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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| Yellowing of leaves in Texas Mountain Laurel from Austin June 25, 2012 I planted a Texas Mountain Laurel in my Austin, TX yard this January. The tree was good sized (about 5 feet tall) when I planted it. Recently the leaves of the tree have started to turn yellow alon... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Mexican Plum with wilted leaves in Austin, TX. June 06, 2012 I am new to Texas & have a yard with mature mexican plum trees. They are quite beautiful however as summer sets in I notice that the leaves appear "wilted". Is this normal or should I be providing... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with Cedar Elm in Kerrville TX April 28, 2012 We live in 10 miles outside Kerrville - have a Cedar Elm tree - planted 4 or 5 years ago, 15-20 foot high, is losing leaves in the top 1/4th. Rest of leaves look healthy and green. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Harvesting washer rinse cycle water from Austin April 24, 2012 Mr. Smarty Plants, My question is different. I am "harvesting" 8-9 gallons from the rinse cycle in my top loading washer. I was told not to use this water on vegetables, just shrubs and flowers... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Interaction of Habiturf and St. Augustine grasses from Willow City TX April 16, 2012 How does Habiturf and St. Augustine interact? Does one dominate the other? Can you plant them in close areas? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Decline ot Heartleaf rosemallow from Austin March 26, 2012 My tulipan del monte -a new small plant from the wildflower center--did great all winter and was forming a new flower bud, just died in a matter of a few days. It looks like it "dried up", no visib... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Watering a vegetable garden in San Marcos TX March 24, 2012 Can you give me a general idea how long to run my drip irrigation on my raised vegetable garden? Currently I use it twice daily for one hour. The soil feels slightly moist but not very damp. Should... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care for non-native 'Glacier Blues' from Charlton MA March 24, 2012 Do you have to prune or cut down Glacier Blues in the garden? My plants look brown and wilted. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Difference between soil moisture and water use from Austin February 20, 2012 In the native plant data base "growing conditions" can you explain the difference between water use and soil moisture? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ilex vomitoria Sufering from Drought? January 19, 2012 My Ilex vomitoria has always thrived. It is about ten years old. This fall, a portion of the leaves on the ends of the branches have turned yellow on the edges with green veining in the center. Othe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replacing Drought-Stricken Cedars January 16, 2012 Hello, I live in Williamson County on a couple acres. We have several dead cedars as a result of drought; we're reluctant to cut them down because many of them provide a friendly barrier between us... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is installing irrigation with Habiturf a good idea in Round Rock Texas? December 05, 2011 Mr. Smarty Plants, I am in the process of planning a new lawn in my front yard. We have decided to plant the Habiturf seed mix (thank you, by the way). Originally, we planned on installing a spri... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplant shock in desert willow in Austin November 09, 2011 We planted a desert willow 5 days ago. It came in a 15-gallon pot but the tree is quite large (~10 ft) with a wide spread. We watered thoroughly during planting but have not watered since (light rai... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is sulfurous well water affecting leaves on trees in Belton TX November 07, 2011 We installed an irrigation system for our buffalo grass lawn last spring. The grass is fine but the leaves on the trees are burned where the water hits them. I suspect that the well we are using fo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Restoring fire damage in Bastrop TX November 03, 2011 I live in the Bastrop State Park area. We were severely affected by the wildfire and as we are trying to rebuild our home, we are being very aware of the particularities of the recovery process. We lo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Water eroding corner in Austin October 25, 2011 I live close to the Wildflower Center. My yard slopes - as do my neighbors' yards to one corner in my yard. The result is constant moisture in one corner. The rest of the yard is caliche, rocks (m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-native lambs ears wilting in heat from Fredericksburg TX October 19, 2011 3 days ago I had professional landscaping done in an area with plants that tolerate heat & sun well. We planted 7 healthy, large lambs ear & mulched. Everything planted is doing well except the lambs ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Baby mountain laurels are ready to move, in Lockhart Texas October 19, 2011 I want to harvest the baby mountain laurel plants which are growing under a large bush. What height would be best for the young plants survival? Please recommend a soil mixture for the pots. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| New growth on live oaks in Houston September 27, 2011 My 2 10yr. old live oaks are putting out new growth (branches?) although, here in Houston, TX we are having such a drought. For the last 3 months, I have conscientiously watered my entire yard via ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Has overwatering harmed cherry laurels in Austin? September 27, 2011 I am so upset. I know we've been having a terrible drought this year in Austin, and I've been trying to balance water conservation with protecting our recent very large investment for massive lands... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Drought stressed wooly butterflybush in Atlanta, TX September 24, 2011 My butterfly bush is dead looking from the drought. Do you think there is a chance it just went dormant and will return next year. I am still putting water on it. I believe it is a white wooly butterf... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Sad Germanders in Johnson City Texas September 16, 2011 I have some grey bush germanders that never seem to do well although they did at first when I planted them four years ago. They have sun and dappled shade on the south side of the house. A friend in ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Watering practices for live oaks in drought from New Braunfels TX September 04, 2011 We have conflicting info about watering live oaks. An arborist says to water now using soaker hoses or small sprinklers and a landscaper who spoke to our garden club said that after August is too late... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Survival of bluebonnets in extreme heat from Tioga TX September 03, 2011 Is there anything I can do for my bluebonnet patch in this extreme drought for the rest of the summer and fall? Should I have watered this summer? I had a good show and think seeding was fairly normal... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with Carolina Laurel Cherry from Pflugerville, TX September 02, 2011 In 2007 we planted 7 Carolina Laurelcherry (Prunus caroliniana)across our back fence. Everything was fine until this year. Three of the trees seemed to get sick and a local arborist said the roots ne... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
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