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 is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Wednesday - June 17, 2015
From: St. Louis, MO
Region: Midwest
Topic: Soils
Title: Native Plants by Soil Type
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
Can't find an appropriate place to ask this - would love to be able to search for plants that do best in acidic soil (soil pH) another filter on the search screen. May not be there because the data doesn't exist for all of the plants in terms of the specific pH but acid/acidic does also appear sometimes in the soil description.ANSWER:
Good question! It is a bit challenging to find native plants listed by their soil pH levels. So to get this information another way, take a look at the soil acidity maps for the U.S. at the Biota of North America website and you will get a good overview of where the acidic and alkaline soils are across the country. You can click on your state and get more specific information about the soil pH for your county. With this information you can look for the native plants in acidic or alkaline soil regions and start to make your lists. This webpage also has some other interesting soil maps too if you are interested - moisture, soil depth, volcanic soils and more. The Missouri Botanical Garden has a good landscaping with native plants information sheet online that might be of interest to you as well.
More Soils Questions
Twenty year old Texas Mountain Laurel isn't blooming.
March 09, 2015 - I have 20-year-old Texas Mountain Laurel in a fairly poor, clay-type soil. It hasn't bloomed very well the last couple years. Can you recommend a fertilizer to improve the blooms?
view the full question and answer
Is cement leaching into flower beds in Colorado Springs?
May 16, 2009 - I have posed this question to a number of garden centers in our area around Colorado Springs--only to rec. a repeated--"Gee, I don't know." When we moved to our new home there was a rock concrete ...
view the full question and answer
Proper soil for Blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)
April 18, 2006 - I live in San Antonio. Have taken landscape course at the center several years ago-(fabulous)! I am putting in a raised portion of the garden this year with Blackfoot Daisies. Can you tell me where...
view the full question and answer
Plants for Shady Clay soil in Illinois
June 18, 2012 - Could you recommoned native plants for clay soil and shade near Chicago?
view the full question and answer
Potting soil mixture at Wildflower Center from Austin
August 14, 2012 - What potting soil mixture does the Wildflower Center use in its greenhouses for the native plants grown for the Austin Native Plant sales? Is the pH adjusted to match the alkaline soils in this area? ...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |