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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| Replacing mature Arizona Ash trees in Austin August 26, 2011 Mr. Smarty Plants, I have 2 very large, very old Arizona Ash trees in my yard. I want to remove them and replace them with something like Cedar Elm or Chinquapin Oak. The problem is that they are t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting trumpet creeper in Prairie City, IA August 22, 2011 I have a Trumpet Creeper that I would like to transplant. How do you do that? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting a redbud in August from St. Louis MO August 09, 2011 I have a 4' tall redbud that needs to be transplanted before the end of August because of construction on our house. Can this be done without killing the tree? Can I take a cutting from the tree and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Transplanting young Nolina texana plants August 05, 2011 Mr. SP, I am looking for information relating to transplanting some young Nolina texana. Esp. the best time of the year and whether to replant directly in the ground or .. Thanks, View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Lantana isn't blooming in Leander, TX. August 03, 2011 I bought a small potted New Gold Lantana about 2-1/2 weeks ago. I planted it in full sun and covered it with mulch. The few original flowers have fallen off. Although, I see a couple of new buds, ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native Norfolk Pine suffering in Corpus Christi TX August 02, 2011 About ten yrs. ago I transplanted my Norfolk Pine into the ground in my backyard. With all the frosty weather of 2010/2011 the Spring brought a browning/dying of a lot of the Norfolk Pines in this are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native house plants stressed from Allen TX July 30, 2011 I have three house plants that were plants I received from my father's funeral services. They were healthy for about two years and then we added some soil and now they are turning brown and appear t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Newly planted Burford Holly doing poorly in Austin, TX. July 25, 2011 About a month ago I bought dwarf burford holly. Now they have slowly started getting brown leaves that eventually fall off. Some of the plants have white spots on the ends. I usually check my plant... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possible freeze damage in Wax Myrtle from last winter in Bastrop, TX July 25, 2011 Our Wax Myrtle is about 7 yrs old and in good shape until this past winter when we had several very hard freezes. Now several of the large branches are dead and more are dying each month. We have not ... 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 | ||
| Sooty mold on Texas Sage in Silsbee, TX. July 20, 2011 I just saw two questions from December regarding black sooty mold appearing on leaves of Texas Sage. My Texas Sage is two years old growing in the original, well-draining large pot it was planted in ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Should I purchase wax myrtle plants as liners or pots July 18, 2011 I want to buy some wax myrtle over internet.Place has wax myrtle "liners" They look very thin. Will these bushes grow quickly or should I spend more $ for 1 gallon plants. Just need a hedge fairly q... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Leaves on 3 year old maple turning brown in Lebo, KS. July 16, 2011 Hello, one of our five Maple trees which is is 3 yrs. old now, we saw a week ago that the leaves started turning brown and dropping. My question is: Will the tree survive this and return healthy next ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possumhaw losing leaves in Liberty Hill, TX. July 11, 2011 I have two female possumhaw trees and one of them is losing its leaves. I planted both of them in February and they were doing very well, getting green and full. What's happening? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Leaves browning on non-native willow from in Cumbla PA July 10, 2011 We recently planted a willow tree. A lot of the leaves turned yellow and some turned brown, but it is also getting some new buds. my question is, should I take the dead leaves off or leave them there... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Caterpillars ate my Sophora in La Mesa, CA. July 06, 2011 Before I noticed what was happening, my newly-planted 1 foot tall Sophora secundiflora was eaten by caterpillars. It now has no foliage. Do you think it will leaf out again? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Post-bloom period care for Pink evening primrose June 28, 2011 Hello, I live in Denton, TX. I introduced pink evening primrose as a ground cover to a xeriscaped section of my property a few years ago. I have pretty much left it alone and let it do its thing an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need help with my Mountain Laurel in Sugarland, TX June 22, 2011 Texas Mountain Laurel - My plant's leaves are turning yellow and falling off. I don't know if this is caused from over watering or under watering. I have skipped days of watering to see if it will h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Transplant shock in Mountain Laurel in San Antonio, TX June 03, 2011 I planted a 2 ft. tall Texas mountain laurel a month ago. Some of the leaves have turned very yellow and some of them are falling off. The plant doesn't look real healthy in general. I did add s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Yellowing leaves on non-native podocarpus Cupertino CA May 22, 2011 I recently planted a podacarpus granular and over half the leaves are turning yellow some are dead. What could be the problem? Is there something I can feed it? What should I do? I planted four & the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Huisache tree is not thriving in Kerr County, TX. May 18, 2011 Our landscaper planted a Huisache tree in our back yard (Kerr County). It was planted about 3 years ago. It has grown considerably (about 15 feet tall)but it has never flowered and is always late in... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Drought tolerant Plants and moving Wax myrtles in Austin April 30, 2011 Mr. Smarty Plants, What are the most fire resistant and drought tolerant plants for caliche soil in Austin area? I am considering relocating or removing my wax myrtle shrubs because they are ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Carolina Jasmine failing to turn green in Pleasant Garden NC April 26, 2011 We planted Carolina Jasmine last year and it did great. This Spring we only have about 2-3 small green leaves beginning on the vines. We did not cut them back in the Fall. Is it time for them to be tu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Care of recently propagated Century Plant from Litchfield Park AZ April 24, 2011 To germinate some century plant seeds I put them in dirt and put the pot in a tray of water. Now, I have 3 sprouts about an inch tall and they came up about an inch apart. Question is, how should I w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How do I save my recently transplanted yaupon holly? April 20, 2011 Recently transplanted (two weeks ago) a yaupon holly tree from one part of the yard to another. Leaves are beginning to turn yellow and fall. What can be done to save this plant? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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