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 | |
| Yucca rostrata needs some help in Austin, TX. September 16, 2013 We planted an expensive 5-6 foot Yucca rostrata last fall. It bloomed beautifully in the spring. We installed an irrigation link to water the recently planted areas with succulents, viburnums, spart... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shade Tree for Baltimore Patio September 11, 2013 I am looking for a deep-rooted shade tree (or a tall shrub) for near my patio in Baltimore, Md. I desire shade in summer, but with minimum impact to the patio. The tree would be about 20 feet from the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Disease or insect damage on a Mexican plum September 08, 2013 Help, Our Mexican plum tree is about 13-14 years old. Earlier this year we noticed the trunk is oozing black stuff and whole branches are dying off. We have watched as our beloved tree has lost most ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with Shumard Oaks and Crepe Myrtle in Cooke Co. TX September 07, 2013 I have a Shumard Oak Tree that has been in the ground approx. ten years. It has done great, even passing up some of my older Shumards. In August it began to lose its leaves at an alarming rate. They a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Opinion of 5 best native garden plants in Oklahoma from Burneyville OK September 07, 2013 What would you say are the 3 to 5 BEST native garden plants for south central Oklahoma? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Failure to thrive of one Desert Willow in Phoenix AZ September 06, 2013 We planted 4 desert willow trees in the summer and 3 of the 4 are doing excellent, however the last one is not not doing so well, it was the smallest of all and it started out fine but its leaves bega... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Ornamental grasses under desert willows from Dallas, TX September 06, 2013 I am planning on planting 3 desert willows in full sun, below the power lines at the back of my back yard in the White Rock Lake area of Dallas. I would like to plant some ornamental grasses in the be... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Problems with non-native Chinaberry tree from Tucson AZ September 05, 2013 I have a 30+ year old Chinaberry tree and this year the branches are much sparser with leaves and there are a lot of small dead branches. Should I fertilize and what should I use? Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tree Lost Leaves September 05, 2013 Are leaf cutter ants found in Michigan too? My leaves are being completely stripped off the tree. It went from growing very well when we planted it, to having completely no leaves at all. I know the l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Young Maple Dropping Leaves in Late Summer September 05, 2013 I have a 6-year-old maple tree. I'm not sure what type it is as the builder planted it. It is as tall as our two-story house and very healthy. It's the biggest tree in our neighborhood because we fe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fast-growing trees for privacy in East Texas September 02, 2013 Fast growing tree seeds for my area to create a tree grove for privacy. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Recently planted Monterey Oaks doing poorly in Jourdanton, TX. September 02, 2013 We planted 2 nice size Monterrey oak trees in April .they were doing good with new growth on them. But now I have been noticing the leaves are turning brown around the edges. We water about once a wee... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What are the differences between Arbutus xalapensis, A. unedo and A. marina August 29, 2013 One nursery lists madrone trees as arbutus uneda compacta and arbutus marina. The other lists it as arbutus xalapensis, which is the only name I can find in the data base. There is a very large pric... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trees for clay soil from Charlotte TX August 25, 2013 We have an area in our yard that even Esperanzas won't grow. It is near another that does great. Six Esperanzas are planted in a north/south row about with 10' between plants, the southern most plan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native Plants for a water collection pit in Bronson, FL August 22, 2013 I live near Gainesville, FL in a low rural area with many cypress swamps around & bought this 5 acres 2 years ago. About 15 years ago a pit was dug on my 5 acres to give the rainwater somewhere to go... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shade trees not toxic to dogs in Kempner TX August 21, 2013 Dear Mr Smarty Plants, we are looking for shade trees to plant around our home in Kempner, Tx. I saw another family that asked a similar question but we have dogs and holly or oak trees are toxic (my... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need suggestions for trees to withstand high winds on Top Sail Island, North Caroloina. August 20, 2013 Moving to coastal southern North Carolina. Planting native trees and shrubs, wax bayberry, Redbud, love the River Birch. What type of tree has the deepest roots or would be least likely to blow over... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native Japanese maple for East Northport NY August 20, 2013 I live in NY and I am looking to plant a Japanese maple in front of my house. It would be in front of a window so I'm thinking should I get a dwarf? Or a semi dwarf? I know I want a red color but un... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Stressed live oaks from Lakeway TX August 19, 2013 I have some Live Oaks who appear to be stressed (Ball Moss is becoming very prevalent on some of them) during the drought in Central TX. How often and how long should I water them? Thank you very much... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Keeping squirrels out of pecan tree from Garland TX August 17, 2013 My yard is covered in green pecans with one bite eaten by squirrels. How do I keep squirrels out of my pecan tree? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| 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 |  | |
| Leaves wrinkling on Tecoma stans from San Antonio TX August 16, 2013 My two year old esperanza (planted in the ground) froze back last winter, came back from the roots & has been doing well all summer. Recently one branch has leaves that are nice & green but very wrin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Damage to cedar elm from Austin August 16, 2013 We have a cedar elm next to the corner of our house that has been dropping lots and lots of twigs with green leaves over the past 3 weeks, while our other elms have not. These rapidly pile up on the p... 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 |  | |
| Evergreen Trees for Cedar Creek, TX August 14, 2013 Hello I am wanting to plant some evergreen trees on my property out in Cedar Creek Texas. We have a lot of cedar trees but I really would like some live oaks. Is it possible to grow live oaks or somet... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| topic | question | |