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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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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Saturday - August 04, 2012
From: Hillsboro, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Invasive Plants, Non-Natives, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Request for native grasses from Hillsboro TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
P.S. I forgot to mention one very important fact: my neighbor specifically asked for "native grass" recommendations. He thought he was getting a native grass recommendation.ANSWER:
We assume you are referring to this previous question. Unfortuntely, not everyone understands "native" the way we do. And even some native plants are quite capable of being invasive. It really is the responsibility of the buyer to ascertain the important components of any plant being considered. Many people think (incorrectly) that if something is sold locally that it is native locally or at least will grow locally. We are so fortunate to have the resources of the Internet now, where you can find out about a plant BEFORE you buy and plant it. Getting recommendations is always good, but once you have a name, go to the Internet and search on it. While we freely admit that we do not have every plant native to North America in our Native Plant Database, you can bet that if a plant is in that database, it is native.
More Non-Natives Questions
Plant Care for Plumeria
October 15, 2005 - I have a plumeria that is getting too tall for my small patio. How I should cut it back and can start the cuttings into new plants? Does the original plant need any special care when it is cut back?
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Problems with non-native Mayten tree
November 05, 2008 - Hi. Our Mayten tree was doing really well, but just in the last month has last a great amount of its leaves, and it seems to be tilting slightly now. We placed some small plants in the same area of ...
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Why are the leaves on my Laurel hedge turning brown in Everett, WA?
February 22, 2010 - Our laurel hedge seems to have brown leaves on the top of the bush. We haven't had a freezing winter so we are trying to figure out why some of the leaves are brown.
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Thrips on non-native roses in Austin
June 11, 2009 - How can I get rid of thrips that have totally invaded all of my roses?
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Non-native Indian Hawthorn leaves yellowing
March 15, 2009 - I live in Mississippi. My Indian Hawthorn's leaves are not as green as they were when I purchased the plant, and several are turning yellow with brown spots on them. What should I do?
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