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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| When to plant bermudagrass in East Texas July 17, 2009 When to plant Bermuda grass in East TX, Center, Nacodoches, Lufkin and Center area? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting from pots in summer in Austin July 01, 2009 It's the last week in June and temperatures are going to be at 100 or more all week. I've some plants that I'm wondering about transplanting to an exposed site in this heat: muhlenbergeria lindheim... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for steep embankment on the Missouri River in Nebraska July 01, 2009 Hi, My embankment along the Northeast Nebraska shoreline of the Missouri River is eroding the land away. Do you have any suggestions for seed I could throw over the side of the bank that would grow... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Procedure for planting buffalograss June 30, 2009 I would like to get a full schedule of events/actions for planting a lawn with buffalo grass. The area is already a lawn, though mostly weeds. It is June/July. First, cover area to be seeded with b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a sandy slope at a weekend cabin in central WI. June 30, 2009 I have a cabin in central Wisconsin where the soil is equivalent to a sandy beach. There are some areas that are nearly impossible to mow because of how steep the incline is. Could you recommend som... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Assessment of Turffalo buffalograss June 26, 2009 Hi, I'm in the process of planning what type of turf to get for a new home in NW Austin. Turffalo/Tech Turf has showed up as a great possibility and I saw some mention of it back on March 05, 2008... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a bank too steep to mow June 24, 2009 Like the inquiry made in late June of 2008, mine involves a bank that is too steep to mow. However, ours is facing south. I am looking for a native grass, plant or groundcover. Any suggestions? ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a steep bank in Virginia June 23, 2009 I have a small yard with a 3 foot steep bank that I want to plant on. I am looking for fast growing ground cover. There is some shade but not a lot and has a southern exposure. Ground is a bit roug... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native grasses for wildlife in Katrina recovery area of Louisiana June 21, 2009 I live in La in an area decimated by Katrina and want to establish 11 acres of wildlife friendly native short grasses. It is partly designated wetlands because it floods, but also has long periods wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides) for Ontario, Canada June 17, 2009 Is there a grower/distributor of Buffalo Grass in Canada? I want to seed it soon. Thanks View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Replacing grass on steep hill in Georgia June 16, 2009 I live near Atlanta, Georgia. My yard is a steep hill, which makes mowing VERY challenging. If possible, I would like to remove the grass and plant something hardy that does not require mowing. What p... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removal of weeds in buffalograss mix in Houston June 15, 2009 I recently attempted to seed a small lawn area with a buffalo/blue grama grass mix, unfortunately for me the area has been hit hard with weeds. Is there an environmentally friendly method to reduce... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Juncus effusus Twister question June 07, 2009 I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I bought a Juncus Effusus,"Twister", and was wondering if it can be brought in the house during winter as a house plant or is it just an annual that will die in ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pathway material for Kerrville, TX May 30, 2009 I have removed the St Augustine, expanded a perennial bed of mostly natives and created a pathway along the new bed. Can you recommend a plant to use as a pathway? It should require low water, be hea... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Will not cutting grass make its roots stronger? May 27, 2009 I live on a lake that has a hill. There is some problem with erosion on the hillside. Our association wants us to not cut the grass to stop the erosion. How does not cutting the grass help the roots g... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Failure to thrive of Cherokee sedge in Spicewood, TX May 18, 2009 I have several Cherokee sedges, just planted in March. Three of them are doing fine, but the rest look like they're dying. Some are right next to one that is doing great. Any ideas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for cemetery north of Dallas May 16, 2009 I need something to plant on a grave in a country cemetery north of Dallas. There's no water piped to the site; it's basically just a pasture. I'm hoping to find a native plant that will be fairly ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Would there be wild buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) growing in Williamson County? May 13, 2009 Greetings, I have done a "test planting" of buffalo grass in my yard. There are now some blooms (?) on the grass and I have noticed similar blooms on grass in two different places in the area (Tay... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Using salt to kill bermuda grass May 12, 2009 (Submitting to site per your request on Facebook, plus an added bit o'info) I am considering trying to kill off the bermuda grass around my raised bed with salt. Vinegar isn't cutting it.. S'pos... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Landscape color for Rialto, CA May 11, 2009 My sister-in-law lives in Rialto CA near the base of the San Bernardino Mt ranges and it gets very windy out there. She and I were trying to figure out the best native plants for her area. Her home fa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for wall behind pool in Huntingdon Beach California May 11, 2009 I have a backyard pool and I just removed a messy ivy hedge that grew along the back block wall. The plant was shedding too much leaves. I would like the new plant to hide the fence and grow close en... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for eroding hillside in Kansas May 08, 2009 We have a creek running thru our property and the hill running down to it is about 30 feet tall, in some places almost straight down, some sloping. Some is in shade, some full sun. We would like som... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native grasses for chain link fenceline in Nash, TX April 29, 2009 I have chain link fence all the way around my yard and I am getting tired of having to weed eat along the fence line. I am looking for some type of year round decorative plant or grass (preferably on... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants to retain slope in Salisbury, CT April 25, 2009 We want to plant a newly dug out slope with native plants that will retain the dirt. It is sun to part sun near a lake summer cottage. Thanks!!! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting grass seed in Greenville SC April 24, 2009 What type of grass seed is best to use in a sunny/ shady area where some grass is already growing? And how is the best way to prep the area for seed and fertilizer or what should I do before and after... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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