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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| Vines for Madison, Wisconsin March 12, 2015 What are some good options for non-aggressive native vines for southern Wisconsin? I am looking for something that can cover a chain-link fence and benefit local insects. I don't want it to take ov... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-Toxic Flowering Vine for Sunny Trellis in California March 12, 2015 I am looking for a flowering trellis plant that is non-toxic to my dog, will grow in the California area that I live in, and will be in full sun. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need advice ab out raspberry root in Merced CA February 14, 2015 I planted a raspberry root the day that it started raining hard. I was just concerned about the root rotting since there is so much rain going on lately. Will I need to replace it or will the root... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Milkweed species for Central Texas February 11, 2015 What milkweed should I plant in the flood plain behind my house on Brushy Creek. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Will Bittersweet climb on a streetlight pole? February 05, 2015 Will Bittersweet climb on a streetlight pole, or does it need to be with a tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Carolina Jessamine Toxic to Honey Bees? January 20, 2015 Is Carolina jessamine toxic to honey bees? I have read conflicting answers. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Thorny vines for a shady Louisiana fence January 17, 2015 Do you know of a fast growing, non-invasive, thorny vine that I can grow along a shady fence row in Baton Rouge, Louisiana? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Fast-growing vines for the Texas Hill Country January 17, 2015 What are the best fast-growing vines for our Hill Country location? The vine will be growing on a stucco wall, so we don't want the vine to grow into the stucco and destroy it. Location has morning ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a moist, wooded area in North Carolina December 06, 2014 I am looking to plant some native flowers in a wooded area in Surry County NC. The chosen location is fully shaded beside a creek. The water table typically sets about 2 feet below the surface of th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is the fruit of Melothria pendula edible? November 22, 2014 Is the fruit of Melothria pendula edible? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is there a simple way to November 12, 2014 Is there a relatively simple way to "guess" how old wild grapevine is? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| California Vine for Privacy Screening November 06, 2014 I have a two story house going up behind my back yard. I would like to plant a climbing vine with non-invasive roots to provide privacy. I live in Los Angeles and the trellis would receive almost full... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of a vine with red berries in Weatherford, Texas October 17, 2014 I have found a vine with red berries that I would appreciate an ID for. How can I send you a photo or two of it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identity of vine growing in Naples Florida September 15, 2014 I live on country/residential property outside of Naples, Florida. This year I have had dozens of seedlings of some type of vine popping up all over. I have posted on a couple plant blogs looking for ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Difference between invasive Chinese and Japanese wisterias and native wisteria September 12, 2014 Dear Mr or Ms Smarty Plants, Is there any way I can tell for sure if my wisteria is native? I bought it at a place when it was in bloom that sold a lot of native plants. I Would like to know for sure... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Aggressive vine with purple flowers in South Carolina September 12, 2014 Found an aggressive climbing vine with purple flowers in out vegetable garden. This garden was cleaned and new dirt, mulch and manure was put in in the spring. It was raked out after the infusion of d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Flowering vine with yellow flowers in Nevada August 10, 2014 A flowering vine started growing in our Henderson back yard about 2 months ago. It has variegated green leaves & yellow flowers. We decided not to pull it out & now it's spreading. I've looked on v... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of bush/vine with purple berries August 09, 2014 I was clearing fence line and came across this plant it looks like a Bush but underneath grows like a vine it has long broad leaves that reminded me of Polk salad but it grows berry clusters the berri... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of vine with feathery leaves and deep pink flowers July 28, 2014 I have growing up my porch what appears to be a vine with feathery leaves and small deep pink flowers. There is no water sources near by. Can you tell me what it is? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Where in Texas can Vitis rupestris be found for collecting seeds and cuttings July 27, 2014 Where in Texas can I collect in the wild - cuttings or seeds from the Native American plant Vitis rupestris? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ripe fruit of Melothria pendula (Guadaloupe cucumber) July 22, 2014 I see the pictures of the guadualupe cucumber plant. The fruit is still green. When it matures does it look like a small tomato? I have noticed the vine when the fruit is ripe. This is in McLennan C... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Purple leatherflower with white bloom July 17, 2014 A couple of years ago at the wildflower center native plant sale I bought a purple leatherflower according to the tag. This is the first year it has bloomed and the blooms are pure white. The shape ma... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| cultivating the invasive Passiflora incense July 16, 2014 Hello! I have been collecting passiflora for a while now, recently I purchased a "P. Incarnata" from a local nursery where I have gotten a few other species to grow along my herb garden recently. No... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of vine with orangish flowers July 09, 2014 I am looking to ID what I believe is a vine growing plant that blooms orangish flowers. I have pictures of the plant, and have attempted to use multiple plant ID websites. But have been unsuccessful. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growing Grapes in Southern Texas on an Arbor July 02, 2014 I've redirected several grape vines (from the top third of a broken oak tree) onto an arbor. The base of the vine is about 3 or 4 inches in diameter. Is it feasible to work with (prune) the smaller b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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