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 | |
| Green worms on salvias October 12, 2008 I recently bought a "salvia blue chiquita." Some leaves were yellowing, but full of flowers and still attractive. Have had it on my deck for less than a week and have found 2 tiny greenish "worms... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant to repel snakes September 23, 2008 name of a plant or plants that repell snakes. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Leaves dropping on native Texas Mountain Laurel in San Antonio September 20, 2008 Please help. We have a beautiful TX Mountain Laurel in our front yard. This year the leaves are dropping like snow in the north. What do you think is wrong with our tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Insect infestation of plants, dog and home September 14, 2008 I have plants that some kind of bug is killing them, my fan plam, ficus tree and other plants. The leaves are drying up and falling off. Apparently, they also are infestion my apartment. I feel them c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pruning mature cedar elm trees in San Antonio September 14, 2008 When is the right time to prune my several mature cedar elm trees? I'm in San Antonio, and they have never been trimmed in the 55 years we have lived in this home. I have several that are at least 7... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Information about giant yellow and black wasps September 13, 2008 Regarding a previous question submitted by a person asking about the giant yellow and black wasps..It's a Cicada Killer.I used to see them all the time when I was a kid in Victoria, Tx..But I haven'... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Giant black and yellow wasp September 08, 2008 I live in Elgin, Bastrop County. This Aug/Sept. 2008 has revealed a huge black and yellow striped wasp. What is this creature and where does he come from? I'm a native Texan (Austin County) and hav... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Keeping cows from eating the garden September 02, 2008 I have a flowerbed area outside of our new split-rail fence available for planting, but cattle roam outside the fence also! Do you have any suggestions for plants that cows tend not to eat (unle... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mildew and rot in navel orange tree in California September 02, 2008 I have a great navel orange tree that seems to have two problems. One of them looks like powdery mildew and the other is some kind of black rot. I have sprayed it several times to no avail. I live ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with lantanas in Austin September 02, 2008 Lantanas redux! I'm having similar problems with my Lantana here in Austin, Texas, as the person in Bandera. My husband has cut it back to the ground twice this summer. It returns, beautiful vibra... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mosquito repellent plant? September 01, 2008 I would like to know if there is a plant that keeps mosquitoes away. Thanks View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yellow, pale green leaves on Cedar Elms in Texas August 30, 2008 I have had several cedar elms of various sizes planted in our yard over the last 10 years. Only the largest has dark green, healthy looking leaves. All the others have yellowish, pale green leaves. Th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Chipmunk in the garden. August 27, 2008 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a rogue chipmunk this year (never had one before doing this) who is eating roots and digging holes in all my plant containers. I have tried Plant Skyd (excellent deer r... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Strange growth on oak tree August 26, 2008 i have a very strange round segmented growth on a tree in my yard. i think the tree is a chinkapin oak and the growth is a reddish color. it looks like a ball with suction cups on it. it is very st... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Insect pests in Gaillardia aristata in Tennessee August 22, 2008 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a couple of 'Oranges and Lemons' blanketflower plants in a butterfly and hummingbird native flower garden that is the foundation planting of my house. They bloom prol... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Damage to native elm in Texas August 20, 2008 We had a major landscape renovation done over the winter. One of the trees, an elm about 10 yrs old, remained in the bed although plants around it were removed. The tree has suddenly started turning... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fungus type problem on native blackeyed susans in Ohio August 20, 2008 I have black eyed susans that have recently developed a black fungus type problem in the bottom and on the leaves. The flowers are now wilting and dying. What is this and how can I stop it from possib... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Failure to bloom of non-native Althea in Oklahoma August 17, 2008 I have 2 Althea bushes that will not bloom. For the past 2 years, they become covered in buds, which eventually yellow, but never open. The buds are fully developed. This year the branches have starte... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Leaf drop from maple tree in Minnesota August 15, 2008 I have about a 30 ft maple tree in my yard, last fall I trimmed it pretty good because the branches were getting low where you could not walk under it or get grass to grow. This is the 2nd time in abo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hollies not retaining leaves in Tulsa August 10, 2008 I have Little Red Hollies that have lost their leaves, some areas being bald. They are also not full - you can see through them. These were planted in this condition Spring of '08 and have been wat... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What is eating the plants in my garden? August 08, 2008 I have both purple and yellow coneflowers. Something is coming into my garden and eating the flowers off the stems. We don't have deer but may have other small animals that can get into our yard. Do ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to thrive of Lantanas August 06, 2008 Here at work we have 4 beautiful yellow Santanas(should I say had), the leaves have started to turn brown and no longer blooming. Appears to have a fungus or disease. Please help! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Loss of leaves on yaupon in Austin August 05, 2008 Last winter I planted a Pride of Houston yaupon. Currently, the leaves at the tips of its stems are green and healthy, but the leaves along the stems are turning dark brown and falling off. Does... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yellowing leaves on weeping willow August 03, 2008 We have a 4 year old Weeping Willow, 12+/- ft. tall and this week the leaves are starting to become yellow. This willow is full and robust in appearance, best it's ever looked. We have 2 other Wee... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Loss of leaves from globe willows in Utah July 26, 2008 I have four globe willows that have been in my back yard for the past 6 years. For the past month they have been losing their leaves from the bottom up. We had aphids in some of our other trees and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| topic | question | |