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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| Wildflowers for Murphy NC Clay August 24, 2012 I live on a ridge in Murphy NC. The property has trees so most of the land is in partial shade. The soil is good 'ole mountain red clay. I have some steep bankings in front of the house that I wou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| First flower of the year from Tallahassee FL August 20, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, What is the first wildflower to bloom in the North Florida area each year? I appreciate your knowledge and attention to all the questions you are asked. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Slope Erosion control for Fairview NC August 19, 2012 Please recommend plants to help with soil erosion on a slope. The soil is red clay and area gets full sun. The slope is approximately 12' x 12'. I live in Fairview, NC View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Mowing frequency of native lawn from Georgetown TX August 18, 2012 I have a native grass and wildflower lawn. At what frequency and when should the lawn be mowed? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants to prevent erosion in IL August 02, 2012 We just got done building a house and have leveled all of the dirt piles. We do have a row of straw bales to help prevent the dirt from washing onto the neighbors property. It is the wrong time of ye... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wildflower field for sewage leach field from Olga Washington August 01, 2012 I am interested in planting a large native wildflower field at a resort in the San Juan Islands in Washington State. It would be over a sewage leach field for many cabins and bathrooms. Are there any ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Butterflies attracted by Pink Evening Primrose from Burnet TX July 30, 2012 I see information on Pink Evening Primrose that says it attracts 'many butterflies' Please tell me which butterflies and name them? I've looked everywhere and am just exhausted and frustrated with... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Bluebonnet rosettes in July from Austin July 30, 2012 Dear Mr S.P.: Please solve my bluebonnet summer mystery! I established about 1500 sq feet of bluebonnets starting four years ago by scavenging seeds here and there and just scattering in the sprin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Nightblooming flower for Alberta, Canada July 28, 2012 Are there any night flowers that bloom in august or early september with more than one flower bud for each plant that is native to Canada? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Garden planning for wedding in Tallahassee July 18, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I would love your advice on creating a Wildflower Garden Plan. Earlier this spring in Tallahassee (North Florida). I sowed Wildflowers for the first time to see what would blo... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Bird-friendly plants for the Texas coast July 13, 2012 I'm interested in starting a native plant garden, specifically with an eye towards providing food (either from the plants or insects that are attracted to the plants) for migratory birds. However, s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Bluebonnets for Shanghai June 25, 2012 I am a Texas native that now lives in Shanghai, and I am trying to grow a little piece of home (Texas bluebonnets) indoors, and I was wondering: a. Do you have any ideal soil recipes that bluebonne... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wildflower season in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado region June 19, 2012 Hello, I plan on going to the San Juan, Co. area next month (mid-July) around Ouray to see the wildflowers. As you may know it has been very dry in Colorado. What do you expect the wildflower season t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flower sucession for Washington DC June 18, 2012 Interplanting to cover up spring ephemerals. When bulbs/spring ephemerals (camassia, bluebells, etc.) are dying back, their wilting leaves don't look so great. What can I plant to minimize the me... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Monarda species seed for heirloom gardens in Wales June 15, 2012 Hello. I am trying to obtain seeds for the following Monarda species: - barletti, lindheimeri, russeliana, and viridissima. Our address is Wales, United Kingdom and we are hoping to obtain the full c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant Identification from Decatur GA June 14, 2012 Hi: In early May 2012 we visited the Center--fantastic. There was a large shrub/tree with yellow blooms near a silo. Is it Retama? Also there was a lot of a purple blooming plant in with the conef... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Gathering seeds of Indian Blanket from Duncanville TX June 09, 2012 We have a field full of Indian Blanket that are blooming now and would like to share some seeds with our friends! Where is the seed on them and I take it we wait till they are done blooming to get the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Invasive Indian paintbrushes in Grawn MI June 04, 2012 I have lots of Indian paintbrushes crowding my lawn and taking over the grass..what kills it without killing the grass? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wildflowers being mowed in Canyon TX June 03, 2012 Can I receive a letter from someone there to put up in our neighborhood? I live in an area very close to Palo Duro Canyon. A developer out here mows down the wildflowers along the one lane road. It ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Meadow garden for Colorado Springs CO June 03, 2012 We recently purchased a restored home on a mesa just above the downtown area of Colorado Springs on the front range. The previous owners seeded the front lawn with blue gramma and told me that all I ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Dandelions in bluebonnets in Bastrop TX May 31, 2012 I have a 20'x60' front yard area where I planted bluebonnets. It has become horrifically inundated with dandelions. How do I eradicate the dandelions while preserving the bluebonnets ? Thanks ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| When can native wildflower mix seeds be planted from Rosenberg TX May 30, 2012 I received a package of "All Native Wildflower Mix". The package says plant in Spring. Is too late to plant now or should I wait for next March? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Digging wild buttercup from roadside in Mechanicsville MD May 28, 2012 Mr. Smarty Plants, is it illegal to dig out wild buttercup in Maryland? I see them along the dirt road or just in the ditch. Since buttercup considered weed, I'm wondering what the law say about this... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Adding Wildflowers to Corpus Christi May 20, 2012 I have a dry sandy yard, full sun in Corpus Christi with lot's of stickers mostly, want to transform to wildflowers. When should I plant, how should I prepare soil, should I dig out stickers? Which w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Restoring the woods in Central Austin. May 08, 2012 I live in Austin, south central between Red Bud trail close to the low water bridge and Bee Caves road. My question: I want to make the wooded sections of my yard attractive. They have filtered sun... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Ground cover for a bank in PA April 28, 2012 I live in Landisburg, PA, (zone 6). I need to find some ground cover for a primarily full sun bank that is roughly 10-12' down over the embankment and up to 100' long. This area wraps around our po... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Why did my Prairie Flax plant die in Austin, TX? April 27, 2012 Hello, We planted 4 prairie flax last fall in garden. They were all growing nicely until last month when I found that one of them has completely dried up and died. The plants are planted together a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Solution to preserve cut wildflowers from Sugarland TX April 23, 2012 What is the best solution to preserve cut wildflowers in? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Spots on bluebonnets from Godley TX April 21, 2012 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants! I'm trying to separate rumor and folktales from fact when it comes to bluebonnets in Texas. I notice that bluebonnet blossoms have a double white spot on the center petal tha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Legal to mow wildflowers in HOA in Royse City, TX April 21, 2012 We live out in the country in Rockwall County, Texas. Is it legal to mow the wildflowers on our 2 acre lots? The HOA documents we committed to require the homesites to be maintained, but there is di... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| When do you put out bluebonnet seeds in Bastrop, TX? April 17, 2012 When do you put out bluebonnet seeds?? I hear fall but don't the seeds pop out of dried up plants in early summer? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Seeds native to New Jersey from Glendora NJ April 16, 2012 My sister is getting married and would like to send out native wildflower seeds to the guests in her save the dates. We want these seeds to be NJ native seeds, but we are actually having some trouble ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Time to mow bluebonnets from Smithville TX April 12, 2012 When is the best time to mow the seeded Bluebonnets? I have them and Drummond Phlox in my front yard. I need to clean and trim to start pulling the large numbers of Purple Hooked Sandburr. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Herbicide use in bluebonnet field in Blanco, TX April 10, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have the best of both worlds and the worst of both worlds. I’ve been throwing bluebonnet seeds for 6 years on our property near Blanco, and when it rains, as it has this year... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native plants of Taos and Los Alamos NM from Houston April 07, 2012 Hi, Mr. Smarty Plants, can you recommend a guidebook for the native plants of the Taos/Los Alamos region? (I'm most interested in forbs.) I'll be headed there in May--is there anything I should es... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for steep clay bank in Summerfield OH April 07, 2012 Hello, We have a steep 15-20 foot high bank behind our house here in southern Ohio. Probably 50 ft.long. What could we plant for beauty and erosion control. It is nasty clay soil with lots of shale an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowers for Fall in Bosque County from Valley Mills TX April 06, 2012 What Wildflowers could we plant in Bosque County area to bloom in the Fall? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Day trips for wildflower viewing from Austin April 05, 2012 I live in Austin, Texas. Where is the best place for bluebonnet viewing? Or a day trip to see wildflowers? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Replacing non-native invasives with native grasses and wildflowers from Round Rock TX April 04, 2012 I have a small piece of property (1.5 AC) East of Austin, Texas that get's overgrown with weedy vegetation (johnson grass, dandelion, and some tall yellow flowering plant that I see all over the medi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plantings of Castilleja in Texas April 04, 2012 I am a graduate student interested in studying different species of paintbrush (Castilleja) in Texas. I understand that the Texas Dept of Transportation has been seeding wildflowers along Texas highwa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Flowering Deer Resistant Ground Cover for Dry Rocky Soil: Alabama March 26, 2012 My question has been partially answered in the FAQ but I live in Birmingham where the soil is clay and rocky so it's a little different. I want to plant on a rocky slope (small rocks like the size of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Flowers for an August wedding in Driftwood TX March 25, 2012 For an August 4th wedding in Driftwood, Texas we want fragrant flowers and wildflowers that we can grow in our garden. We have four raised beds (12 ft. x 6 ft.) in a fenced area in which we've grown ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| When and where are the bluebonnets blooming from Canyon TX? March 18, 2012 Where can we get reports on when and where the bluebonnets are blooming? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Most common wildflower in Texas from Grand Prairie TX March 12, 2012 What is the most common wildflower in the state of Texas? My kiddos stumped me on this one? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wildflower Lawn for Round Rock, TX March 04, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I live on the west side of Interstate 35 in Round Rock. I have a very sick St. Augustine lawn that I would like to replace with some sort of wildflower mix. I like the look of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Planting wildflowers in spring for spring bloom March 02, 2012 I was wondering if it is possible to plant wildflowers around this time of year, and expect them to bloom in the spring still? I have heard that many wildflowers germinate in the fall. Are there c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Current forecast for wildflowers from Colorado Springs February 24, 2012 What is your current forecast for wildflowers this spring? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants in bloom in April in Stuart FL February 24, 2012 Can you tell me which plants I might reasonably expect to see in bloom in April of this year? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Healthy native plants supporting local economy from Tacoma Park MD February 17, 2012 I am collecting information on how healthy native plant communities can support the local economy. Do you think the Texas bluebonnets are a good example of this in Texas? For example, do you know ma... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deer and Drought Resistant Natives for San Marcus, Texas February 15, 2012 Hi there, Do you have a list of plants and ground covers (deer/drought resistant) for the San Marcos area? Much as I love grass, it's impossible with this drought. I'd love to have lots of flowers ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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