for Portland, OR March 18, 2009 Looking for shade tree for Portland, Oregon, with non-invasive root system. House will be 20 ft away, with basement. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native shade plants around fountain in California March 18, 2009 Hi, we just put a fountain in our front yard. It is in a mostly shady area. I need to know what plants would go best around the fountain and survive in the shade. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for northern exposure in Wichita, KS March 17, 2009 What are good plants for the north side of the house with acidic soil in Zone 6, Wichita, KS? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for border garden in shade in Austin March 15, 2009 Need suggestion for what to plant in a border garden. We live in northwest Austin and the garden is north-facing and shaded. Currently are oleanders but they don't get enough sun. Also growing are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowers or plants for no-sun area in Nova Scotia March 14, 2009 What kind of flowers or plants can I plant in my rock garden that gets virtually no sun? I have wasted so much money on plants that were guaranteed to grow. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wax myrtle in partial shade in Dothan AL March 13, 2009 Will the Wax Myrtle do well in the 36303 area code in partial shade? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shrubs for shade in Peoria, Arizona February 25, 2009 My six-foot block wall is on the west side of my yard. There are two large shade trees in front of the wall. What kind of shrubs can I plant near this wall that only gets sun for about 2 hours in th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover for shady site in Tyler TX February 24, 2009 I live in Tyler Texas and have a lot of shade and sandy soil. No grass will grow and I was wondering if I should look at ground cover instead? If so, what grows in shade and sand? I have tried sever... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Low evergreen shrubs for shade in Spring TX February 19, 2009 I am looking for an evergreen plant that grows no taller than 2 feet and will grow in shade. I would love to have one that would also produce flowers. Please help and thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Vine for shaded area in Austin February 15, 2009 Hi! I live in South Austin, and love my backyard. It is enclosed by chain-link fencing, and shrouded by (ack!) Hackberry trees. I would like to plant a vine on one fence to provide a privacy screen. T... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a condo garden in Decatur GA February 12, 2009 I recently moved into a condo in Decatur (just outside Atlanta). I am now working on the back yard - just a patio and dirt right now. It is a small space and is shaded much of the day but does get s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grasses for shady acreage in Paige, TX February 10, 2009 My family recently bought property in Paige, TX. We thinned out the dense vegetation leaving pines and some oak and juniper. The ground is now bare sand throughout much of the property, except for th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What shade trees and shrubs are safe to plant around horses in Iowa? February 09, 2009 I need to know what shade trees, flowering trees, shrubs and flowering shrubs are safe to plant around horses in Iowa. thanks View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for part shade in North Carolina February 07, 2009 I'm thinking about planting a border in front of my house. It's on the north side, so it's fairly shady. One of the main problems with this is that I don't like many common shade plants, so it's ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fast-growing shade tree for New Braunfels, Texas January 29, 2009 I would like to plant a tree in the back of my property which is located in the Hill Country just north of New Braunfels. Could you please suggest something that is fast growing and will grow in full... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen plants for shaded fence in Arizona January 28, 2009 I need to place a fence around my front yard (4-5 ft tall), in Arizona. What evergreen flower/plant can you recommend that would grow on this fence? (it would only get about 2-4 hours of sun daily and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native ground covers for rocky, shady slope in Arlington, TX January 25, 2009 I need a good native ground cover for a completely shaded and rocky 30 degree slope with red sandy soil and southern exposure. Will anything grow in these conditions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grasses for yard in part shade and shade January 11, 2009 I have a shady yard with no grass whatsoever in San Marcos, TX. Since there are no roots to anchor the soil, the air (and the house) is full of dust. I want to plant a native grass that does well in f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant that can move from outside to inside for Denton, TX December 14, 2008 I am looking for a plant that is either native to Texas or is well acclimated to the Denton TX area that can move from a covered outside area to an adjacent indoor area behind large glass walls, to a ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grass to grow in the shade of pecan tree December 10, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Pants, We have an enormous pecan tree in our backyard that had grass underneath the breadth of the branches, but not around the trunk. The grass isn't doing well (though we did fai... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will Texas kidneywood grow in dappled shade? December 09, 2008 Will Texas Kidneywood be successful as an understory plant in dappled shade? There is a location near the house, under a small grove of established live oaks and cedar elms, that needs an airy screen... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Understory shrub for shady area in San Antonio December 03, 2008 We would like to plant a small understory tree/shrub in an odd space that our new deck has created between our fence line and the house. A mature mountain laurel would be our dream but I think there ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native grasses for shade in Dallas November 30, 2008 What native grasses can be grown under large Live Oaks in the Dallas Area? The combination of shade and black gumbo soil seem to keep all plant life, except for poison ivy and ferns, out. I would lo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Small area native plant gardening for an apartment November 14, 2008 Mr.Smarty, We live in an apartment and are fortunate to have a small area, 5'x5', and so want color! Here in Houston the winters don't freeze much and the summers are HOT. Luckily, we are in the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Low plants for shady, damp area in Roanoke, TX November 13, 2008 First, thanks for answering my first question about Texas Native Trees for our new home! I have just started working on plans for our back yard and have a question about Texas Native Shade plants. W... 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 | ||
| Shade tolerant plant for Rodeo, California November 02, 2008 I live in Rodeo, California and I need to know what is a good green plant I can get to place in a shady area View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trees for shade east windows from sun in Abilene, TX October 25, 2008 We need a tree(s) to plant in front of four east windows (20 feet space) to shade our breakfast room from the early morning sun. We have shades but need a bit more protection. I do not wish to shade... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants to control erosion in shade in California October 06, 2008 I need plants that will help prevent soil erosion on a sloping area under a wood fence. The area has filtered light. thank you! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grass for shade under Post Oaks in Austin October 04, 2008 Can you recommend a water conserving grass for shade under Post Oaks in Austin. Very gravelly poor nutrient soil. thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grasses for shady area with sandy soil September 23, 2008 We have very sandy soil, is there any type of grass that will grow well. Also, very shady. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for shade in New Jersey September 21, 2008 hi ,i live in rahway nj and i was wondering what are good plant and shrubs to plant for this area. we are doing all new landscaping and we have alot of shade areas. we like the ornamental grasses but ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for area shaded by crabapple in Philadelphia September 19, 2008 Can you recommend native plants about 4' tall to plant under a crabapple in the corner of a yard in front of a fence? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hanging flowering plants in part shade in Denton, TX September 18, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I'd like to hang 4"-6" pots with flowering plants from north-facing eaves. That area gets an hour or so of late-morning/noon sun. Also, my apt. faces a large courtyard so... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for shade in Texas September 14, 2008 I am looking for shade tolerant shrubs to plant near our carport. We live in Plum Grove, near Splendora, Texas. I don't want anything with thorns that will scratch the paint or me while getting i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for shade in Pennsylvania September 13, 2008 i would like to plant a small area in my rear yard, that is full shade in the summer (when the trees are full with leaves) and part shade in early spring. i live on a state park - there are plenty of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ornamental plants for under live oaks September 08, 2008 What ornamental plant will do well under Live Oak trees? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native evergreen for shade August 28, 2008 Hi, I am looking for a plant that is evergreen (or semi evergreen), native to central Texas, and shade tolerant. This is for a Wildscape area in San Marcos. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native groundcovers for bare, shady space in Oklahoma August 22, 2008 I have recently acquired a new residence that has very little lawn to speak of. The backyard is in an unfortunate position to catch significant amounts of rainwater from nearby yards, and is sloped. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for xeriscape and shade August 20, 2008 I live in Jones county, Texas. I would like to xeriscape portions of my lawn. The soil is sandy, I have a lot of shaded lawn area. What plants do you recommend that would be low maintenace, low water ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for shade August 19, 2008 I live in hot, humid Houston and the tree coverage of my yard is nearly 100 percent (so, little sunlight reaches the ground). Can you suggest a plant or two that would thrive in these conditions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Japanese maple in New York August 15, 2008 I have a few questions: Do you know what zone Brooklyn, NY. is in? If I plant a Japanese Maple in my backyard, do you think it can tolerate almost full shade (1-2 hours of sun per day)? Also, is it... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Stress in potted Tif blueberry plants August 15, 2008 Recently purchased Tif Blue Blueberry plants (about 3 ft tall)are showing signs of stress. They are in 10 gallon pots. Should they be transplanted? Medium? Fertilizer? Location? Trimming? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant called cow shade or cow weed that is poisonous July 25, 2008 There is a plant called cow shade or cow weed, not exactly sure. It kills whitetail deer. I would like to know the name of the plant and the specifics. If you could help me it would be greatly appreci... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native vine for shade on west side in Texas July 21, 2008 I have just put in a trellis to cover the west side of my house for shade. What would be the best native vine to put their for quick growth. I plan on putting a rose (Fortunia) but can't do that till... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Part shade garden to attract hummingbirds in Texas July 14, 2008 We are inexperienced gardeners. We have a bed (2.5' x 6') with sun in the morning and shade in afternoon and want to attract hummingbirds. Salvia coccinea sounds easy, but what else could we plant... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Darkened leaves on blueberry bush July 02, 2008 I have a blueberry bush planted in a very large pot. It has been doing very well, producing berries and new growth. All of a sudden the leaves have begun to turn dark. I have it potted in good soil... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native grasses for bare shady spot in Austin July 01, 2008 My back yard is shady from old Arizona Ash trees. What native grasses can I plant in bare areas caused by my dog? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-blooming crape myrtle in Italy, TX June 25, 2008 It's Italy, TX, again! Thanks for the advice and links, and I'll study those..but here's where I'm stumped on crape myrtle. I have two (almost) trees because they've been planted over 15 years ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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