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.
Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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.
Search Smarty Plants
| topic | question | |
| Native plants for memorial garden in Michigan March 04, 2008 I want to start a memorial garden for my daughter. I live in northern Michigan and the area has very tall white pines we have pruned them up about 15' so the area does get partial sun. Which plants w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possibility of using vinegar solutions for weed control February 29, 2008 What is your suggestion about the control of weeds - do you consider vinegar solutions environmentally friendly? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants to trail down wall in South Carolina February 07, 2008 Good day, I am putting in a stacked mortarless concrete block retaining wall which will rise to the forest floor along a cut bank - about 4 feet high. Each course steps back about one inch from th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Care for cultivar of native Bignonia capreolata February 05, 2008 I planted Dragon Lady Cross Vines at the end of the fall last year. When would be the best time to trim them. I live in the Dallas area. They look kind of beat up right now and I thought if I trimmed... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Promoting bloom of crossvine January 05, 2008 I planted a crossvine a couple of years ago and it has grown quite well, climbing well up the Mesquite tree it was planted under. However, it has never bloomed. I was really looking forward to those... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of vine with translucent red berries in Tennessee. November 30, 2007 During the month of November I have seem in Nashville, TN a vine which appears to be native or a handed-down plant growing behind a restaurant site on a chain link fence. It was loaded with cluster... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Information about the wormvine orchid, Vanilla barbellata November 27, 2007 Hi My name is Santiago I'm from Puerto Rico and discover this Vanilla orchid in the forest, this orchid is V. barbellata var. alba? You have some information of how identify the V. barbe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to get rid of invasive vine November 14, 2007 We moved into our very old (300+ year house) several years ago and I am slowly getting round to cleaning up and replanting flower beds. When I cleared the space to grow clematis along a fence in the b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Culture of a potato vine November 11, 2007 This spring I was given a potato to grow. The lady called it a potato vine. Do you know anything about this vine? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-blossoming trumpet vine November 05, 2007 About 9 years ago I started a trumpet vine, from seeds that I got from plants that were invading an empty home. I saw how invasive it was. It had worked its way into the windows and front porch and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trumpet vine care October 31, 2007 I planted a trumpet vine in the early summer of this year. It grew about 3-4 ft. and seemed healthy. It is now Oct. 25th, and I just noticed that all the leaves seem to have shrivelled up and gone b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care and fruiting time of pumpkins October 06, 2007 This is my first year growing pumpkin. I have a good vine with flowers now & then, but I still don't see a little pumpkin forming. What am I doing wrong? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| American Bittersweet in east Texas September 24, 2007 Does American Bittersweet vine grow in east Texas? It grows wild in Indiana and want to find it in our new location, Longview, Texas View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification request for a vine September 19, 2007 I would like to identify a wild vine that I have just discovered in our bush. It has leaves similar in shape to a maple leaf,approx.4"wide, has white flower spikes, and some kind of a fruit or pod t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Control of out-of-bounds Virginia creeper September 16, 2007 Our Virginia creeper (Woodbine) has outgrown its planned location this past summer. What is the best way to prune ivy stems for next years controlled growth? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Green wall panel for Dallas August 21, 2007 We are working on a green wall panel for a hotel near SMU--I see your list of recommended species for green roofs, & wondered if you have any ideas for vertical applications. Probably will have someth... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care of Passiflora incarnata or Passiflora coccinea July 04, 2007 Hi- I have two passionflowers, one red, one purple. I live in upstate NY. They grow very well up onto trellises, however, they have stopped producing flowers. Both are planted in pots (fairly large)... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Recognizing poison ivy June 20, 2007 I am having a difficult time identifying poison ivy. It seems so many plants look like poison ivy can you help me I don't want to kill everything but on the same hand I don't want to itch. Thanks f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Control of grapevines in trees June 15, 2007 Grapevines have overtaken some of the trees on our property in Central Texas. What is the best way to get rid of the grapevines and (hopefully) save the trees? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native, non-invasive vines for wall cover in California June 14, 2007 I live on the Central Coast in California. I have a stucco garage wall, which receives full sun, and faces West. I would like to plant a climbing vine to cover the wall, and was considering a clim... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Parthenocissus quinquefolia as replacement for Asiatic jasmine June 14, 2007 The deer have stripped the Asiatic jasmine groundcover under my clusters of live oak trees in Southwest Austin. This year the bare areas of ground are covered in Virginia creeper seedlings. I have b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of Matelea reticulata June 08, 2007 I recently saw blooming in an Austin park a small white-green flower ( 3/4 ") with a center that looked like a small pearl. Any idea what it is. I can't find it in my flower book, It was on a waist... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of possible Hairy Cluster Vine or Clematis May 28, 2007 I found a small twining vine with purple to lavender, tubular flowers hanging on one side of the stem. The leaves are very narrow and alternate about 3/4"-1" long. I found them on the side of the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to produce ivy with large, green leaves May 25, 2007 How can I keep an Ivy green? When it was purchased it was green and had BIG leaves. How can I get the leaves to grow big again and get it green? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Slow flowering wisteria May 09, 2007 We have a young wisteria growing on the side of the house. It began to flower this year for the first time. Whereas my neighbors' wisterias all bloomed in February, ours has only begun to bloom in mi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| topic | question | |