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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Monday - March 22, 2004
From: Dallas, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Low maintenance native plants for sun in Dallas
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
What low maintenance ground cover would you recommend for a sunny backyard in Dallas?ANSWER:
Dallas, TX is in the heart of a region known as the Blackland Prairie, and buffalo grass would literally be right at home. It is drought tolerant, requires full sun, grows to about 6 inches high and can be mown infrequently. To learn more about buffalo grass, you can read and download an article about Native Lawns from our Native Plant Library. Other plants ground covers that may work for you include shade tolerant plants: Pigeonberry (Rivina humilis), Texas sedge (Carex texensis), meadow sedge (Carex perdentata), and cedar sedge (Carex planostachys). Find out more information by researching through our Native Plants Database, a service of our Native Plant Information Network.More Grasses or Grass-like Questions
Groundcovers & Shrubs for Shade in North Carolina
April 30, 2013 - Mr Smarty Pants,
My neighbor planted cypress trees as a border between his yard and ours and it is sucking up every drop of water and nutrient. We also have a purple plum in the area which creates ...
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Caring for a wildflower meadow in Austin, TX.
March 22, 2016 - We have a meadow full of wildflowers in the country, bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, etc. What can we do to promote continued growth and is there a certain time of year we should mow? Should we fe...
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Central Texas native plants good for cut flowers in Austin
March 15, 2010 - What are the best native plants to Central Texas that can be used as cut flowers for indoors in the home? I have a large garden that will be partly vegetables, partly for cut flowers. Thank you for ...
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Deterring geese from a wildflower garden
February 28, 2015 - I've moved into a home with a large pond beyond the grass yard. I intend to plant a sunflower house with lots of other plants as part of the structure, such as flowering vines, clover, mint and thyme...
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Stabilizing a lakeside slope from Bracey, VA
May 24, 2012 - We are trying to beautify and stabilize a relatively large lakeside steep slope with a southern exposure in central Virginia. The soil is characterized by red clay and shale rock. How can we turn this...
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