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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Monday - April 29, 2013
From: Boca Raton, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Privacy Screening, Shrubs
Title: Sources for Ilex shrubs from Boca Raton FL
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Where can I find Ilex plants in the Boca Raton, FL area? I would like to use them for hedges.ANSWER:
There are 13 members of the Ilex (holly) genus native to North America; of those, 10 are native to Florida, but only 4 are native to Palm Beach Co., in the southeastern tip of Florida. We suspect this is a function both of the soils in south Florida and of the amount of moisture.
Ilex native to the area of Palm Beach County, FL:
Ilex myrtifolia (Myrtle dahoon)
You can follow each plant link to our webpage on that plant, where you can learn its growing conditions, including the amount of sun it needs. Then, go to our National Suppliers Directory, put your town and city or just your zipcode in the "Enter Search Location box and click on GO. This will give you a list of native plant nurseries, seed suppliers and consultants in your general area. All will have contact information so you can find out if they have in stock what you need before you go shopping.
From the Image Gallery
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January 31, 2015 - Mr. Smarty Pants,
I'm, for some reason, at odds with myself about a shrub decision. I have need about 8 ft of hedge-like evergreen shrub(s) that I can maintain around 4ft to go under a window. It...
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