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.
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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.
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| Reseeding a dead lawn in Wimberley TX February 07, 2012 Our new house had a sodded lawn that now appears dead. There remains a layer of sandy soil as a part of the sodding process. Is there a way to reseed these existing slabs of sod and what process wo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting time for non-natives in Irving TX February 07, 2012 Have dwarf nandinas and two lorapetalums that I want to transplant. Can I do it now February 6th 2012? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Can Habiturf be planted by hydroseeding from Austin? February 04, 2012 We are thinking about seeding our lawn with HABITURF. Could you provide any input on whether HABITURF can be planted by hydroseeding? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Best wildflowers for Lamar County TX February 02, 2012 What are the best wildflowers for northeast Tx? We live right below the Red River just north of Paris. Can they only be planted by seed in the fall? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Trees to replace some non-native invasives in Deltona FL February 02, 2012 I would like to replace 3 large ChinaBerry & 3 large Chinese Tallow trees in my good sized back yard with some local wildlife friendly trees native to the Deltona area(first area.) What do you recomme... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Seed Habiturf on top of existing St. Augustine from Austin January 26, 2012 We don't want to rip up an existing St. Augustine lawn (potential HOA problems), but we'd like to go native grasses (like Habiturf?). Is there anything we can just seed on top of our present lawn a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need name of company with experience in Habiturf installation in Round Rock, TX. January 24, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I read the article about "NATIVE LAWNS: HABITURF™ A MULTI-SPECIES MIX FOR NORTH, WEST AND CENTRAL TEXAS" Do you know any landscape companies/groups in Austin - Round Ro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need tree suggestions for a long, narrow strip in Folsom, CA. January 18, 2012 I live in Folsom, Ca. I have a long strip (50') of planting area about 2.5' wide at the top of a retaining wall to the fence behind it. I would like to plant alternating (2) trees down this strip to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Moving "lily of the valley" from MD to TX. Is that OK? January 17, 2012 My question pertains to lily of the valley. From your database, I learned that it is a native plant but only the following states were listed: GA , KY , NC , PA , SC , TN , VA , WV. I am moving from... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| native plants for landscaping in Honolulu January 08, 2012 Hi, wildflower.org has been a great help for me in learning about different plants, their Latin names and characteristics. I was looking for a list of plants (trees, shrubs, ground covers, perennials... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting bluebonnets on UT Campus in Austin January 07, 2012 Hello! I am with a student organization on the University of Texas campus. Walking around campus, I have noticed the lack of the state flower of Texas, the bluebonnet. Our organization is hoping ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Planning garden tasks in advance from Austin January 03, 2012 My yard was a disaster last year-grass and trees browning, early leaf fall on flowering plants, and water bills sky high, even with the limited watering days. What can I do this year to prevent this s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Frost damage to native plants in Austin December 19, 2011 Hello, We bought a number of native plants at this fall's WFC sale and planted them. The recent frost seems to have defoliated our pitcher sage, beautyberry, butterflyweed, and flame acanthus plan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Live oak leaves turning yellow after planting in Houston December 19, 2011 We bought a 65 gallon live oak in early October, and have been watering fairly heavily three days a week. It seemed OK, then all of a sudden lots of the leaves are turning yellow. Is it getting too ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| When to seed a native grass lawn in a drought area? December 15, 2011 I want to plant a native grass lawn. It is raining now. Can I plant it in December? It might not be raining in the spring if the drought continues. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Color year round, welcome to Austin Texas. December 04, 2011 I am new to Austin and want to plant colorful flowers for fall and winter that get a "wow" reaction. I have not seen much at the local nurseries. Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| When Should Wildflower Seeds be Planted in Dallas, Texas November 28, 2011 Mr. Pants: I have received some seed packets of wildflower seeds from GO TEXAN. How late can I plant these in central Dallas (8 a/b)? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| When to plant non-native red-tip photinia November 17, 2011 When do you plant the Red-Tip Photinia Flowering Shrubs in Roanoke VA? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Restoring fire damage in Bastrop TX November 03, 2011 I live in the Bastrop State Park area. We were severely affected by the wildfire and as we are trying to rebuild our home, we are being very aware of the particularities of the recovery process. We lo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Planting Muhlenbergia capillaris (Gulf muhly) October 27, 2011 Is it too late to plant Gulf Muhly seed in North Texas (October)? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Growing Conditions for Yucca cernua October 22, 2011 Nodding Yucca or Yucca cernua: I bought many lovely plants at the Wildflower Center sale on Friday, among them, a Nodding Yucca or Yucca cernua. 24 of the 25 plants I bought are already in the grou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Baby mountain laurels are ready to move, in Lockhart Texas October 19, 2011 I want to harvest the baby mountain laurel plants which are growing under a large bush. What height would be best for the young plants survival? Please recommend a soil mixture for the pots. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| When to reseed wildflowers in a drought year? October 18, 2011 My acreage with extensive wildflowers was mowed in 2010 before annuals had seeded. Only a few returned this year. Considering the predicted lonterm drought should I postpone reseeding this fall? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sun loving plants for flower bed by the pool in Weatherford Texas October 03, 2011 We have a 40' long x 2 1/2' wide flowerbed along our pool. It is in full sun with the pool deck across the front and a 6' privacy fence across back. Also, the level of the bed is 18" below the l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Looking for a redbud sized tree to plant in Tulsa OK. September 27, 2011 I am looking for a native tree about the size of a redbud to place in my prairie bed in Tulsa Oklahoma, wildlife friendly trees preferred, thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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