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 is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Monday - August 25, 2008

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Vines
Title: Native flowering vine for Central Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I need a Texas native, flowering, climbing plant to climb up a post or trellis. Any suggestions? Thanks!

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants does have some suggestions:

Bignonia capreolata (crossvine) semi-evergreen

Campsis radicans (trumpet creeper) deciduous

Lonicera sempervirens (trumpet honeysuckle) evergreen

Gelsemium sempervirens (evening trumpetflower) evergreen

Clematis texensis (scarlet leather flower) deciduous

Clematis pitcheri (bluebill) deciduous

You can see more possibilites by choosing the Central Texas area from the map on our Recommended Species page and then choosing the Narrow Your Search option and selecting 'Vine' under "Habit (general appearance)".

Please note that all the photos below were taken at the Wildflower Center where the plants were flourishing.