Native Plants
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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 vine for California deck November 24, 2009 Can you recommend a native California vine to grow on our deck to cover a trellis under a deck? There is a canopy of live coast oak above the deck so there is bright, filtered light. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Vine for stucco wall in St. Petersburg FL November 21, 2009 I would like to cover a 15' stucco wall with a fast growing, low maintenance vine. The wall faces south. I live in St. Petersburg, FL. What do you recommend? Would star jasmine or creeping fig be... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Control of invasive vine in North Carolina November 18, 2009 Hi, I live in Piedmont NC, have vines that twine around my shrubbery and are impossible to pull out of the ground w/o breaking because they are so thin/delicate. The leaves are maple-like (3 lobes), ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Spots on leaves of sevenleaf creeper in Austin November 14, 2009 Have 3 seven leaf creepers that are planted in mostly shade. In Sept & Oct 2009 all 3 plants had dried up leaves which fell off; however, all three plants grew new leaves when we got rain and are com... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Can a mustang grape and an oak coexist in Austin November 04, 2009 I have a healthy mustang grape vine growing on an oak in my yard. While the vine provides plenty of good food and a pleasant environment for many birds throughout the year, I feel it is overtaking the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Vines for trellis in Livermore, CA October 29, 2009 I am looking for a native vine for a northern California location. It's Livermore California with a climate intermediate between the SF Bay and the Central Valley. Some frost in the winter. Maybe 10 ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trellis plant for Southern California October 29, 2009 What is the best selection for a trellis plant? I live in Southern CA (zip 91701), and the area is on the southern part of our home with little or no shade. Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native vine to cover brick column in Houston October 28, 2009 I have a brick column (~20ft tall) in the entry way to my house in Houston, TX. I am looking for a beautiful native vine that'll cover the column and soften the look of the house. I don't want to us... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Invasive possibly non-native vine in Largo FL October 03, 2009 I have vines taking over my backyard, climbing all over the ground and up trees. The vines are huge, non-flowering giant leaves that look like elephant ears. What are these and how can they be contain... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Texas natives for a small garden with red flowers October 03, 2009 I have a garden that is 4' deep, what can I put there that is a Texas native, I would really like some color (preferably red)also it needs to be able to grow tall (8 - 10') View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native trailing plant for Nebraska October 01, 2009 I live in the tall grass prairie area of Eastern Nebraska and am working on some prairie restoration and native plantings. I have just put in a limestone retaining wall and would like to find a nativ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Attractive Native Vines to Cover a Chain Link Fence in Upstate New York September 19, 2009 Hello Mr. Smarty Plants. I live in Upstate NY (Albany) and my yard is bordered by an old chain link fence. I would like to cover the fence with a natural looking plant (I assume Ivy). What do you ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Orange-red caterpillar with black spikes on passionflower vine September 19, 2009 What kind of orange-red caterpillar with black spikes is all over my passion vine? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Salt-tolerant plants in Central Texas September 16, 2009 Do you have any suggestions for salt-tolerant plants in Central Texas? Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grape Vines and spacing for Portland, OR September 10, 2009 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a somewhat small south-facing yard next to my home (less than 8' wide). I would like to build a tall arbor for grapes that runs along the length of my home (about 4... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of a vine in Texas September 02, 2009 I am trying to identify a native vine in Runnels County, Texas. It is approximately 20 feet long, growing on a fence. The leaves are simple leaves, range in size from 1/2 " to 2" and thick (simila... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowering vine in Tennessee September 01, 2009 I'm in Memphis, TN & have a flowering vine growing wild behind my A/C unit. Not the sort of vine that twines. Small blue flowers bloom out of pods; flowers only have two petals. Blooms last only one... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of vine growing near river in New Hampshire August 31, 2009 I found a small vine growing near a river in NH. It has five point leaflets similar to sumac but much smaller. The flowers were pink with a deep purple/burgundy on the inside. The flowers are in clus... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pipevine (Aristolochia sp.) found in Denton County Texas August 24, 2009 I am almost positive that I have numerous pipevine swallowtail in my garden in Denton County, TX. I read that the host plant for the larva is almost exclusively pipevine. Would any kind of pipevine be... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Vine for lanai in St. Augustine FL August 16, 2009 What vine can I grow to attach to a screened in lanai around my pool? Will it damage my screen? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Burned leaves on trumpet vine, Campsis radicans August 10, 2009 I have a trumpet vine, it is about 10 years old and I have never had any problems with it. This year I have noticed that the leaves on some of the branches are shriveling up, like it was burned with ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Vine in New Braunfels for Baytown, TX July 25, 2009 I have seen a vine in New Braunfels that looks nothing like the trumpet vine or trumpet creeper; however, the flower is almost identical. The flower is more pink though, and the leaves look more like... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Propagate a trumpet vine from a cutting in Toms River NJ July 17, 2009 Can you propagate a trumpet vine from a cutting? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Should a mustang grape be left near live oak in Austin? July 17, 2009 I recently removed a huge mass of jasmine from a clump of live oaks. Inside I found a very large (12' long) exposed root of a mustang grape. I'd like to trim it back to the original clump and reta... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-destructive vine for stucco in Albuquerque July 11, 2009 Is there a vine that can grow on stucco without destroying the stucco when removed? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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