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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| Shade trees not toxic to dogs in Kempner TX August 21, 2013 Dear Mr Smarty Plants, we are looking for shade trees to plant around our home in Kempner, Tx. I saw another family that asked a similar question but we have dogs and holly or oak trees are toxic (my... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of shrub/small tree with small purple fruit July 31, 2013 Hi! I have a tree/bush that has come up on its own in the backyard. This year it set what looks like small purple plums. Is there any chance that they might be poisonous? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shrub to scrren house from dust from gravel road July 28, 2013 HI: We live in the foothills of Dobbins, California (2 hours North of Sacramento, Ca). I live on a gravel dirt road with traffic that goes about 45 miles an hour. When they drive by our house it lo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is Bignonia capreolata (Crossvine) known to cause skin irritation July 23, 2013 Is Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata L.) known to cause a rash? We are trying to identify the source of a rash-after-gardening, and have not seen any of the big three (poison ivy, poison oak, poison suma... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Controlling Cnidoscolus texanus (Texas bullnettle) July 18, 2013 Hello,I need your help to control some nasty weeds in my yard/pasture. I am an old timer and do not have a picture to include—haven't figured out that part of the camera/phone yet. This weed is a pri... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Member of Taxus genus native to southern Illinois from Granite City IL July 12, 2013 Is there a native Southern Illinois similar to Taxus baccata? I live in Granite City IL and am looking for a native plant/scrub that stays green year round about 2-3 feet tall to it helps insulate the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is Sucissa pratensis (Devil's bit scabious) allelopathic? July 04, 2013 Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center pointed me to you. Can you comment on Devil's Bit Scabious? A neighbor pointed out these volunteer plants in my yard and wants me to kill them. He called them Devi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Can oleander poison the ground below it? June 29, 2013 Can oleander poison the ground below it? Would it kill/damage grass or other plants below it? Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Poison Ivy in Semi-wetland Massachusetts June 27, 2013 You answered this question for Tennessee, but I would like an answer for a Massachusetts semi-wetlands area: What can I plant to discourage poison ivy, or at least make it very clear that it is poison... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Major poisonous plants in California June 26, 2013 Hi! So I'm working on an art project that requires a comprehensive list of poisonous plants within California. I'm looking specifically however, for plants which are fatally poisonous (upon inges... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is non-native Ixora poisonous to horses? June 26, 2013 My horse was eating an ixora bush at a park in south florida. Is the Ixora shrub poisonous to horses? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Source for a soapberry in Pittsburgh PA June 22, 2013 Flower box Where can I buy a soapberry tree in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Can poisonous seed of wild plum be safely removed after steaming from Seymour IA June 20, 2013 I read on a related questions that you said the pit/seeds of all wild plums are poisonous. My question is this, can I juice the entire fruit for making jelly without removing the pit first? I have a s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Can animals eat bottlebrush buckeye without being poisoned? June 13, 2013 Can deer, bear and wild turkey and squirrels eat the nuts and leaves from the bottlebrush buckeye shrub without being posioned by it. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Ingestion of agave sap from Albuquerque NM June 11, 2013 My boyfriend was out in the Arizona desert without water for two days and sought moisture through what he thought was a yucca plant but instead we believe was agave. He sucked the moisture off the ins... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-floweriing vines not poisonous to dogs from Pittsburgh PA June 10, 2013 Are there any vines or crawlers (nothing that flowers) that are non poisonous to dogs? Everything I am finding is poisonous, I want to plant some vines up a chain link fence around a swimming pool. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Damaged leaves on bottlebrush buckeye from Glen Mills PA June 09, 2013 My recently planted bottlebrush buckeye plants' leaves are looking damaged but it doesn't look like insect or fungus damage. They look battered by wind but I don't understand why that would happen... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Vines non-poisonous to dogs from Madison WI June 09, 2013 Are there any vines or crawlers that are non poisonous to dogs? Everything I am finding is poisonous, I want to plant some vines up a fence on their kennel run. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is Clethra alnifolia toxic to dogs? June 01, 2013 Is Clethra alnifolia toxic to dogs? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Climbing Vine for Illinois That is Non-Toxic to Dogs May 31, 2013 I am looking for a climbing vine hardy in Illinois (zone 5) that it non-toxic to dogs. Can you help? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Spreading Poison Oak to Clothes and Shoes May 31, 2013 I had a poison oak rash about 2 years ago and during that time I had to attend a wedding. At the wedding I wore a pair of dress shoes and a pair of cowboy boots. Can I wear these shoes again? Is there... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-native pothos ivy from Houston May 30, 2013 My pothos devils ivy is about 5 years old and grows outside. A couple of years ago its leaves became spectacularly large, like 12" wide and its stalk about 1 - 2" wide. A couple of years ago i gui... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Beneficial characteristics of Phytolacca americana (Pokeweed) May 21, 2013 I have a surprise Polk weed plant growing in my back yard, does it have any beneficial uses,and if not, how best to eradicate it. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-native Star Jasmine poisonous to dogs from Dallas May 20, 2013 Is star jasmine poisonous to dogs? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wildlife garden for Austin May 19, 2013 I am trying to make my backyard more wildlife friendly. I have pecan trees for the canopy and some understory shrub/trees like rough leaf dogwood and redbud. I am having a really hard time finding sui... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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