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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| Puppy-proof plants in Denton TX June 04, 2010 I recently got a couple of puppies that stay outside in a fenced off area of the backyard. Of course, they love trying to dig under the fence and get out. I placed cement landscaping border stones alo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Penstemon digitalis not blooming in Hebron, NE. May 22, 2010 My Beardtongue plants are too close together. Can I transplant my Penstemon digitalis now, even though the plant is approx. 20" tall? It is not blooming. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why doesn't my Possum Haw have berries this year? May 20, 2010 A possumhaw holly has no berries as of mid-May. I planted this possumhaw last summer - it had lots of berries. Why would it have no berries this year? This spring I have two yaupons with lots of b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| What plants can be moved from Romulus MI to Cleveland TX? May 07, 2010 I presently live and garden in Michigan, but will be re-locating in the next year to Cleveland Texas. What plants, if anything, can or should I bring to Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need to know how to plant trees to create a windbreak in Ashburn, VA. May 06, 2010 I want to know how to plant trees to create windbreaks. I live on a slope of a hill, the front of the house is steep and the back of the house has neighbors in a cul de sac. I swear I live in a wind... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cold damage to Texas wild olive tree in San Antonio May 02, 2010 I have a Texas Olive tree that was unprotected from the 2010 cold winter here in San Antonio, TX. It is the end of April and there is no sign of growth on any of the branches. If the tree is still a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Use of fresh clippings from tree trimmers for mulch in Austin May 02, 2010 Hi, The tree trimmers are in my neighborhood (east central Austin) to clear the power lines and said I can have a load of free mulch. I am wondering if there is any harm in using the fresh mulch from... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting trilliums April 28, 2010 What's the best time to transplant white trillium on my property on the shore of Lake Michigan? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting dogwood in Baytown TX April 23, 2010 I live in Baytown Texas and was wondering if this would be a good area to plant a dogwood tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting a redbud in Virginia Beach VA April 21, 2010 I have a 5-6 ft. Redbud Tree and like to dig up and move to different spot in my backyard. How/what is the proper way to do it without killing the tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Damaged newly planted Gaura in Austin April 16, 2010 Hello yet again! This past Friday we attended the plant sale where we got lots of goodies to start a new bed. The plants were all planted on Sunday. All of them are doing fine, even beginning to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Laurel oak tree not leafing out in Pasadena TX April 13, 2010 Hurricane Ike blew down our red bud in the backyard. Had a large 25' laurel oak planted early March 2010. When it was put in the ground, the leaves were on it, but they were all brown and dried. T... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why isn't my recently planted Mexican Redbud growing in Georgetown, TX? April 11, 2010 I planted a container-grown Mexican Redbud in early March. As of April 5th, it is showing no signs of buds or leaves. Other redbuds in the area (possibly Texas redbuds) have been blooming for severa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Perennial blooming plants for Ashland MO April 02, 2010 I am beginning to create a flower bed in front of my house, I do not have a green thumb so I want to know what plants would come back yearly and I can plant now in Mid Missouri? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why is my 3 year old Redbud not flowering in San Marcos, TX? March 24, 2010 My Cercis canadensis var. mexicana, purchased at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, is 3 years old, very robust, but has never bloomed. Any explanation? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowers for sandy soil and sun in Wharton Co., TX March 23, 2010 I live in Wharton County. I am looking for flowers to plant in beds that have sandy soil and are well drained. The area receives sun all day until 5-6 in the afternoon. I would like to have flowers t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Eastern redcedar uprooted by snow in Arlington, TX February 14, 2010 During the recent snowstorm one of our juniperus virginiana fell over with the rootball looking intact and with a lot of soil all around it.Should we try to save it? It is approximately 20 feet tall ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Soil for native Chilopsis linearis and Salvia greggii February 08, 2010 I want to plant a desert willow and a salvia greggii in my small lot. The developer used sandy loam to fill in the small garden in the front. I am 73 and a bit impaired. Do I really need to remove ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grouping plants according to water needs February 05, 2010 Explain how appropriate design/grouping of plants of the same water needs would make irrigation scheduling easier? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting mature guavaberry in St. Croix January 22, 2010 I live on the island of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands and I have a Guavaberry tree that is about 25 to 30 years old, between 15 to 20 feet tall and about 6 feet wide that I would like ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hardiness of Euphorbia milii from Marble Falls, TX December 02, 2009 What is the hardiness of euphorbia mili, crown-of-thorns? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Prairie wattle for woodland area in Austin November 29, 2009 Can prairie wattle be grown in a woodland area? It would get part shade, with full sun for at least half a day. The soil is a bit rocky; location is Austin. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock in tulip tree in Cincinnati October 02, 2009 I planted a tulip tree sapling (3 feet tall at the time of planting) in May of this year and it sprouted! Unfortunately, I believe the top portion (nearly 2 feet) did not make it (the sapling only spr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Moving Century plants in Norwalk CA September 15, 2009 I have two large Century plants that are each 10 1/2 years old. One is 4'x5' tall and wide with about 8-10 small shoots. The smaller in about 3 1/2'x 5' with about 6 shoots. They've grown too l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Removing leaves before transplanting from Miami August 27, 2009 What is good idea to remove some leaves before transplanting a plant?? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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