Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty 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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| topic | question | |
| Germination of bluebonnets from seed December 16, 2007 I am having problems getting my bluebonnet (Alamo Fire and regular bluebonnets to germinate from seed). Usually I soak them in lukewarm water overnight then plant in a potting mix. I am only getting... 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 | ||
| Native bulbs for the northeastern U. S. November 23, 2007 What native bulbs could we plant in the Northeast? Can they only be planted in the fall as Dutch bulbs are? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Chisos Rosewood Propagation November 22, 2007 Can you tell me how to propagate seed for the Chisos Rosewood Tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation of Kalmia latifolia November 19, 2007 How easy is it to propagate Kalmia latifolia from seed? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation of lilies by seed November 02, 2007 I have collected a large number of lily seeds. How can I get them to grow? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growth process of plants November 01, 2007 How does a plant grow? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Eupatorium serotinum (late boneset) for garden setting, care and propagation October 27, 2007 What are the prospects for Eupatorium serotinum in a garden setting? What requirements does the plant have? How large does it grow, etc. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagating redbud (Cercis canadensis) seeds October 24, 2007 Our Red Bud tree is full of bean shaped seed pods. Can those be planted and if so how? I enjoy puttering in the yard. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| When to plant bluebonnet seed October 16, 2007 When do I put out Bluebonnet seed? Do I soak them first? Thank You. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Western red cedar (Thuja plicata) frost tolerance, making cuttings October 08, 2007 Dear Madam or Sir, It would be very kind, if you could answer my questions about the “Thuja Plicata atrovirens” alias “Western Red Cedar”. I need the information because a good friend of mine ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting and growing bluebonnets October 06, 2007 I am looking for bluebonnet seed planting suggestions. when? How? I found a source for seed. I want to plant about 2500 sq foot area. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting Purple Threeawn (Aristida purpurea) and Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) October 05, 2007 Do you have information on planting Purple Threeawn and Little Bluestem? Also are there any inherent problems when planting…things to avoid, etc. Wanting to plant as ornamentals in the North Texas D... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to sow Eves Necklace seeds. October 03, 2007 I have recently acquired some Eve's Necklace seed pods. In order to plant them, do I need to open the pod to get to the seed, or do I just plant the pod? Should I soak or scarify the pod/seed? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Prosopsis velutina (velvet mesquite), Larrea tridentata (creosote bush), rain smell October 02, 2007 I am an El Paso native living in Plano TX. I terribly miss the smell of rain in El Paso and have learned that this smell is due to the velvet mesquite tree and also the creosote bush, among other thi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Encouraging Daisies to Reappear September 16, 2007 Having moved into our home in the early spring of the year we hadn't seen any of the flowering plants around the place until we were living here and we were not given any info on care for them. So ... 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 | ||
| Harvest dates-eastern Oregon September 07, 2007 I am looking for a source to provide me with harvest dates for seed of shrubs, grasses and wild flowers native to eastern Oregon. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grow bluebonnets in Virginia September 04, 2007 I want to ATTEMPT to grow some Texas Bluebonnets in VA because I am homesick and both our kids are back in Austin. That said, the site says " it may be necessary to inoculate the soil with a rhizobiu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Germination and propagation of Carolina larkspur September 02, 2007 I have some Delphinium carolinianum seeds and I am looking to germinate and propagate them. I threw some out on my caliche rubble Four years ago,and got one to germinate four years later. What time o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grooming and propagation of Bee Balm August 28, 2007 I planted our first Bee Balm [Mornarda didyma] bush a month ago. I`ve watered it daily and it is growing well with many runners apparent. Should I be deheading or pinching regularly? Should I cut it ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Germination of golden dalea seeds August 23, 2007 I have collected some golden dalea seeds. I live west of Austin in caliche soil. How would one germinate these seeds? What time of year should I plant them? What kind of seed treatment? Should I scari... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation of century plants from "pups" August 10, 2007 I have two small century plants...about 10 inches tall...they are "pups" from an older one. one of them has three or four very small roots and the other looks like it was pulled up out of the ground... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation of yucca by seed August 03, 2007 I'm just wondering, the yuccas in town are starting to drop their seed pods. How easy is it to start from their little black seeds? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cold moist stratification of Echinacea purpurea July 23, 2007 I was looking at your info on Purple Coneflowers and it says: "Seed Treatment: Cold-moist stratification for two months improves germination." What is Cold-moist stratification? Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Long term storam of Lupinus arboreus seeds July 21, 2007 Hi - I was wondering what the best way to store lupine seeds (for long-term storage and maximum viability) is? I am a graduate student at Berkeley studying Lupinus arboreus. We have been storing seeds... 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 |  | |
| Propagation of Juniperus deppeana by seed July 17, 2007 Hello, I am interested in any info you can provide me on alligator juniper (Juniperus deppeana) seed propagation. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tiger lilies for Austin July 12, 2007 My dear friend absolutely loves tiger lilies, and I would love to plant some for her, but I wonder if the short winters here in Austin, TX make growing these difficult.. I know little of growing flowe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation of Passiflora lutea by seed July 11, 2007 How long does it take to germinate yellow passionflower vine seeds? Where can a vine or seeds be purchased? What would they cost? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Crossbreedding of Lupinus polyphyllus and L. perennis June 25, 2007 Hello, can Lupinus polyphyllus and L. perennis crossbreed? I have both and want to keep perennis genetically pure, is the only way to do this is to get rid of the polyphyllus? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Seed pods on Acer grandidentatum June 23, 2007 Hi, we have three young Big Tooth Maples that are doing very well in our pasture. We bought them already established and small. However, we would like to start some. Do they produce a seed?? What wo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation by seed of Capsicum annuum June 21, 2007 I have always been told that the only way that a seed from a chili pequin pepper can germinate is that it has to be eaten by a bird and passed through it's digestive system. I have heard that there i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Allelopathc qualities in sunflowers June 19, 2007 I have a sunflower patch in the corner of my backyard (Maximilians, common sunflower, and silverleaf sunflower)and would like to use the spent stalks (sans the seedheads) as mulch in the fall. Howeve... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Reseeding with Gulf cordgrass, Spartina spartinae May 23, 2007 Are the seeds of Spartina spartinae sterile? If not, when is the best time to harvest for replanting? We are involved in the restoration of the Bahia Grande section of the Laguna Atascosa National Wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to propagate Texas red buckeye (Aesculus sp.) from seeds May 01, 2007 I have a Texas Red Buckeye that is doing very well. How do I propagate from the seeds that come off of that tree? Thanks, View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Determining ripeness of seeds of Crotonn texensis May 01, 2007 How can I tell when the seeds of Croton texensis are "ripe"? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Iris brevicaulis in Southwest Michigan April 22, 2007 We live in Kalamazoo, MI (Southwest Michigan Zone 6) and discovered last year that we have an iris brevicaulis (we think) growing (and very pretty) on our property. It has the "zig zag" stem. It see... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Obtaining seeds for mutant white bluebonnet April 18, 2007 I have seen a white bluebonnet in Brenham on Easter and wondered how rare the white ones are and how you get seeds for those. Are there any special directions on collecting seeds for planting next fa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting time for Helianthus annuus in Wichita Co., TX April 16, 2007 I need to know when is the best time to plant sunflowers in the Wichita Falls, Texas area? Thank you for your time. 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 | ||
| Resprouting of native prairie plants after snowstorm April 07, 2007 Will my prairie plants that have broken dormancy be harmed by a spring snowstorm? Temperatures have fallen down into the twenties and forecast to stay sub-freezing for five or six days. We have abou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation of Mountain Laurel by seed March 28, 2007 I harvested the seed or nut from our Mountain Laurel this spring and I would like to propagate them in containers for at least a year and then transfer them to the ground. I live in Hays County, TX in... 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 |  | |
| Difference between white and red berried versions of Callicarpa americana March 24, 2007 I have seen many American Beautyberry Bushes [Callicarpa americana] but it was not until I moved into the Big Thicket region that I had ever seen a white berried one. There is no difference botanicall... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for elementary school grow lab in New York March 14, 2007 What can we grow in a grow lab in our elementary school library from seed now that will bloom by June or what interesting looking established plants can we put in this grow lab that will have meaning ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Reversion of maroon bluebonnets back to blue March 01, 2007 In the fall, I bought a flat of Texas bluebonnets. They are blooming now, and it turns out they are actually maroon bluebonnets! Which is really too bad, because I want blue bluebonnets. Do you know i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rhizobium inoculant for Leucaena and othr leguminous tree seedlings January 02, 2007 What sort of Rhizobium inoculant would be appropriate for Leucaena and other leguminous tree seedlings? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care and propagation of Kentucky Coffeetree December 22, 2006 I found a tree on our property in Missouri, after some reserch I found that it is a Kentucky Coffee tree. I collected several of the pods and would like to know how I can plant them to grow. Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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