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 - June 07, 2010
From: Brierfield, AL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Pollinators, Pruning, Cacti and Succulents
Title: When may I remove seed heads from yuccas?
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
Soft tip yuccas dominate my home's landscape. When is the best time to remove the heavy seed heads after flowering? In addition to being difficult to work around, the pods seem to attract infestations of leafleg bugs.ANSWER:
You may remove a flower/seed stalk at any point during its development. If you want to enjoy the flowers but do not need any seeds, remove the stalk near where it emerges from the foliage when the flowers are spent. However, since yuccas and certain moth species are dependent upon one another for their survival in the wild, it might be a good idea to leave one or two flower stalks alone in you garden to provide habitat for the yucca moths living on the plant.
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Correction of tree name from Bay Point CA
October 16, 2013 - The tree should of been Mulberry don't know how it was changed!!
Tuesday - October 15, 2013
From: Bay Point, CA
Region: California
Topic: Non-Natives, Cacti and Succulents, Trees
Title: Non-...
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Transplanting agave in Austin
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May 04, 2016 - My century plant was fine two weeks ago. Tonight I seen this. Not sure what is happening. It 9 years old.
IMG_4716.JPG
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