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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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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Sunday - September 02, 2007
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Native landscape in Central Austin
Answered by: Damon Waitt
QUESTION:
We live in Central Austin and are landscaping part of yard. We planted a 30 gallon red oak tree, built sizeable beds around it and want to complete the landscaping with native grasses, shrubs, climbing flowers, and irises. We would like the plants (or a majority of them) to be evergreen. We are thinking of the lemon beebalm, coral honeysuckle, and prairie rose as start but are getting lost in the "weeds" to complete our project. Please help in any way you can.ANSWER:
It can get a bit overwhelming given so many different options for evergreen native grasses, shrubs, climbing flowers, and irises in central Texas. Your best bet is to start with Hill Country Horticulture - Native plants for the Central Texas Hill Country. Once you have the full list displayed you can narrow your search by habit, duration, flower color, etc. until you settle on the plants that have the characteristics you desire. For example here are few evergreen shrubs that might suit your needs. Although they don't have spectacularly showy flowers, they do have colorful berries that attract birds.
Prunus caroliniana (Carolina laurelcherry)
More Shrubs Questions
Need suggestions for plants for a privacy screen in Long Beach, NY.
August 10, 2011 - I have recently added 1500sq.ft. to my backyard. My backyard faces a busy road. I would like to place native trees and bushes along the fence for added privacy, shade and to protect my house from the...
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Groundcovers & Shrubs for Shade in North Carolina
April 30, 2013 - Mr Smarty Pants,
My neighbor planted cypress trees as a border between his yard and ours and it is sucking up every drop of water and nutrient. We also have a purple plum in the area which creates ...
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Native tree or shrub with fruit to espalier on fence
July 23, 2010 - I live in the Austin, TX area and I would like to choose a native tree or shrub to espalier on a fence in my garden. Ideally, I would like to use a tree that bears fruit. Any suggestions?
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Problems with non-native Cleyera and Red-tip photinia
June 01, 2008 - I planted a row of Cleyera in a bed that receives sunlight for about 3 hours during the middle of the day. My problem is that a number of the plants are dying. It begins with the leaves on one small...
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Orange rhododendrons for Millinocket ME
June 15, 2012 - Where will I find orange rhododendron in Maine? Or orange rhododendron that will thrive in Maine?
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