Native Plants
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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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| Groundcover for a wet hillside in the San Juan Islands July 30, 2014 I live on Orcas Island in WA state. We have a place on the water and want to plant something that is no taller than 2-3 feet, lower if possible, on a hillside. The hillside gets lots of sun, yet als... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcover for Shady Front Beds in OK July 15, 2014 I need a groundcover for my front beds in Edmond, OK that are moist and in full shade. The groundcover would primarily be around and under a Japanese maple. Low maintenance is preferred. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Filler for between flagstones in Michigan July 05, 2014 I have a natural shoreline project underway (replacing a seawall) with all native Michigan plants replacing the lawn as well. A flagstone walkway is going in and I wanted "moss" type filler in betw... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Competition between Horseherb and Chickweed July 04, 2014 Ok, sorry I did it wrong the 1st time!? I live in Houston, and I have chickens! I also have mass amounts of Horseherb, and I want to buy some chickweed seeds and plant it for my chickens! My question ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Groundcover for part shade in Albany NY July 02, 2014 Hello! I'm looking for: a native ground cover, mostly shade with only some morning sun, on a slope, edible is preferred but not necessity, mostly clay type soil for the Albany, NY area. Thanks for yo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Planting creeping phlox for a groundcover June 13, 2014 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I live in Southwestern PA (zip code 15065). I have a small slope on my property that is hard for me to mow. I would like to cover it with creeping phlox, which I saw on t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is Phyla lanceolata (frogfruit) poisonous to dogs fromTitusville FL? June 01, 2014 Is Phyla lanceolata, also called Fogfruit, Lanceleaf Fogfruit, or Northern Fogfruit, toxic to dogs? We have it growing amongst our grass. I can't find it on any toxic plant list. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcovers for North Central Texas May 27, 2014 I have a very large area that is in Palo Pinto County, Texas. We tried to plant grass but it never established. I'm looking for a ground cover that does well in shade (lots of oak tees) and is semi d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Perennial ground cover for hillside in Holmdel NJ April 25, 2014 I live in NJ. I would like to use a perennial ground cover for my landscaping bed on a hill with full sun and deer resistant. It's a good size landscaping bed that is facing east (southeast). What... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replacing St. Augustine grass from Dallas TX April 10, 2014 Dear Mr. Pants, we are replacing dying St. Augustine grass in a small, sunny back yard with ground cover. What are your recommendations for a drought-tolerant evergreen ground cover? We will till a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Erosion controlling Groundcover for Phenix AL March 30, 2014 Hi I am trying to find a grass or ground cover to control erosion on firing range berms which are 1:1 grade on a firing range outside of Phenix City AL. Sandy clay soil, direct sunlight almost all day... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Recovering neglected garden space from Grapevine TX March 22, 2014 I live in Grapevine TX (Dallas). I just moved into a house where almost the entire large backyard is covered by oak trees that shed tons of leaves throughout our mild falls/winters. The yard has not... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Getting rid of non-native, invasive English Ivy from Davidsonville MD March 19, 2014 Just moved and need to rid the well established Ivy planted on the steep slope area around the back and side of the house as it is taking over the bushes on the top and trees in forested area at botto... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Ecosysystem with pecan at center from Austin February 21, 2014 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I would like to create a native tree guild around a mature pecan. It shares its space with native shrubs and ephemerals but I would like to add a nitrogen fixing plant. I am... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native plants and grasses for river bank from Rosanky TX February 19, 2014 Our property owners association would like to know what native plants/grasses to plant on the Blanco River bank in our river park to help prevent erosion. Some banks are steep and some areas are a gra... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Low Ground Cover for Steep, Shaded PA Site February 17, 2014 I am located in Downingtown, PA, right on the border between Zone 6 and 7. Please provide a recommendation of a native ground cover for the following conditions: steep slope (greater than 45%), full s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion Solution for Lorton, VA February 07, 2014 We have a steep slope in our common area of our homeowners association. Trees that were planted have died. It is a large area around a pond. What should we plant that will hold the soil? The soil... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native turf grass for Denison TX January 27, 2014 I have researched many grasses for sandy soil in Denison,Tx that are easy mantainance. Habiturf has been recommended but is mostly Buffalo grass and is not recommended for sandy soil. What other opt... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native turf grass for acreage in Denison TX January 27, 2014 I have recently moved to Denison TX where we have 5+ acres of true crosstimbers land. I am looking for a native turf grass that will do well in sandy soil and with the water provided by nature. The m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native Groundcovers for Spartanburg, SC November 23, 2013 I need suggestions for native groundcovers for Spartanburg, SC. The area to be covered is a fairly steep slope, with a lot of afternoon sun. In the morning, some areas remain shaded until noon whil... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Habiturf lawn in Carson City, NV October 15, 2013 I planted habiturf just south of Reno NV May 5. First two months no or little germination because nite temps too cold. Now doing ok except battling purslane and redstem filaree.. SO, I notice bare/spa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Salt-tolerant groundcover for shade with no water supply September 11, 2013 We have a home in Neptune Beach (Jacksonville) Florida (NE Florida). We have a large area outside our ground floor master bedroom that is completely covered (there is a large solid deck above it). ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native, low maintenance lawn for Rowley MA September 11, 2013 I am in Northeastern (coastal) Massachusetts and I am looking to replace my (currently high maintenance, water intensive, invasive species) lawn with a native, low maintenance species (or mix). Many o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native lawn replacement for shady areas in Austin September 11, 2013 Our front lawn was totally destroyed this summer during some remodeling construction. I am interested in replacing it with native grasses, but we have several oak trees that keep the area fairly shady... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Groundcover for under live oak in Mississippi August 26, 2013 I need a non-invasive ground cover to plant under my live oak. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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