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.
Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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.
Search Smarty Plants
| topic | question | |
| Plants for wet soils in North Carolina October 03, 2009 I'm looking for evergreen plants (shrubs or ground cover)that will tolerate wet conditions for the zone 8 area of North Carolina. The local garden centers here do not stock these types of plants, eve... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Poor drainage in clay soils in Langhorne PA September 15, 2009 Our backyard has very poor drainage, to the point of up to 3 inches of rain can sit until it is evaporated. Talking to neighbors, they informed us that there use to be a terrain that ran through our ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a pond bank in Gladwin MI September 13, 2009 Our acre-size pond bank is sloped and high maintenance--needs mowed. We have lots of deer. We would like to plant a low-lying ground cover to eliminate mowing the bank--any suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Water-loving native plants for Pottstown, PA September 11, 2009 I live about 40 miles west of Philadelphia. I am looking for a water absorbing evergreen tree/bush/plant that I could plant in the rear of my yard. We get a small stream every good rain and the back... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native water plants for bio-retention pond in North Carolina July 22, 2009 I am looking for North Carolina native plants that can take part shade and very wet conditions (bioretention pond environment). Any suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for retention ponds in Grand Haven, MI July 21, 2009 I am president of a condo association. We have three retention ponds on the property. From two of them we pump water for irrigation so the water level goes up and down. We are going to try to stabiliz... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for edge of intermittent stream July 05, 2009 I have a friend in Washington DC who is having runoff problems. She is having a drycreek installed. What kind of plants are native to her area that will withstand flash flood and intermittent dry co... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Understory plants for Lake Forest IL June 21, 2009 We have a large mostly hardwood lot in Lake County. It floods when it rains hard and remains damp most of the year due to the amount of shade and clay based top soil. Besides the hardwood trees and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for a littoral zone in Fort Myers, Florida June 05, 2009 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, What native plants would you recommend for the littoral zone on a pond in Fort Myers Florida? Damon's Mom View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for a bioswale in Irving, TX March 30, 2009 Mr. Smarty Plants, what plants would you recommend for a bioswale in the north Texas (Dallas) area? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| topic | question | |