Native 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 | |
| What are the Native Dianthus? October 03, 2015 What species of Dianthus is native to North America? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Overwintering Ruellia brittoniana in Missouri October 03, 2015 I live in Missouri and have five beautiful Mexican Petunia or Ruellia brittoniana planted and established in my landscaping. With winter fast approaching, I would love advise on how to winterize the p... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to Deal with Leggy Artemisia 'Silver Mound' October 03, 2015 I have two Artemisia (I think 'Silver Mound') in full sun in West Austin. They have been happily growing there for the past 10 or so years. Both were hard-hit by last winter's cold weather and did... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Invasiveness of Oenothera speciosa? October 02, 2015 Hello! I received a large package of Oenothera speciosa seeds and would like to plant them this month. I've read elsewhere that they can choke out out other plants and am wondering to what degree thi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sources for Eustoma exaltatum (Texas bluebells) October 01, 2015 Could you list sources for seeds for eustoma (texas bluebells)? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for Georgetown with shade in the AM and sun in the PM September 30, 2015 Hi, I live in Georgetown and I would like a recommendation for plants (shrubs and flowering perennials) that can handle deep shade until 1 or 2 pm and then have full sun blasting them til sun down. T... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native plant for border in central coastal Texas September 29, 2015 I am looking for a native plant suggestion for a border along my front porch in central coastal Texas. My site has heavy gumbo soil and strong sunlight. I want something not more than 2 or 3 feet t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Low Groundcovers for Pennsylvania September 18, 2015 Hi Mr Smarty Plants, I'm looking for a low growing grass or ground cover for an area that is between my neighbors horse fence and mine it is about 2 feet wide 30 ft long. It is impossible to mow and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Will Convallaria majuscula grow in Texas? September 10, 2015 Can I transplant Convallaria majuscula, American lily-of-the-valley I originally brought from northern Wisconsin a few years back to the Chicago area to my new home in Buda Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Urushiol Oil Persistance? September 09, 2015 I'm trekking into poison ivy infested areas for work every other day. I make sure to wear long pants, long sleeves, boots, and long socks over my pants. I walk into my office to drop off supplies and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wildflowers for an Indiana septic drain field August 29, 2015 We just had to have a septic system replaced due to our state highway consuming some of our front yard along with our original septic. Since this has happened, our lateral lines now lie in our back ya... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need suggestions for plants for bioswales in Philadelphia, PA August 24, 2015 Hello, Are there a handful of species you would recommend for inclusion in bioswales throughout the US? I realize plants need to be selected based on climate, but I'm wondering if there are two or... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Erosion controlling plants for a shady Minnesota lakeside August 11, 2015 I live about 50 yards from a lake and there is a steep embankment. Recently someone decided to cut the trees off the embankment and now the dirt is eroding off the embankment as well as off my back ya... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pest Dug Up and Ate Hypoxis Corms August 06, 2015 After years of no problems, something recently dug up and ate all my Yellow star-grass corms. What is attracted to them and is there an organic way to prevent it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Where to find Horseherb seed August 02, 2015 I would like to purchase some Horseherb seeds. Can you tell me where I can do that? Either locally or on line. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growing Green milkweed vine from seed July 29, 2015 I was given some seed for the pearl milkweed vine which I intend to plant, but I can find no information on whether to stratify or scarify them or just plant them. I know some milkweeds require strati... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Why Don't Phlox Bloom? July 26, 2015 My summer phlox only bush up but never bloom. They are in full sun. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Stopping erosion on bank of a Florida retention pond July 21, 2015 I live on a retention pond, which has had all vegetation killed by the lake doctor. As a result the bank has eroded so there is a drop off directly to the water rather than a sloping bank. What plan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation of Blackfoot daisy seed July 21, 2015 I have a three yr old Blackfoot daisy. How do you root Blackfoot daisy seeds? When is the best month to grow these seeds? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Drought-Tolerant Plants for Arizona July 16, 2015 Slowly turning south-facing lawn to drought-tolerant plantings with gravel paths. Mature Ponderosa and several blue spruce and junipers surround area. Grass area I'm converting with a few larger tr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need plants to fill in spaces where wooden expansion joints were removed in a patio in Seguin, TX July 11, 2015 I have removed the rotted wood in the expansion joints in my patio. I would prefer replacing them with some sort of plant. The patio gets partial sunlight. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growing Alopia drummondii from Seed July 09, 2015 Can you give me information about, or a resource for, growing Alophia drummondii (propeller plant) from seed? I have the seed but don't know when & the best method for planting? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pollinator friendly lawn for Longmont CO July 06, 2015 I have a sunny, treeless, South-facing yard, with a slight South-facing slope in Boulder County, CO. It has one patch of buffalo grass, but is more then half some other type of grass. I would like t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native orchids in Bowie and Harris Counties July 02, 2015 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I was wondering what types of orchids are native to Bowie County and Harris County. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Milky Substance on Salvia greggii June 26, 2015 The Salvia greggii that I have in the front yard has a milky substance on it ... and the plants are not doing well. Is this some kind of fungi or disease? What can I do to "cure" it? Thank you! Lia... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Butterfly and Pollinator Plants for Indianapolis Garden June 23, 2015 I live in Indianapolis, IN and would like to have a native garden. I'd be especially interested in plants that help butterflies and bumble bees. There's a fairly dry area on the west side of the hou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native Plant for Containers in Delaware June 23, 2015 I live on the East Coast. I have a large covered porch that only gets some afternoon sun. I have tried full sun, partial sun and shade plants, and had no luck with them thriving. Can you recommend any... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native Texas Plants for SC June 22, 2015 I just visited your beautiful facility for the first time and loved it! I'm planning to move to Charleston, SC and would love to replicate some of the wildflower and walkway areas I saw. Would the fo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Container Plants for Lubbock, Texas June 22, 2015 Hello! I am looking for plants suitable for container gardening for a west facing porch in Lubbock. Plants need to be super tough to endure the baking sun, constant wind, dry air, extreme temperatures... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Evergreen perennials for a pond bank in Texas June 18, 2015 We want evergreen perennial plants for the banks of our small pond. The banks are eroding and we need to help keep them strong. We have ducks in the pond and lots of turtles. We would love something ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pollinators for Palm Springs, CA June 18, 2015 Just moved to Palm Springs, California. Hot and dry, desert region. What bee and pollinator-friendly plants would do well with full afternoon sun? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Poolside plants for East Texas June 18, 2015 What are the best plants, shrubs, ornamental trees, etc. for poolside planting in East Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| A blue-eyed grass with salmon-colored blooms? June 16, 2015 Has anyone heard of a blue-eyed grass variety that has salmon-colored blooms? I have a photo if needed. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting wildflowers slated for destruction in Buda, TX. June 16, 2015 TXDOT has recently informed our church that they will be taking a sizeable amount of natural area fronting a ranch road for lane expansion. We are devastated to lose an are we have planted and nurtur... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Aquatic Plants for a Small Pond in Missouri June 11, 2015 We have a small backyard pond (4' x 5' x 2' deep) with a shelf for marginal plants, and a pump that feeds a nice little creek and waterfall into the pond. We don't really want fish, but we'd lik... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is Evolvulus nuttallianus native to Central Texas and Deer Resistant? June 11, 2015 The website doesn't have much information about blue daze (Evolvulus nuttallianus. Is this plant native to Central Texas? Is it deer-resistant? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is Canna glauca invasive? June 10, 2015 How aggressive is Canna glauca? I'm interested in planting one near a gutter downspout, but I'm afraid it will crowd out groundcovers (heartleaf skullcap and fall obedient plant) in the two location... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Why does newly transplanted Brazos Penstemon look bad June 09, 2015 I bought Brazos penstemon from a nursery as well as several other drought resistant plants. I have noticed new buds on the salvia and blanket flower and changes in leaf color on the kaleidoscope, but... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Why is fall the best time to plant Bluebonnet seeds? May 29, 2015 Bluebonnet plants drop their seeds in late May or early June. Why is it recommended to broadcast Bluebonnet seeds in October which is 5 months after the plant drops its seeds? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure of TX bluebonnets to thrive May 28, 2015 We have had extraordinary luck with bluebonnets growing in our driveway of decomposed granite--until last year and this year. The bluebonnets seem to be drying up and wilting away. The ones in other a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Will the May 27, 2015 I'm becoming interested in rain gardens, and although Silphium perfoliatum does not appear to be a host for butterfly caterpillars and like most of the "giant tall grass prairie daisies" may be a b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Looking for plants for phytoremediation in Columbus, TX May 27, 2015 Hello! I am looking for native Texan phytodegrading/rhizodegrading plants (basically I want phytoremediating plants that could be left in place and not have to be removed/disposed of after they had ta... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Indian Paintbrush outnumbering our Bluebonnets this year. May 26, 2015 We noticed we have more Indian paintbrush than bluebonnets in our front yard this year. Our issue is we also have more spear grass than normal. Is there a way to control this grass without killing th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| How to eliminate roadside thistles May 26, 2015 When we drive along the highway we see lots of wildflowers and no thistles in the median. How does the Highway Department keep the thistles out? Here in Kerrville, we are overwhelmed by thistles thi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wildflowers in Bloom in Hudson Valley NY in July May 19, 2015 We are hosting a rustic wedding on July 11, and we would like to decorate with wildflowers. We live in rural NY state, in the Mid-Hudson Valley, and there are many sites from which to pick wildflowers... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| How to protect Columbine plants from Texas sun May 12, 2015 I planted some Red columbine seeds in October of last year and they are now doing well, roughly 6-inches tall. I believed I was planting them in mostly shade at the time; that area now seems to get 6+... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Weeds from neighbor's yard are a problem. May 11, 2015 Our neighbor has let his front yard go wild. Many of these native wild plants are very invasive. How can I stop their spreading into our yard? There are too many to try & keep up with pulling them as ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What to do about bastard cabbage in the Austin area? May 08, 2015 I am noticing bastard cabbage taking over roadsides and medians at an alarming rate where a mixture of native flowers used to bloom. Is it allowable to organize efforts to pull the invasive plants ou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Can bluebonnet pods be gathered when green in Lockhart, TX May 02, 2015 Can bluebonnet seed pods be gathered when green? Will the seed be capable of germinating next season? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| What about the Bluebonnets at Muleshoe Bend Recreational Area in Spicewood, TX ? April 27, 2015 We had heard about vast field of bluebonnets out at Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area - an LCRA park in Spicewood. We went out today and there are indeed vast fields . . . all where Lake Travis would be ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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