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 | |
| Evergreen ground cover for San Antonio August 03, 2011 Is there a short, evergreen, drought tolerant ground cover which will tolerate light traffic that can be used instead of grass? San Antonio, Texas View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Survival of native lawn in Hockley TX August 02, 2011 I'm on the edge of the Katy Prairie and a very large ranch with full blasting sun and completely open exposure. The soil is fill from the developers with more clay than sand, a minimum of nutrients,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Garden problems from Centreville VA July 23, 2011 Plants die, trees won't grow. I've replaced the soil (6") twice. Replaced grass twice and planted new plants and tree. After two yrs, the tree is still the same size and the flowering bushes nea... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growth of non-native bermudagrass in Snelville GA July 16, 2011 How do you grow Bermuda grass successfully in the state of Georgia? Techniques in fertilization, lawn cutting and general maintenance. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Short wildflowers to interplant with grass in PA July 05, 2011 I live in NE PA and would like to grow short wildflowers throughout my yard mixed in with my grass. Is this possible? If so, what would be a good match for my zone? I will be mowing the grass once a w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Groundcover for Laredo Texas July 04, 2011 I am in Laredo, TX and no longer want to waste water on grass. I would like to pull it all out and plant native, drought resistant ground cover - low growing, between 6-12 inches, sun and partial sha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native grass lawn for San Antonio June 25, 2011 Dear Mr Smartyplants, I live outside of San Antonio and my question is in regards to putting in a native grass lawn. What type of soil should I put down? I've sprayed herbicide and was planning on ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Roots of live oak in lawn from Round Rock TX June 24, 2011 I live on a cul-de-sac and have a small triangle shape yard. There is a large live oak in the middle of the yard. I am concerned because large bark covered roots have emerged on two sides of the tre... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mowing the multi-species buffalo grass lawn June 23, 2011 I am planning on putting in a buffalo grass lawn in an area that is little used. I read that a mix of buffalo, blue grama, and curly mesquite is good for better cover but I am concerned about the blu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| What kind of turf can be planted in Baja Mexico from Las Vegas NV June 12, 2011 What kind of turf can be planted in Baja. Mexico View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shade plants to replace a lawn in PA June 01, 2011 Our neighborhood is built into a hill and our backyard is along the slope. We cannot keep grass in the area (except for a few clumps). The area is mostly shaded and moist-dry however when rain comes t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native turf grasses for shady lawn May 25, 2011 I am interested in planting a native lawn using the grasses discussed on the website (2lb of buffalograss, 1½ lb of bluegrama and at least 4 oz of curly mesquite). My front yard is relatively small w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Water loving companions for a vegetable bed in Greenlawn New York May 25, 2011 I have a plot in a community garden that has poor drainage in one corner. I've installed raised beds, and that has helped immensely, but I'd like to plant some native plants in the wet corner that c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native lawn grass for El Paso April 24, 2011 I am new to the El Paso area and my front and back yards are currently mostly dirt with a tiny bit of dying (thank goodness) bermuda grass. I want to seed both yards with something that will grow well... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How Can I Replace my Lawn with Natives in Houston, Texas January 12, 2011 I want to remove the turf grass from my lawn and put in gravel and sand. I want to put in native and adapted plants that will attract butterflies and I want different native and adapted ornamental g... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native replacement for middle school lawn in AR. November 03, 2010 I'm doing a project to help out our green middle school replace the grass in front of the school with something that stays short but is also native to the region. Can you recommend one that I can use... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Compare Natives to Lawn for Carbon Footprint Benefits in Durham, New Hampshire September 22, 2010 Are there carbon sequestration rate tables for turf (lawn) and bushes, shrubs, trees? I want to compare the carbon footprint benefit of lawn versus the same area put into native plantings. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to make a lawn into a prairie in Arlington, Texas September 15, 2010 I am removing lawn grasses in order to start a native prairie meadow. After grass removal, I'll put down 1/2" of compost. I will broadcast wildflower seeds on the compost. If I mulch after broadcas... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need shade friendly native grass for lawn under pine trees in Carthage, TX. September 07, 2010 My home is situated on six acres of woods in the East Texas piney woods area. Other than a few beds I have tried to plant, the yard has not been landscaped. I am trying to cover dirt and weeds in a p... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native xeric grasses for Colorado June 24, 2010 Tired of mowing - replacing western exposure full sun lawn with native xeric grass. Please explain the pros and cons of Bouteloua Gracilis (Blue Grama) and Bouteloua Dactyloides Bella (Bella Blue Gra... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will Thunder Turf do well in shade from Iola TX June 23, 2010 Will the Thunder Turf do well in shady areas or is there a better blend of native grasses that would thrive better? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grassburs in native lawn in Utopia TX June 22, 2010 I recently planted native Texas grass (Buffalograss, blue grama & curly mesquite) at my new house in the hill country. I had to bring in all the top soil. The grass is doing great, but in one area o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Maple roots in lawn in Denton TX June 03, 2010 I purchased a new home 4 years ago that came with a landscape package. There are 2 trees in the front yard that I think are red maple trees. I am now seeing their roots appear above the ground which... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native grass for lawn in Round Rock, Texas May 16, 2010 I am interested in your recommendation for the grass at my home. I currently have St. Augustine but have become very aggravated by it. I am looking for a low maintenance grass that I can replace it wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native grass for shaded lawn in Austin May 14, 2010 Hello, I've read all your info on the native lawns and came by the center on Sunday. We live in Circle C and want to plant a lawn in our backyard. We don't want something that needs a lot of wate... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Seeding an established buffalograss lawn to make it denser May 13, 2010 We have 5400 sq ft of existing Buffalo grass and would like to know if spreading Buffalo grass SEED would help the existing get more full? I can't seem to find the seed here or the Austin area? And, ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pine bark on non-native St. Augustine grass in Kingwood TX May 12, 2010 I had two large Pine trees cut down. In the process of cutting the trees down there is a lot of pine bark from the tree on my St Augustine grass. Will this affect the growth of my grass? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Did pre-emergent herbicide for lawn kill oak tree in Austin? May 10, 2010 Your article in today's (May 1st)Austin American-Statesman advised against using herbicides around oaks. Does that include the "pre-emergents" that the lawn care companies use in the Spring? I ha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Perennial wildflowers for lawn in Dallas May 02, 2010 What perennial wildflowers can I plant in Dallas Texas that will bloom in March or early April that I can just toss out on the lawn? I know you have to soak bluebonnets. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native grasses for a lawn in Wimberley, Texas April 25, 2010 Is there a lawn grass that will go dormant with no water at all and come back? ..in Wimberley? our native grass didn't survive the drought. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Difficult lawn redo in Austin, TX area. April 01, 2010 In Oak Hill section of Austin and our 2 year old house had St Augustine dumped atop the raped soil. After the drought of 09 it is all dead. We have most of our large yard native but need grass aroun... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Lawn Maintenance in Colorado March 20, 2010 When do I begin to fertilize and water my grass in Colorado Springs? I am selling my house and want my lawn to look green? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Rain garden for South Austin March 01, 2010 I have a TINY yard in south Austin. It is 8'x25', sandwiched between four houses and happens to be at the lowest elevation, so all of the neighbor's yards drain to ours. Originally, we had bermud... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Buffalograss to replace non-native St. Augustine lawn in Rockport TX February 16, 2010 I currently have a St. Augustine lawn that is being overtaken by weeds. I would like to replace it with buffalo grass. How do I prepare my lawn in order to seed it with the buffalo grass and how tol... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Replacing a Grass Lawn with Moss January 02, 2010 I have a small north facing yard that I would like to change from grass to moss. There is some moss now but still lots of grass. I need to rake a lot of leaves in the fall but want to get away from a ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen plants for shaded lawn in Austin, Texas December 31, 2009 I want to replace three scrawny ligustrums on the shady north front of my house with native plants. I'd like evergreen plants that don't need much maintenance. I'm not looking for a hedge, but some... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Eliminating bluebonnets from lawn December 05, 2009 I need to know the best way to eliminate bluebonnets which are growing in my yard. My HOA is pursuing legal action against me to prevent me growing the plants. I can't afford to "resod" my yard. Ca... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need help with an invasive ground cover type plant filling in damaged areas in lawn. November 25, 2009 Since the drought this summer, there is an invasive ground cover type plant filling in the damaged areas in my lawn . It is dark greenish/purplish very small clover type plant, difficult to pull up an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Small perennials & grasses for a naturalized lawn October 26, 2009 I am looking for native perennials and grasses that will grow no more than 8 inches tall that can be used in a naturalized lawn in Michigan. What 5 plants would be your first choice? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Did my neighbor's zucchini affect my apple tree from Oak Lawn, IL October 26, 2009 My neighbor planted zucchini plants near a flowering non-fruit producing apple tree in my yard. Soon afterwards in July the tree began to shed leaves. Could the zucchini plant have caused this? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Supplier for native lawn grass for South Texas October 20, 2009 Where would I buy native lawn grass for South Texas? Would it be sod or seed? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Low water lawn for Austin September 01, 2009 I am interested in finding out more about low water lawns and was wondering if you have resources you might suggest. We have replanted with varying types of grass several times and my front lawn cont... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is it OK to recycle my kids bathwater out to the lawn? July 23, 2009 Is it OK for me to "recycle" my kids bathwater out to the lawn or houseplants? We use normal everyday brand kids soap. Thanks Mr. Smarty Plants View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bermuda grass and St. Augustine for lawn in Hawaii June 21, 2009 Is bermuda grass and st.augustine grass a good mixture for my backyard lawn? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Low sedge for lawn in Bakersfield, CA June 19, 2009 We have a small area for a lawn, but would like to get away from a traditional "lawn". Can you recommend a sedge grass that would act like a lawn (not much foot traffic)that can be mowed once in a w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native grasses for lawn in Michigan June 14, 2009 I want to plant a lawn of grasses that are native to Michigan specifically. My soil is a little sandy in some spots and is moderately moist. I have been researching on the internet and I *think* tha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Replacing lawn in Taylor, Texas May 28, 2009 I live in Taylor, Texas, just northeast of Austin, in the Blackland Prairie region. However, I do not live on a farm, but in town on a city lot of 1/3 acre. My soil is clayey, and currently I have a L... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Savannah holly sprouting in lawn in Oklahoma City May 24, 2009 I have a 15 year old Savannah Holly in a shrub bed. This year, seedlings have sprouted all over my front lawn. This is the first year that I have had this problem other than in the shrub bed itself. I... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Eliminating stinging nettles in lawn in Austin May 13, 2009 How do I get rid of stinging nettle that is dispersed through my lawn. It's not like the nettle pictures I see online - they are short plants and have narrow leaves - but covered with spines. Mowin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Lawn care? May 10, 2009 I had red yucca planted in my garden last May. They were trimmed back by my lawn care people last winter and currently seem to be slowly growing back. However, the red flower stalk is not growing ba... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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