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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Evergreen grasslike plants for Austin TX April 15, 2008 Hi, I'm in Austin, TX and looking for some evergreen grass-looking plants. Would you explain the similarities/differences between Butterfly Iris and Lily Grass in this regard? Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for Liberty Hill TX in full sun April 15, 2008 We recently bought an acre of land in Liberty Hill, TX. We have a large planting area in the front that is devoid of any plant life. I would like to turn this into a semi shaded area with some annua... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native plants for sandy soil and not much water April 14, 2008 I am planning a new garden at home and would like to grow native plants that can handle sandy soil and don't need much water. I do not water my gardens.I would prefer plants that can have more than o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Viability of buffalo grass in Yuma, AZ March 30, 2008 Will Buffalo Grass grow in Yuma, AZ, where the temperature can go as high as 120 degrees in the summer? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Buffalo grass and other native grass for lawn in Central Texas March 17, 2008 Hi, I live in Cedar Park, TX - recently moved to into a newly built house. I wanted to put some native grass (like buffalo) in the back yard. - My back yard has slope (away from house) and front... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants that will grow in clay in North Carolina March 14, 2008 I have a small fenced back yard, predominately hard red clay, that is a major focal point. I am designing my own garden/yard area (to cut cost) and have a list of plants that will grow in this soil w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native grasses for Kansas City March 13, 2008 I live in a Johnson county suburb of Kansas City. I would like to have a section on my yard be native grasses. Can I drive the country roads and dig up clumps of the grasses I like? Will they grow?... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Hardy, inexpensive perennials for Mansfield, TX March 12, 2008 I am trying to fill two flowerbeds that are in full sun mostly and right next to the house. I want something that can live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and is pretty hardy. I also don't want to spe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Assessment of Turffalo variety of buffalo grass (Bouteloua dachtyloides) March 05, 2008 Dear Mr.Smarty Plants, Now its March 2008, and your trial installation of Turfallo has had a year to prove itself; I'm interested to know your opinion of Turfallo Grass. There are such good e-c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Trimming of native muhly grasses February 11, 2008 Do pine muhly, gulf muhly, and bull muhly need an "annual haircut"? I started wondering after reading that Lindheimer's muhly does not have to be cut back each year. I cut back all my non-muhly n... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides) for horse pastures February 04, 2008 Can Buffalo Grass be used for browse for horse pastures? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Trimming of native Muhlenbergia dumosa (Bamboo grass) January 27, 2008 Should Muhlenbergia dumosa (Bamboo grass) be cut down in a similar fashion to other perennial grasses that go dormant in the winter. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native grass for Splendora, Texas. January 25, 2008 We have a newly built house on a two acre lot in Splendora (zip code 77372). We would like to seed (the best choice) for grass. What about centipede or buffalo grass? The soil is a sand with clay 4... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native grasses palatable for horses and eliminating KR bluestem. January 11, 2008 Looking for native Texas grasses which are palatable for horses, to overseed in areas which are currently overrun with KR bluestem. What are the best grasses and best way to accomplish this? (SW Gi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Post freeze care for Texas native grasses January 05, 2008 Can you tell me the best post-freeze care for Tx native grasses in my garden: lindheimer muhly, gulf muhly, inland sea oats. Mexican feather grass. Do I cut them back? Burn them? Leave them alone? T... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native plants for landscaping backyard in Central Texas January 02, 2008 We are starting from scratch in our backyard (approx. 200'x60')in Central Texas (Cedar Park). The yard faces West. What do you recommend for plants, trees, shrubs and grass that are native and will ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native landscaping plants for Sherman, Texas December 19, 2007 We are starting from scratch on landscaping our new yard. We live in Sherman, TX and I would like to use plants and flowers that are native to Texas and have a good chance of surviving. What are you... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Grasses for dry bottom detention ponds December 15, 2007 I am working on a project for my HOA in order to reduce mowing costs and to beautify our neighborhood. We were wondering if you could help us find people knowledgeable about dry bottom detention pond... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Getting rid of King Ranch bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum) December 12, 2007 I ranch approximately 1500 acres of land seven miles southeast of Marble Falls , Texas . At present, the land is inundated with King Ranch Bluestem; which as you know, kills by smothering all other na... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Mowable sedge for Zone 5, New York December 07, 2007 My wife (who is from Austin!) and I have a house in New York, warmish Zone 5. We are seeking a grass-like groundcover for lawn areas ranging from full to partial shade. We have a well-drained hill n... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Trimming of cordgrass plants November 20, 2007 We have planted more than 150 cordgrass plants (spartina bakeri) along the edges of the small pond at our condominium complex to try to prevent any further soil erosion between the buildings and the p... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for full-sun landscape November 20, 2007 I live in a very rocky area just outside of Fort Worth, TX. It's taken me all spring, summer & now I'm going into the fall, to landscape just 30 feet in front of my house. The front of the house get... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for a Zen garden in North Carolina November 03, 2007 I am looking for plants that would be suitable for a ZEN style garden in North Carolina View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Small plants for space between stones on a path November 03, 2007 We've just installed a stone path (unmortared) near our house and are looking for plants/seeds that would do well in the gaps between the flagstones. Naturally they need to be very low growing and h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Weed and feed for buffalograss October 30, 2007 What is a good winterizer or weed & feed for buffalo grass? I live in Southwest Austin. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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