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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| topic | question | |
| Identity of plant that looks like green onions April 06, 2013 I have what looks like green onions growing in my lawn. They have small white flowers. Are they edible? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Will corn fall victim to allelopathy from hackberry in Clarkridge AR March 30, 2013 Will my corn be inhibited by a nearby hackberry and if so would it help to cut it down? I understand that sometimes the soil is full of the chemicals the tree produces. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Edibility of non-native garlic sprouts from Brancburg, NJ March 12, 2013 I have regular garlic in my refrigerator. It had sprouts growing out of it so I put it in a cup of water. Now that the stems are large enough to put in food, my question is.. Is that part of the garl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Edible and Medicinal Plant Resources for West Texas March 02, 2013 I am a teacher of gifted and talented students in Paint Rock, Texas. We were looking for a reliable book or website for edible and medicinal plants in West Texas. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Food and medicinal value of Parsley Hawthorn March 01, 2013 I have found several sites that talk about how the parsley hawthorn is edible and how the hawthorn berry in general is really great for the heart, but I did not find any mention of this on your info a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Texas native peach from Elmendorf TX January 30, 2013 Does Texas have a native peach tree that grows wild? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Sweet cherry tree for New Mexico January 23, 2013 What is the best kind of sweet cherry tree to plant in Santa Fe, NM? I have apple, apricot, peach and pear. Would like cherry unless it is a bad idea. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Water requirements for fruit trees in California January 15, 2013 Dear Sir; In which of these options (fruit trees) the need for watering in irrigation process is higher than the others: -Olive tree -Nectarines and peaches trees -Hazelnut trees -Pistachios and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Red berry that changes the taste of other foods January 15, 2013 Hi, your site is fantastic. I heard from a friend that he tried a red berry in Florida which when eaten change the taste of other foods eaten afterwards. He ate a lemon after trying that berry and th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Montana native plants to create a garden with edible plants January 14, 2013 Hi Smarty Plants We are looking to create a native herb, vegetable, root, fruit, flower and ground cover garden for the area of Hot Springs, Sanders County, Montana. Our zone is 4 and soil is mostly ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native wild plum trees for Johnson County, Texas December 24, 2012 What native wild plums will grow in southern Johnson County? And where can I find the trees locally? Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Landscaping from Wilmington NC December 22, 2012 I plan on moving to Belmont NC in the next couple of years and settling down with my future wife in her home town. I am a huge do it yourself person. I love to make things from scratch, including buil... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens) edible? December 21, 2012 I found a post here about cenizo leaves being used for tea, but I'm wondering if the leaves of the cenizo are edible? I have found many recipes for 'brown butter sage' leaves (sauteed often with on... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wild plums for jelly from Conroe TX December 18, 2012 Do wild plum trees grow in my area? I want to get some next summer to make plum jelly. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of a vine in El Paso, Texas November 23, 2012 I live in Del Rio Texas - Zone 8/9 and I have a vine which can't be identified. It looks like a morning glory white flower with crimson throat, but the leaf pattern is like a 5-7 fingered hand with d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Edible native plants for Camp Wood, TX November 01, 2012 We live northwest of Camp Wood, TX in the uplands, so our soil is shallow with caliche and limestone beneath and is clay-like with the typical higher pH. Are there any native trees, bushes, vines, or... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Grasses for horses in Austin October 27, 2012 Hello Mr. Smarty Plants We just bought 4.5 acres in Travis County off HWY 290. We have 3 horses we keep on it but there is very little grass in the pastures. What is the best type of grass to seed ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Spots on non-native naval orange trees from Stockton CA October 20, 2012 I have two mature Navel Orange trees. One tree has developed spotty chlorophyl depleted areas that were not on the oranges when they were smaller. In addition, the oranges on both trees are smaller ,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native pomegranate failing to fruit from Highland Village TX October 20, 2012 Last spring I planted a pomegranate tree (type: Wonderful) which is supposed to produce edible fruit. It had 5 or 6 absolutely beautiful blooms, but each of them dropped off and no sign of fruit. Is... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is it possible to eat one nightshade berry and live? September 16, 2012 Can I eat one nightshade berry and live? I am 18. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identity of a plant in Florida with red fruit like a small tomato September 03, 2012 It looks like a small tomato but it isn't. It has a bunch of flakey seeds on the inside, which are a light brown in color. The outside is red, and I think it starts out growing green and also white.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with non-native tomatoes from Spokane WA August 18, 2012 I have 2 tomato plants in 1 whiskey barrel, they are in abundance with tomatoes. My problem is when the tomatoes start to ripen, half green & half light red within 1 day the tomatoes are really soft ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Landscaping with water garden from Pendleton SC August 15, 2012 Searching for native plants in SC. Your results miss some plants listed on your site. I noticed this reading the Mr. Smarty Plants response to "Edible Plants for North GA" We aren't far apart. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| How Do Persimmons Breed - Starkville, MS August 14, 2012 Thank you for your earlier response about the genders of native persimmon trees. We have two, a much larger one that has borne fruit for years and years and a smaller one that I'd just assumed was m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is it safe to eat vegetables grown in the same bed as foxgloves? August 12, 2012 I have foxglove in my flower beds and have planted tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and cantaloupe in the flower bed and now I am concerned about the shared root system. Also, my tomatoes are touching the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification August 04, 2012 We found a bush on our ranch in southern Gonzales County. It has oval shaped leaves about an inch long. There are no thorns on the branches. Fruit is round and smooth, the size of a small cherry to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with chile pequin from Pflugerville TX July 19, 2012 Hello there! I have a question about my chile pequin (Capsicum annuum L.) plant. I purchased it last year from the Wildflower Center Fall Plant Sale. It stayed in a pot until three months ago when I p... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need source of plants for making teas in Bend, Oregon. July 08, 2012 I love to make my own tea, just moved to central Oregon and want to know some good plants I can find anywhere in town and can use in my teas. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Request for wild and edible plant information for Boy Scouts from San Antonio June 12, 2012 We are with the Boy Scouts. Is it possible for you to email me information on the Wild and Edible plants at the Government Canyon? WE are teaching our scouts on this subject right now. We have alre... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possible non-native squash and gourd cross from Kyle TX June 10, 2012 Last year I gathered seeds from the yellow squash plants that were grown from a seed packet (hybrid, I assume). Well, now the fruit produced by those plants seems to be a cross between a yellow squash... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Texas plants useful to early settlers June 05, 2012 I'm working on some interpretation for a prairie heritage trail in SE TX (near Houston). I'd like to know where I can find some good information on plant remedies which might have been used by early... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fiber and dye plants at the Wildflower Center from Round Rock TX May 24, 2012 When I visited the Wildflower Center recently I noticed a garden labeled as containing fiber and dye plants, but the individual plants and their uses were not all labeled. I would be very interested ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Dog eats Celtis laevigata, sugar hackberry May 21, 2012 This is an odd question but I am a biologist and have for years notice an odd behavior in my Golden Retriever. When he gets stomach distress or something makes him nervous like an incoming thunderstor... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Toxicity of barren strawberries April 30, 2012 Are barren strawberries toxic? . View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with blueberries from Kernersville NC April 29, 2012 My blueberry plants have no leaves or scrawny ones. I have 13 plants, 5 of them are like this. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Raspberries in KS April 28, 2012 A friend told me that when he planted golden raspberries next to red and black-raspberries that the golden raspberries did not produce any fruit. He was told that when planted near each other, the go... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Getting rid of invasive Florida betony from Myrtle Beach SC April 28, 2012 How can I get rid of Florida Betony from my lawn and flower beds/ garden area. Garden area was thoroughly dug up and hand picked of all tubules last year at least a foot deep. They are much worse now.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Help with control of small, invasive groundcover April 16, 2012 I have a very invasive ground cover creeping into my yard. I've tried to identify it and it's similar to creeping charlie or garlic mustard. Leaves are triangular with jagged edges, small purple f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growing fruits and vegetables from Holbrook NY April 06, 2012 I have been looking for information on what plants, vegetables and fruits can be grown on Long Island NY to provide a sustainable food source for a community in the event of food becoming scarce. Wha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Looking for a supplier for Mustang Grape vine in Austin, TX> April 02, 2012 I'm looking for a supplier in Austin that will have a Mustang Grape Vine seed or plant for purchase. I found Natives of Texas in Kerrville, but if you know of a supplier in Austin, that would be pre... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is the fruit of American Beautyberry (French Mulberry) edible? March 22, 2012 I am trying to find out if the "American Beautyberry" or "French Mulberry" fruit is edible? Can you tell me? Your website's information about this plant has been the most informative informatio... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Planting fruit and nut trees in Mason County, TX March 02, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have 36 acres 15 miles west of the city of Mason TX. I wish to plant one acre plots of sustainable organic crops that are long term and hardy. (cost and effort not an iss... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sap of mulberry similar to sap of maple for syrup from Wellman IA February 23, 2012 Can the the sap of the mulberry tree be used to make syrup similar to maple Syrup? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Edibility of peppervine berries from Madison MS February 09, 2012 I am following up on a question I've posed to many well experienced foragers and naturalists regarding the pepper vine plant or Ampelopsis arbor. There are many conflicting stories regarding the edib... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of strange dark green blobs February 03, 2012 In my back yard I have a type of plant with no roots only around in the summer and when it rains. It looks like a person took a piece lettuce and put way too much water into it and wadded it up. It ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting fruit and nut trees in Archer, FL. January 26, 2012 We're looking to plant a few fruit and nut trees in Archer, Florida. We've been thinking about figs, apples, peaches, oranges, plums, and whatever nuts grow best here (looks like almonds and pecan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Negative and positive effects of invasive dandelions from Rama Ontario January 12, 2012 How do Dandelions have a negative impact of being a invasive and a Positive impact of being a invasive species ? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover plant that tastes like cucumbers December 18, 2011 It is a native ground cover plant that is edible and tastes like cucumbers. Found in the Edwards Plateau. What is the name? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of a cucumber-like vine with fruit November 16, 2011 We found tiny, grape-size white melon-like fruit on a vine, with tomato-like/cucumber-like seeds. The leaves on the vine were similar to grape or cucumber leaves, but not spiny. They were behind our... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Information on edible tubers of hog potato from Austin November 10, 2011 I inquired a while back about hog potato or Hoffmannseggia glauca. You gave me some information on the plant but no information on when the plant produces the edible tubers. Also how long does it take... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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