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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| Identification of tart fruit that looks like a pumpkin December 10, 2016 As a child, in Miami, Florida, in the 1950's, another child challenged me to eat a "fruit" that looked like a pumpkin. It was just a little bigger than those candy pumpkins we see now at Halloween, a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Propagating a white cultivar of Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora September 09, 2016 I am trying to propagate a white cultivar of the Texas Mountain Laurel. I plan to use bee sticks and pollinate the plant. Are the plants self fruiting or do I need to find another white mountain laure... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Sequence of Seeding Wildflowers and Grasses in Texas July 24, 2016 In the How To article on meadow gardening, it recommends that a good chunk of your garden (50%-80%) should be native grasses. The kind mentioned in that article are typically warm season grasses. In... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Young Mexican White Oak Losing Leaves in Texas July 13, 2016 I have a 5 yr old Mexican white oak, 20 ft tall losing its leaves mostly at the top. They turn brown & fall off. It does not lose its leaves in the winter, right?. About 3 ft from the top down is bare... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shade Tolerant Groundcover for Texas July 13, 2016 I live in Atascosa county in Pleasanton Texas, I have an abundance of Live Oak and Ash trees shading my property and need a groundcover for my backyard which is nothing but sand and where I have dogs ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Manzanita Not Growing Well July 11, 2016 Dear Mr Smarty Plants, I have a four native Dr. Hurd manzanitas growing in my yard, which I planted three years ago. Three seem quite happy with lots of foliage. The fourth has foliage only on this ye... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Promoting Monarch Habitats in Texas July 11, 2016 My parents have a 6 acre pasture in East, TX with native milkweed in it. What are the best times of year to bush hog to promote more milkweeds & do you know of any grants to help manage land for monar... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| New Lawn for a New House in Central Texas July 11, 2016 We have a new house with a barren yard. How soon can we successfully plant grass? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trees for Privacy Screening in Central Texas July 11, 2016 I live in Cedar Park, Texas and have a neighbor who likes to have parties. I need a evergreen tree/hedge that will provide privacy and sound barrier. We have some wax myrtles but they don't work. We ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shrub for Shady Austin, Texas Backyard July 11, 2016 I am looking for a colorful shrub or bush for my drab backyard in Austin. It won't get much sun and I want something native that detracts bugs if possible. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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