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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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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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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Tuesday - August 10, 2010

From: Braintree, MA
Region: Northeast
Topic: Non-Natives, Transplants
Title: Transplanting non-native mimosas in Braintree MA
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I want to transplant some baby mimosa trees. Have tried in past and they just die.

ANSWER:

Perhaps your soil is trying to tell you something. Albizia julibrissin, Mimosa or Silk Tree, is native to Iran, Turkey, China and Japan. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is dedicated to the growth, propagation and protection of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which they are being grown. This Conservation Alliance Alien Plant Working Group LEAST WANTED article will tell you why we don't like it. Just to give you some more clues, here is an article from eHow on How to Grow a Mimosa Tree. Furthermore, in Norfolk County, MA, USDA Hardiness Zone 6a, you are right on the edge of the hardiness range for mimosas, which is 6a to 10b. A cold winter would wipe them out anyway. 
 

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