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?
Smarty Plants Question Topics
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Search Smarty Plants
| topic | question | |
| Has Texas Black Persimmon been crossed with non-native persimmons from Austin August 17, 2013 Hi. I just found a Texas Black Persimmon in my neighborhood. The fruit is olive green and then black, then it explodes into a black slurry of seeds and syrup. The color is so strong I find myself wond... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Arborvitae for house plant from Austin August 15, 2013 I am a Northerner transplanted to Austin, TX. While I love Austin it feels like many of the plants & trees I came to love up north won't grow here at all. Could I grow an arborvitae in my home as a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of tree bought from a magazine ad August 11, 2013 I recently submitted the following question to Ask An Expert. They were unable to identify the plant. I hope you will be able to. Can you help me by either identifying this plant or advising me a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possible maple scale on non-native mophead hydrangeas from Newport RI August 07, 2013 I have a mophead hydrangea that has small white cottony tufts under the leaves and on the stems. I believe this is maple scale. Is there a home remedy I can use to rid this disease? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with non-native, invasive Japanese Privet from Peoria AZ July 31, 2013 I have Japanese Privit bushes. one out of 6 has started to grow very small leaves and does not look healthy. Moon Valley told me shortage of zinc, but that has not helped in 3 months. What can I ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a nursing home resident from LaQuinta CA July 26, 2013 I take care of an elderly woman with dementia. She is in a nursing home and she's always LOVES flowers and plants. Do you have any suggestions for potted outdoor blooming plants for the summer in... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| A cactus-like plant with stinky flowers July 22, 2013 Because of the green parts looking like certain cacti, a friend insists that this plant she saw in Mexico is one. Its blossom doesn't have the rose-like structure that cacti have, but resembles the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native St. Augustine grass failing for 5 years in Houston July 21, 2013 My townhome in Houston has a mid-size backyard, which receives full sun for much of the day. I've re-sodded with St. Augustine for 5 consecutive summers, but it consistently dies over time (proper fe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Red pods on Canna Lilies from Windsor VA July 21, 2013 What are the dark red pods on my canna lilies? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Are non-native hostas causing fly invasion from Eastpointe MI July 14, 2013 I live in Michigan with a small backyard. I have 5 large hostas with the purple flower blooms which are located by my patio. I was wondering if they can be causing my large population of unwanted flie... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native Royal Empress tree with only green leaves from Chambersburg PA July 12, 2013 I have 3 Royal Empress trees in my yard that are between 2-4 yrs old and have never been any color other then big Green leaves. Do you know when they will turn Purple? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native zoysia and bermuda grasses in Austin July 11, 2013 We have Bermuda grass in the front and Zoysia in the back yards. The back grass is fine but the front yard Bermuda isn't. We have watered once each week during the spring and during the past 3 weeks... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Support for non-native, invasive Nandina Domestica from San Antonio, TX July 09, 2013 I consider nandina domestica to be a perfect plant for San Antonio, but see that it is on the list of invasive plants for surrounding eco-areas. How should I respond regarding one of my favorite land... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tree with taproot for Jodhpur India July 05, 2013 I am a resident of India. I need information of a tree with tap roots to grow in my backyard. We have moderate to hot climate here. It needs to be as small as possible due to lack of space. It'd be g... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is Sucissa pratensis (Devil's bit scabious) allelopathic? July 04, 2013 Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center pointed me to you. Can you comment on Devil's Bit Scabious? A neighbor pointed out these volunteer plants in my yard and wants me to kill them. He called them Devi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with non-native weeping willow from Hazlet NJ July 03, 2013 Leaves turning yellow on weeping willow planted in May. What causes this and how can I fix it? Mother's Day gift after SANDY uprooted huge tree. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native Sago palm roots damaging house foundation from Keystone Heights FL July 03, 2013 Will sago palms roots hurt a house's foundation if too close? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Non-flowering plants in Scottsdale AZ July 01, 2013 I have three plants that are supposed to do well in Arizona but mine are not flowering. The yellow bells and orange jubilee I have get full sun, drip watered 3 x a week for 1 1/2 hrs (at 4am) and are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Growing non-native Cabernet Sauvignon vines in Central Texas July 01, 2013 Hi. I recently moved into a remodeled home in Taylor, TX, and have experimented with Cabernet Savignon vines before. I have a 1/2 acre and a chain-link fence I want to put vines on. (I have a book o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is a mulberry tree undesirable? June 27, 2013 I have a hard time keeping plants alive, so I was happy when a random plant just started growing and thriving about 5 years ago in my yard. My mom (a frequent volunteer at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildf... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pruning non-native Chinese fringe flower from Austin June 24, 2013 When is the best time of year to prune Plum Delight? And how severely can it be cut back? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Forget-me-nots choking a spring in Bethlehem PA June 20, 2013 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I am restoring a native plant area along a spring that feeds directly into our local creek. Right now the spring is becoming choked with forget-me-nots, that I am trying ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Lily plants being chewed from Austin June 20, 2013 Something is chewing my lily plants to the ground. Any ideas what and do I stop them? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| White specks on unknown houseplant from Ridgeway SC June 20, 2013 I have an unknown houseplant that seems to have some sort of pest or disease on it. It has white snowy specks atop its leaf. I bought this purple fuzzy leafed houseplant from Walmart in Winnsboro, SC ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Waxy deposits on Magnolia fuscata from Ethel LA June 18, 2013 I have a 4yr old Magnolia Fascata (aka banana shrub)- I noticed that it has small oval shaped yellow waxy deposits on the branches.. I have also noticed small black ants on the branches. The unknown d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| topic | question | |