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.
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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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| Plants for Daisy Girl Scout native plants project December 13, 2013 Hello, I am a daisy Girl Scout leader and we are working on one of our Journeys and Native Plants Patch Program which requires our group of 5-6 year old girls to plant and care for a mini-garden. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Both large and small Century plants putting up stems from Cayucos CA November 18, 2013 I have a Century Plant that is sending up a stem. I am excited to see it bloom. I noticed that one of the small pups, about 4 inches tall, is also sending up a stem. I have not found a mention of pups... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Variety of colors in bluebonnet seeds from Houston November 18, 2013 Bluebonnet seeds I have collected are a variety of colors, from the sandy/tan color to a grayish color and black color. Are all variations viable? Are they equally viable? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting bluebonnets in late Fall from Georgetown TX November 08, 2013 Transplanting bluebonnets in October? Neighbor wants to share abundance of rosettes and good size plants- any suggestions or warnings? Will freeze/frost protection be needed if we get December freeze... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Which seeds need to be scarified from Marble Falls TX November 08, 2013 Can I find out which seeds need to be scarified? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Propagating Quercus agrifolia (Coast Live Oak) November 08, 2013 I am a gardener for the city of San Francisco. I am just curious about the best way to prepare an acorn from Quercus agrifolia for planting. I have heard many ideas about using sandpaper and microwavi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for church gardens in Ft. Worth TX November 07, 2013 Second attempt. Our church has many gardens in Fort Worth, TX. There are gardens for blue,red,yellow,white,purple,orange,pink,mixed,community garden,roses, and more. I am interested in the la... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting Indian Paintbrush in Corona CA November 05, 2013 I have a very mature Indian Paintbrush Plant that was becoming too large for the area I had originally planted it in, so I transplanted it to an area much more suited for its size. I reviewed the que... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Coursetia axillaris from cuttings from Elmendorf TX October 31, 2013 I have been able to propagate the Coursetia axillaris (Texas Babybonnets) from cuttings. Will the plants grown from cuttings bloom faster? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Winter care of Asclepias tuberosa from Austin October 31, 2013 We have several asclepias tuberosa (Butterflyweed). Monarch caterpillars have found and denuded them. We are excited about all of the Monarch caterpillars, but unsure of what to do next. What do we... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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