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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Tuesday - June 23, 2009
From: San Antonio, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Planting distance for non-native crepe myrtles in San Antonio
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
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 - 6 ft tall.ANSWER:
Lagerstroemia indica (Catawba crape myrtles) are native to Asia, and therefore out of our range of expertise. At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, we are dedicated to the care, propagation and protection of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which the plant is being grown. Because this plant is so extensively hybridized (another reason why they are out of our purview) we have no way of knowing what its growth habit is-shrub, tree, big, dwarf? We found a website from Mortellaro's Nursery on Lagerstroemia indica (Catawba crape myrtles). If this does not have the answer to your question, we recommend you return to the nursery where you purchased your plants for the information you need.More Non-Natives Questions
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How to produce ivy with large, green leaves
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Information about non-native Night Blooming Jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum)
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Removal of non-native zoysia grass from Burgettstown PA
September 12, 2013 - What is the most effective method of killing zoysia grass? We bought a house that sits in the center of four acres of mature zoysia. It looks beautiful, however, despite our best efforts at "weeding...
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Cold hardy non-native fig tree for Dallas
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