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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| Season to plant Pacific Wax Myrtle from Fallbrook CA July 25, 2013 Would like to know which season would be the best to plant Pacific Wax Myrtle in Fallbrook, CA area? I presently have invading bamboo, which I want to get rid of. Thank you! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-blooming yuccas in Brooklyn CT July 14, 2013 I have outdoor yucca plants that don't flower - - in full sun. Why? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Member of Taxus genus native to southern Illinois from Granite City IL July 12, 2013 Is there a native Southern Illinois similar to Taxus baccata? I live in Granite City IL and am looking for a native plant/scrub that stays green year round about 2-3 feet tall to it helps insulate the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for heavy clay in Sonoma County, California July 10, 2013 Hi, I live in Northern California, Sonoma County, and would like to transition my front garden into mostly native plants. Trouble is, my soil is clay, yicky, heavy clay, and some of the natives I've ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Vine for full sun in Las Vegas NV July 05, 2013 Looking for vine to thrive in full sun in Las Vegas, NV. I tried Cape Honeysuckle and Star Jasmine and both died within 5 days. The leaves were burnt. What's your suggestion? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| User comments on soils from Austin July 02, 2013 You had a question this month about chlorosis in a Mexican plum in Bellaire. You correctly, in my opinion, answered that the problem was most likely overwatering. However, I just wanted to point out a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What grows in Tampa FL July 01, 2013 Please let me know what grows in the backyard in Tampa, FL to provide screening and privacy? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-flowering plants in Scottsdale AZ July 01, 2013 I have three plants that are supposed to do well in Arizona but mine are not flowering. The yellow bells and orange jubilee I have get full sun, drip watered 3 x a week for 1 1/2 hrs (at 4am) and are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growing non-native Cabernet Sauvignon vines in Central Texas July 01, 2013 Hi. I recently moved into a remodeled home in Taylor, TX, and have experimented with Cabernet Savignon vines before. I have a 1/2 acre and a chain-link fence I want to put vines on. (I have a book o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Nassella tenuissima for Woodland Hills CA June 30, 2013 Good afternoon, I wanted to purchase some already grown Mexican Feather Grass (Nassella tenuissima) and was wondering how often and for how long I would need to water said grass on a scheduled sprinkl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants tolerant of high levels of sodium and sulfur June 26, 2013 I would appreciate suggestions for small shrubs and flowering plants that can survive the sodic soil conditions and western sun exposure of my front beds. We have had great difficulty finding anything... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Garden instructions from Austin June 12, 2013 I'm a beginning gardener putting in some new landscaping in my front yard in north central Austin, TX. The yard faces almost due east, so it gets full sun until early afternoon, when the house's sha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problem With Vegetable Garden Soil June 09, 2013 We live in Liberty Hill on 25 acres and we are working to restore native grasses and plants. We are ardent supporters of the Wildflower center. I say this because my question is not "typical" of wh... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Asphalt beneath surface of soil in Austin June 03, 2013 About 3-4 inches below the surface of our yard is what appears to be asphalt. It comes out in chunks a few inches across and it's all about 1.5 inches thick. I have no idea what it is; my best guess ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native, invasive creeping fig in Webster TX May 26, 2013 We've recently moved into a new home in the southeast Houston area. The back of our property has a long concrete wall (gets quite a bit of sun), which we thought we could cover with a spreading vine.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is it OK to remove soil around oaks - Austin, TX. May 24, 2013 I have several oaks trees (one live oak + burr oaks) from 15'-35' in height. They seem healthy. A local arborist says they were planted too deep and that the soil around them needs to be excavated t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowers under pine trees from Elkhart Indiana May 02, 2013 I have a number of pine trees at the back of my lot and would like to plant flowers under the tree. What can I plant? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for steep slope in Pittsburgh PA April 25, 2013 I have a similar question to one from SC. I live in Pittsburgh, PA. We have a steep slope behind a newly built in pool. What type of plants can I put on the hillside to hold the soil. It gets a ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion control on slope from Columbia SC April 25, 2013 We are in the process of having a new home built in Columbia South Carolina. Part of the front yard has a steep slope starting approximately four feet from the corner of the house and running to the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Will arctostaphylos grow in Austin, from Murrieta CA April 23, 2013 I currently live in Murrieta, CA at 2,000 ft. We planted 800 native plants on our slopes so they were extremely drought tolerant. One of my favorites is the Arctostaphylos family that will take the fr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with Blackfoot Daisy from Lewisville, TX April 23, 2013 I planted a row of Melampodium leucanthum (Blackfoot Daisy) last spring at the front of the front yard, next to the sidewalk. It's full sun, east facing, unamended black clay gumbo soil. I put mulc... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Death of Texas Betony and Blackfoot Daisy from Austin April 18, 2013 I have one small area that there are two plants - Texas Betony and Blackfoot Daisy withered and died eventually. Same kinds of plants are doing fine close by. It is my front yard close to walk way.I w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Chlorosis on plants in Austin April 09, 2013 I have several plants that have chlorosis on the new growth. I did an at-home basic soil test. Ph came out at 7.5 (the highest the scale went, so it could be higher than that). Nitrogen and phosphorus... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shade tolerant plants for Waynesville MO April 09, 2013 We moved to Waynesville, MO (gardening region 6) and when we bought our house there was a nice looking gardening area in front of the house. It is shaded moderately by a Redwood Tree and was "occupie... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Amending soil for butterfly garden in Houston April 01, 2013 My girl scout troop will be planting a butterfly garden at a middle school in Houston. In researching plants to use, we have come across some such as echinacea, rose vervain, galliarda and Texas gay... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Evergreen, deer resistant privacy screen for Villanova PA March 29, 2013 Looking for something that is deer resistant and ideally evergreen to block a shed and fence that my neighbor recently installed. Live in Eastern PA. Not the best drainage and also shade for most of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Agarita suggestion for Houston area March 05, 2013 Another possible plant for the following question is agarita. The question: "Looking for a very, very, thorny three or four foot tall shrub for in front of windows to deter break-ins. Considering Ro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Desert Willow tree for Plano, TX March 03, 2013 I live near Dallas, Texas. I have a small Desert Willow tree that I would like to plant. What is the root system of this tree like? Would I be able to plant it near our patio? How far from the house'... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Vine for pergola in Belton TX February 06, 2013 Hello, I would like to know what vine would be best to cover a rather large pergola. It will be in full sun in caliche soil. :( The area has access to a water hose and I would like to have something... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Landscaping in Avalon TX January 23, 2013 I just bought my first and last home in Avalon Texas. I am looking forward to starting my garden. I am interested in all year around flowers. however I am in the country, when it rains, my yard becom... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is California fan palm found on Edwards Plateau from Austin January 18, 2013 Is the following Palm, Washingtonia filifera, found in the Texas Hill Country, specifically the Edwards Plateau or Balcones Canyonlands NWR. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growing rabitteye blueberries in Phenix City AL January 18, 2013 What type soil is needed to grow rabbiteye blueberries? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Restoring a prairie from Austin January 11, 2013 Restoring a mixed grass Blackland Prairie? Prairie Plant Succession? We are trying to establish climax species when an area is in a pioneering phase. Does the soil chemistry or biota change during ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native Plants for Shaded North Slope in Ohio January 03, 2013 I have a shaded north hillside which needs erosion control plants. Mostly moss and very thin grass grows there now. Please help! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Ground cover under Spruces from West Chester PA December 06, 2012 Trying to get a native groundcover (or any grass/wildflower/fern) planting established under a small stand of spruces. Established stand (30+ years old), so lots of needles on ground. Just about tot... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Re-landscaping in Stephenville, TX. November 17, 2012 I prefer native plants. We are re-landsacaping, so I need grass, ground cover, vines and flowers to plant in our back yard. We have many trees and the whole yard is shady. A small area might be con... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Lupines annual or perennial in Zone 4b from Austin November 08, 2012 Are lupines treated as perennials or annuals in Zone 4b (Northeast) if they are planted in the ground? Will other native species of lupines grow in a region they are not native to? Any recommendations... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Chlorosis in Texas Wisteria from Blanco TX November 05, 2012 Just noticed a Texas Wisteria I bought last month and it is already looking chlorotic. Mixed compost in w/the dirt it is planted in but I don't think that will be enough. Is Blanco soil too alkaline?... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Tolerance of rosa setigera of acidic soil from Cobden IL October 20, 2012 How tolerant is Rosa setigera of acid soil? I would like to plant it in my (very large) garden but the loess soil has a pH of 4.5. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native New Jersey plants to remove iron water from Lawrenceville NJ October 20, 2012 Are there any native New Jersey plants that can remove iron water View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Destructive landscape crews in The Woodlands TX October 20, 2012 Hi. We need help. We recently moved to a house where landscape crews have been blowing away the leaf litter from the front yard for many years. The underbrush was also cleared long ago. The result... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Revegetating a hillside in western Washington state October 10, 2012 Removing several downed trees across my dock demolished the native plants growing on the hillside and the contractor pulled out their remains. The area faces east on an open freshwater bay. Close to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cedar sage not blooming in pots in Austin September 14, 2012 I have cedar sage (salvia roemeriana) in containers on a dappled-shade apartment patio in Austin, TX. This is their first season here, transplanted in May (it's now September). All the plants have be... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Deer resistant plants from New Braunfels TX August 31, 2012 I have a 1/2 yard covered by a tree, shady. Bermuda grass previous owner planted has all turned brown this summer. I don't have lots of money to work with but would love to landscape that side of fr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Difficulty with Clay Soil from Palm Bay, FL August 22, 2012 I had a very nice little native shady area behind my house for over 40 years, but now it has been cleared except for a 100 foot tall live oak in the center of this raised mound (50' x 80'). I've be... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Detoxifying soil from York England August 15, 2012 How do you neutralize toxic soil, it may have been contaminated by Foxglove Digitalis Purpurea? Thankyou View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Potting soil mixture at Wildflower Center from Austin August 14, 2012 What potting soil mixture does the Wildflower Center use in its greenhouses for the native plants grown for the Austin Native Plant sales? Is the pH adjusted to match the alkaline soils in this area? ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wisconsin Ground Cover for Acid Soil July 09, 2012 What type of native wisconsin ground cover plants do best on acidic bare areas under pine trees such as blue spruce?...and where is best source for these plants or seeds? Thanks so much for your help View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for Shady Clay soil in Illinois June 18, 2012 Could you recommoned native plants for clay soil and shade near Chicago? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Zinc tolerant plants for sunny area June 08, 2012 I have a very high zinc soil in an all day sun area. Any suggestions as to what kind of flower can I grow successfully? Zone 8 Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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