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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
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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Wednesday - March 26, 2014
From: Richmond, KY
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Invasive Plants, Non-Natives, Vines
Title: Eliminating kudzu from Richmond KY
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I live in Richmond KY, Kirksville area. I have noticed that Kudzu has started to grow in my patch of land next to the creek. How can I get rid of this before it becomes a big problem?ANSWER:
The quicker you get at it, the better chance you have of actually controlling it. Here is a Smarty Plants previous answer on taking on invasive plants, including kudzu. You might want to enlist some neighbors to do the same thing to protect their own properties.
From the Missouri Department of Conservation, here is an article on Kudzu Control. We want to emphasize this sentence from that article:
"All land owners in an infestation area must cooperate in a unified program."
Get it before it gets you. Since we obviously would have no pictures of an invasive non-native in our Native Plant Image Gallery, here are some pictures of kudzu so you can know the enemy. Good luck!
More Non-Natives Questions
Planting distance for non-native crepe myrtles in San Antonio
June 23, 2009 - I just purchased 7 katawba crepe myrtles and would like to know how far apart I need to space them. I am placing down on the right side of my front yard. They are in 5 gallon containers and about 5 - ...
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Caring for non-native African violet
September 05, 2006 - How do you care for the African violet?
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Problems with non-native hollyhock in Austin
April 03, 2010 - Our hollyhocks develop small yellow spots on the leaves; these eventually spread into little swellings on the underside; I think of them as lesions. They spread and the leaf turns brown and shrivels ...
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Growing kudzu in Las Vegas NV
April 18, 2013 - Hi Mr. Smarty Plants,
I have a question about a known invasive species that I know you advise against, but I feel my situation may be different enough that it's worth asking about. Yes, I'm talk...
view the full question and answer
Problem with non-native Chocolate Silk Tree, Albizia julibrissin
June 09, 2009 - How do we get our Chocolate Silk Tree that once had redish brown leaves from now green to the original color?
Thank You.
view the full question and answer
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