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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Removing Persimmon plants from the base of Live oaks October 15, 2015 I live in Bastrop county and have hundreds of Texas wild persimmons at the base of my huge oak trees. Should I cut some of them? I am worried they are taking up water my oaks need. I like them but do... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identity of evergreen tree at Barton Springs in Austin TX October 11, 2015 I am trying to identify an evergreen tree at Barton Springs in Austin. It is growing on the south lawn overlooking the pool. It has needles arranged in a fan like shape and makes a kind of crown-shape... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Are Royal Poinciana and Royal Empress trees the same? October 09, 2015 Hi, can you tell me if the Royal empress tree and the Royal Poinciana are the same tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Restoring riverfront from Blanco Flood October 04, 2015 We have cleared our riverfront from the Blanco Flood and I am now looking for help in replanting native trees/grass on our property. Our home was in the Flood of Hayes county Memorial Weekend. I am ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native Tree for Narrow Space in PA October 04, 2015 I have a narrow space along my cedar fence in full sun. A Japanese maple approximately 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide is failing there due to winter rodent damage to its base. I would like to replace i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Possible allelopathic properties of Prosopis glandulosa (Honey mesquite) October 02, 2015 I want to plant a coral honeysuckle at the base of a mesquite tree. Anything in the mesquite that would inhibit the honeysuckle from growing? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Young huisache trees dying October 02, 2015 We have had several young huisache trees suddenly die. These trees are only three or four years old and were apparently healthy when they just died. They are growing by the curb on a city street and w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Willow Tree with Bark and Leaves Falling Off in Missouri October 01, 2015 My willow tree is suddenly lost leaves on 1/2 of the tree. The tree has 2 major trunks and the leaves that have fallen (all off within about 3 weeks) are on one trunk but the bark is impacted on both ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Honeybees swarming around galls on oak trees September 28, 2015 A large number of honeybees have descended on a live oak tree in my backyard. They appear to be feeding on the numerous galls on the tree as if they were flowers. What's going on? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Will a Texas Mountain Laurel thrive in a 4'x4'x4' brick planter. pl September 14, 2015 Would a Texas Mountain Laurel thrive in a 4'x4'x4'x4' brick planter with a drain at the bottom? It will get full sun all day. If not, would a Green Cloud Sage or a Waxleaf Myrtle work? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Pruning Spruce Pine (Prunus glabra) September 02, 2015 I have a Pinus glabra/spruce pine that is approx. 7' tall. It's limbs are few and some have been broken. Will trimming back the longer limbs to give it a Christmas shape harm this tree? 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 | ||
Tree with light-colored bark, thorns and long white clumps of flowers August 18, 2015 I bought a tree at the LBJWC plant sale a couple years ago but lost the name of the tree. I'm finally ready to plant it in the ground and would like to learn more about what its needs are. Can you ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identity of tree in South Carolina August 18, 2015 I don't know if this is native as I'm new to South Carolina. This is a tree about 40' tall. The leaves are trilobal, 10" to a foot across/long and are trilobal, not glossy and have big veins. T... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Can a Quaking aspen grow in central Texas? August 11, 2015 I live in Austin and like the idea of a Quaking Aspen tree. I live on a creek and the tree(s) would get good sun and water. Am I crazy? 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 | ||
American Beech with Brown Leaves August 06, 2015 I have a North American beech tree in Oregon. Its leaves started out with big brown spots on the leaves and is pretty much turning all the leaves on the tree brown. What could be causing this and wha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Pests on Fan Tex Ash July 30, 2015 We planted a Fan Tex Ash last year on our property. It's doing very well, but there are a lot of large stink bugs, yellow jackets and red wasps on it daily. We cannot seem to find any information on ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Powdery Mildew on Monterrey Oak July 30, 2015 Monterrey oak developing gray-white patches on some but not all leaves leading to wilting. could this be powdery mildew? Tree not stressed. Thanks. Best treatment? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
July 27, 2015 Hi, thanks for all your help in the past! I have a generous spot in my spacious back yard that is begging to be filled. The top soil is 4" sandy loam, below which is black clay.With frog strangler r... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Why is my Texas mountain laurel growing so slowly? July 22, 2015 I have a Mountain Laurel, Anacacho Orchid Tree and Desert Willow on the northern side of our yard - all three get full sun most of the day. The Mountain Laurel is closer to the east side. The other... 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 | ||
Can the non-native ylang ylang tree grow outdoors in Arizona July 14, 2015 Can the ylang ylang tree grow outdoors in Casa Grande, Arizona? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Looking for an evergreen vine to grow on trellis as a privacy screen July 11, 2015 Hello, I'm looking for an evergreen vine to grow on a free standing trellis. It is used as a screen on our back porch, so ideally we would not like to use anything that flowers due to the insects ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Source for Pyrus ioensis var. Texana July 09, 2015 Any idea where I can find Pyrus (now Malus) ioensis var. texana for sale around the Austin area? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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