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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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Tuesday - July 29, 2003

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Transplants, Wildflowers
Title: Smarty Plants on daylilies
Answered by: Joe Marcus

QUESTION:

I have a number of Daylilies that are rapidly multiplying in my flower bed. If I relocate some of them to the field behind my house, will they crowd out the native wildflowers?

ANSWER:

We would not recommend transplanting your daylilies to a wildflower meadow. Chances are they will simply die there unless the area receives supplemental irrigation. Most soil in our area is a little too dry for daylilies to naturalize. They will spread on their own in some of the more moist soil in our area, however, and could crowd out native species in those areas. We do not recommend introducing non-native plants into areas of strictly native species.

 

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