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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| topic | question | |
| 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 |  | |
| Groundcover for Oregon gravel path August 23, 2013 I'm looking for a native ground cover to grow in the gravel between flagstones in a path in my backyard. The gravel is 1/4-10 so it is very loose. The path gets midday sun but is shaded by the house ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Benefits of Habiturf from Austin August 19, 2013 I have been reading about Habiturf and my question should be easy to answer. Is this is a grass you would recommend for kid play? Sitting on the lawn, kicking a soccer ball, etc. Any information a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen groundcover for full sun in Alabama August 02, 2013 Mr. Smartyplants, can you suggest a native, evergreen, full-sun groundcover that might thrive in zone 8a? We hope to find a mass planting that would look good beside Heuchera villosa 'autumn bride,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Ground cover for shady area in north Texas July 29, 2013 I'm looking for a ground cover for a mostly shady area where St. Augustine won't grow. I don't want the ground cover to overtake my established St. Augustine in the rest of the yard. The area is un... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growing non-vascular moss as a lawn from Seattle WA July 27, 2013 I have lots of moss in my back yard. How can I encourage it to grow over the whole yard? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Looking for a native turf grass for the Houston area July 25, 2013 Looking for a native turf grass for the Houston area. In some of your 2012 responses, you stated that "The good news is that research into turf-type grasses native to the coastal region is in the pla... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Poolside Groundcover Suggestions for Florida July 18, 2013 I live in Milton, FL near Pensacola. We just had a pool installed and now want to put groundcover around the perimeter. It will be an area about 70 feet long and 10 feet deep. It will be full sun. We ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Low-growing plants for a slope in the shade July 08, 2013 Hello, I'm looking for native plants to put in the shade (within the drip-line) of a well-established American Holly. The area gets deep shade; it is also on a very gentle north-exposure slope. We ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Eliminating and replacing Tradescantia species July 03, 2013 Dear Mr. Smarty Pants, I need advice. I recently figured out my 10 month old dog is highly allergic to Tradescantia sp, commonly known as the Spiderworts, and "Wandering Jew" which covers about h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Ground cover for a slope in San Antonio TX July 02, 2013 Slope growing, no or little irrigation ground cover. The slope is probably greater than 30%. The area is currently a construction road at the base, cut into the hill. To re-establish with a ground cov... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Evergreen plant to cover parents' graves in Louisiana June 30, 2013 We want to plant ground cover on our parents graves in Plain Dealing Cemetery in north Bossier Parish LA. Soil is red clay/dirt. Want native plant, slow growing, short not tall plant, that might sta... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcovers over roots in Roeland Park KS June 18, 2013 Large Hackberry tree (aprox 50+years) roots are popping up above ground making mowing under/around it impossible. Is there a plant, ground cover, something I can plant, or cover the roots with that w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion Control for a NC Clay Slope June 06, 2013 Hi, We have a large slope on the road edge of our property that has been gradually eroding with spring rains (NC red clay). We would really like to plant something for erosion control but the bank is... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identity of groundcover in Parker County, TX June 02, 2013 I'm trying to identify a native "groundcover" that looks much like frogfruit, as far as the leaves and growth pattern, but has small yellow flowers that look like little lanterns as buds. I know it... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Ground cover for a dry slope in PA May 23, 2013 My side yard is a slope with rocky (a lot of small serpentine rocks) soil under white and black pine trees. I can grow lots of weeds :-) but would like to plant a low (0-3in) evergreen ground cover th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Low growing erosion control plants for lakeside in Washington Township NJ May 12, 2013 I live on a small lake in Northern NJ and have installed beautiful Boulders along the water to help stop erosion. Now I want to add plants along the property but would like low growing, soil retentio... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcover for foot traffic in dry shade from Prineville OR May 12, 2013 I live in central Oregon. I have an area under a large elm tree that slopes on all sides and has lots of foot traffic and no sun. (my kids have a swing in the tree and play around it a lot.) It's a v... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shrub or Vine for NH Slope May 11, 2013 I'm looking for a native plant/shrub/vine that can be used to control erosion on a relatively steep slope in New Hampshire. Do you know of any? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcover for Sunny Slope in CT May 11, 2013 I need a plant to use as groundcover and for erosion control on a sunny slope in southwestern Connecticut. Any suggestions other than juniper? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Silver ponyfoot becoming invasive in College Station TX May 08, 2013 How can I control or get rid of an established Dichondra groundcover? I bought a few plants of D. argentea from your sale a few years ago, and in that time they've done really well in the area I plan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcover for shade under oaks in San Antonio May 04, 2013 I have been modifying my landscape to reduce grass and the need for frequent watering. Have turned half the backyard into native plants garden with hardscape and sitting areas. Have 2 mature Monterey ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Dying non-native St. Augustine grass from Austin May 02, 2013 Although we all know St. Augustine grass is not a good thing, I am stuck with it and am trying to save areas that appear to have take-all fungus. I have done much reading online and have tried peat m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removing bermudagrass from buffalograss in Smithville TX May 01, 2013 I have a lawn created two years ago with buffalo grass sod in Smithville, TX. Recently several areas of bermudagrass have started to flourish in the buffalo grass lawn. Can you recommend a herbicide... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcovers & Shrubs for Shade in North Carolina April 30, 2013 Mr Smarty Pants, My neighbor planted cypress trees as a border between his yard and ours and it is sucking up every drop of water and nutrient. We also have a purple plum in the area which creates ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Groundcover for a Sunny, Steep Slope in Maryland April 29, 2013 I need a groundcover for a sunny dry steep slope in Towson, Maryland. The slope goes from the parking lot down to a deck area. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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