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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

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.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

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!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

Not Yet Rated

Thursday - October 31, 2013

From: Hutto, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Planting, Shrubs
Title: Rose bush varieties and time to plant from Hutto TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

What rose bush varieties are recommended for the Hutto Texas area and what time of year is the best time to plant into ground? Thank you.

ANSWER:

We cannot help you much there. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, home of Mr. Smarty Plants, is committed to the growth, propagation and protection of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which they are to be grown; in your case, Williamson County, TX. The huge majority of roses sold and grown in North America are native to China, and therefore fall out of our range of expertise.

There are 30 members of the Rosa genus native to North America, of which 9 are native to Texas, including: Rosa arkansana (Prairie rose), Rosa arkansana var. suffulta (Prairie rose), Rosa carolina (Carolina rose), Rosa foliolosa (White prairie rose), Rosa setigera (Climbing prairie rose), Rosa arkansana (Prairie rose), Rosa stellata (Desert rose) and Rosa woodsii (Woods' rose). Probably none of these are what you had in mind, so since we have no information on other roses in our Native Plant Database, here are some websites that might help you: