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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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Thursday - November 17, 2005

From: Southlake, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Guidelines for planting native wildflowers on roadside
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

My 4th grade Girl Scout troop has chosen to plant bluebonnets and other wild flowers along TX Hwy 114 in Southlake as their project for their Bronze Award. Do you have a guideline that you follow when planting, i.e. when to plant certain seeds, who to contact not to mow, etc.? Any information you can give us would be helpful. Thanks.

ANSWER:

What a wonderful project for your Girl Scout troop! You can start by visiting the Native Plant Library on our web page where you will find articles in PDF format to download. There are several articles that should be very useful to you; for example, "Planting Wildflowers Along Roadsides" and "How to Grow Bluebonnets". Finally, you might visit the National Suppliers Directory to find seed companies in your area that specialize in native seeds.

You should contact the Right of Way Administrator for the Fort Worth District of the Texas Department of Transportation to find out who is in charge of mowing along TX Hwy 114 where you want to plant the wildflowers. You can find a Right of Way Division Phone List with names, addresses, and phone numbers on the Texas Department of Transportation web page. You should also visit TxDot's Wildflower Guide for the Lone Star State.
 

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