Native Plants

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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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Wednesday - October 28, 2009
From: Temple, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Yellowing of non-native eggplant in Temple TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I planted egg plants in my raised bed garden for the first time this season. The plants are healthy and have produced a number of beautiful small white fruit with purple accent (spots). However, the fruits have all turned yellow. Why? Is this something to do with soil?ANSWER:
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is dedicated to the care, preservation and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which they are being grown. This includes very few of the fruits and vegetables you would ordinarily buy in a grocery store. Eggplant is believed to originate in China or possibly India, and has been extensively hybridized for hundreds of years, both of which put it out of our range of expertise. To give you a lead, we Googled on "growing eggplant" and got a number of websites, one of which is this site from Fine Gardening Growing Eggplants Successfully.More Non-Natives Questions
Yellowing leaves on non-native Betula pendula
July 03, 2008 - I live in Puyallup, Washington. I purchased and planted a weeping birch on June 21, 2008. For the first few days all seemed well and the tree seemed to be settling in to its new home.
Less than e...
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Identity of mystery plant in non-native commercial forage mix
December 17, 2013 - Dear Smart One,
I use a commercially prepared, fortified, chopped forage based on a mix of orchard and Timothy grasses. The bags are shipped in from out of State. However, I have been finding short s...
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Splitting bark on non-native mimosa from Buda TX
June 24, 2012 - What would cause my Mimosa tree to have splitting bark. I've only lived in this house for 8 months and am learning about this tree. The other tree seems fine. It looks as though it split and then ...
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Competition for sun between non-native loquat and Carolina laurel cherry in San Antonio
October 27, 2010 - I have planted 2 Prunus caroliniana (Carolina laurelcherry)along my north side fence. I just learned my neighbor has planted a Loquat tree on the other side of the north facing fence. He told me that...
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Digging wild buttercup from roadside in Mechanicsville MD
May 28, 2012 - Mr. Smarty Plants, is it illegal to dig out wild buttercup in Maryland? I see them along the dirt road or just in the ditch. Since buttercup considered weed, I'm wondering what the law say about this...
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