Native Plants
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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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Plants for slope in central Alabama July 26, 2011 Our home is atop a 20-25' eastern facing sandy loam slope in central Alabama. It was previously covered w/ kudzu. After 3 yrs. of eradication of the kudzu we are ready to plant with native grasses/pl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need suggestions for landscaping along a creek in Lenoir, NC July 25, 2011 I live in Lenoir, NC and would like to landscape my creek bank that is about 90 feet long and is 200 feet from my house. I thought about evergeen bushes maybe rhododendron; some grasses; a few trees ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Lindheimer's muhly, goat food in Fredericksburg TX July 25, 2011 How can I eradicate Lindheimers muhly in my pasture and what can I plant in its place that goats will graze on? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Is Panicum virgatum native to Pennsylvania July 22, 2011 Is Panicum virgatum native to PA? I do not see it in your database but it is listed as a native in many places. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for slope on Orcas Island, WA July 21, 2011 Hi! What a great site! Okay, I have a home on Orcas Island, WA. We live here from about June through September, but only visit once a month or so the other times of the year. We are looking for somet... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for a property near a conservation area in MD July 18, 2011 Can you tell me what native plants and the type of landscaping that would be good to plant in front of a forest conservation area that is on a steep hill behind our future house? It is located in Manc... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for steep bank in Pennsylvania July 12, 2011 What do I do with a very steep bank with hard clay soil to stop erosion and to look nice. Is there a ground cover that would help? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Can Carolina wild petunia be planted over septic tank in Nokomis FL July 10, 2011 Could you tell me the root depth of the Ruellia caroliniensis/ Carolina wild petunia? Trying to determine if I can plant it over septic tank. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plant to stabilize river bank in Wisconsin July 10, 2011 We live along the Chippewa River in Pepin County WI and are looking for a blooming plant to help "hold" our river bank and also look attractive..it must be strong enough to take the spring flood. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants to stop erosion on creek side July 05, 2011 I need plants for a westside slope to a creek that will help with erosion, need fast growing and likes lots of sun. Thank you, Mr. Smarty Plants View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Groundcover for Laredo Texas July 04, 2011 I am in Laredo, TX and no longer want to waste water on grass. I would like to pull it all out and plant native, drought resistant ground cover - low growing, between 6-12 inches, sun and partial sha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
What is pulling Indian Grass out of a park in Washington DC? June 29, 2011 We are renovating a park in Washington, DC on the waterfront. We have planted Sorghastrum Nutans (Indian Grass). During the evening/overnight something is pulling the plants from the ground. It is onl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native grass lawn for San Antonio June 25, 2011 Dear Mr Smartyplants, I live outside of San Antonio and my question is in regards to putting in a native grass lawn. What type of soil should I put down? I've sprayed herbicide and was planning on ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Grass for shady area June 21, 2011 I need to find a grass that can grow in a shady area, with some sun. Drought resistant and preferably native to the area. Would like to find a sod if possible. I know it's not a great time to plant n... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
drought-resistant turf grasses for New York City June 16, 2011 Hi - I work at the Smithsonian in New York City and we have a very large lawn that is frequently used in the summer for programming. It gets very beat up. I read an article in teh New York Times about... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Time to Plant Blue Grama Seeds in Spring Branch, Texas June 11, 2011 We would like to plant Blue Grama grass seeds but due to the hot weather with no rain here in central Texas, can we wait until September or even October to plant grass seeds? Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native grasses for a sandy Maryland yard June 10, 2011 Mr. Smarty Plants, I live in Severn (AA County) where we have sandy soil and on a well/septic system. Can you tell me a native grass I can seed in my yard? Something hardy and does not require a ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Groups promoting Edible Grasses June 08, 2011 Is there a group of people who want to study and grow edible grasses? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native Grasses for Winnsboro, Texas June 03, 2011 What would be a good grass to plant in East Texas near Winnsboro? My soil is sandy. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for a slope in WV June 01, 2011 I live in the northern panhandle of WV. We have a hill side in front of our home and are getting too old to cut it. What would be the best ground cover for it. We want something that looks good and wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Will the native turf grass be a habitat for chiggers? May 25, 2011 "Researchers create perfect Texas lawn"—Article. No mention was made of insect issues with this new type of lawn installation. Will 'chiggers/red bugs' still be an issue? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Sun requirement for native turf grasses May 25, 2011 What are the sun requirements needed for the native grass seed mix you recently released? I have a pretty well shaded back yard. Will this stuff grow well in this condition? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ![]() | |
Keeping Bermuda out of Native Turfgrass May 15, 2011 We live on zip code 78154. Sadly our yard has bermuda grass–we are using solarization to kill the bermuda and plant seeds of buffalograss/bluegrama/curly-mesquite. All the neighbors have bermuda and ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Comparison of native turf with St. Augustine and Kentucky bluegrass May 11, 2011 The native turf page mentions outperforming Bermuda grass, St. Augustine, and Kentucky blue, but the graphs only compare the natives to Bermudagrass. How do the native mixes stand up to St. Augustine... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Grasses to stabilize creek bed in Bastrop County, Texas May 06, 2011 Hello, we have property in Bastrop county, the soil is sandy loam with clay underneath. We need to stabilize a creek bed, can you suggest any particular grasses (seed) for this? Know it's not the be... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for creek bank in North Carolina April 29, 2011 I would like a list of plant options to plant on an almost vertical creek bank in some location in Charlotte, NC. The creek runs through a 300 acre basin, maybe 3 or 4' high banks and I have never se... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for a sandy slope in NY April 18, 2011 I can really use your help. I have a steep very, very sandy slope I need to plant to stop the erosion. It gets sun from 9:00 to 2:00. I plan on adding an irrigation system in the area. Planting is goi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants to slow water runoff in Austin April 16, 2011 What native plants (rocky northwest Austin) will block water runoff? It seems as if something deep-rooted and densely growing would help. Grass comes to mind, but the area gets at best 2 or 3 hours of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Removing Purple Top Tridens out of Mt Pleasant Texas April 07, 2011 We would like to know how to kill these Purple Top Triden out of our garden. Thanks, Judy View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants That Thrive Under Trees in Texas April 06, 2011 I have a flower bed with dense shade (under a mature maple tree and a large mature bottle brush) located on the Galveston/Harris county line just off of Clear Lake. The bed has sprinklers and drains w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native grasses for horse and cattle forage in Hockley, Texas April 03, 2011 I would like to know the best type of native hay to seed on 10 acres in Hockley, Tx. The hay will be used for forage for horses and a milk cow. We would like to go completely organic and not use any ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Re-landscaping neglected garden in Franklin CT April 03, 2011 I am starting from scratch in a yard that has no planting beds or, for that matter, plants at all. House was vacant for quite some time, grass was three feet tall when we moved in. I would like to p... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Setaria scheelei grass for San Antonio March 21, 2011 It seems that ornamental grasses for dry shady places are few and far between. Southwestern Bristlegrass (Setaria scheelei) is exactly what I'm looking for and would solve all my problems! Only I c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Should wait to trim Inland Sea Oats until all seeds have been dropped from Austin March 18, 2011 Regarding Inland Sea Oats: I trimmed the stalks that have lost all the seeds. Should I trim the rest of the stalks or wait until all seeds have dropped? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Possible to grow Inland Sea Oats in Oklahoma? March 17, 2011 Would it be possible to grow inland sea oats in Southeast Oklahoma? Is this within the range of this plant? I am asking on behalf of my cousin in OK. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Recommendations for plants under sugar maple (Acer saccharum) tree March 12, 2011 We have an area under sugar maple trees and near white pines. We cannot get any grass to grow. There is little moisture and no sun in the summer. We live 25 miles north of Nashville, TN. Can you r... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for aerobic septic system in Houston February 03, 2011 My husband and I would like to plants some trees and shrubs, but we have an aerobic system taking up most of the yard :( Can you recommend any trees that won't hurt that? Also shrubs for our weath... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Best Time for Dividing and Transplanting Native Bunch Grasses in Jarrell, Texas February 02, 2011 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, What time of the year is the best for dividing and transplanting native bunch grasses like Gulf muhly, and Miscanthus? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Low Maintenance Grasses for Montgomery County, Texas January 24, 2011 I have to replace a dead lawn. Can you recommend a low maintenance, low water need grass seed for Spring, in Montgomery County, Texas View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Short to Medium Height Grasses for Iowa January 20, 2011 What short to medium height native grass can be planted in late fall at the same time I sow my wildflower seed? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native grasses for horses in Manor, TX January 20, 2011 Hi, Can you tell me which native grasses to plant that would grow (and be drought tolerant) in the Manor area. The area we would like to plant seeds has some sun and part shade. There appear to be so... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
What plants grow well in Athens, TX? January 18, 2011 Athens, Texas, we have very sandy soil mixed with clay, what plants grow well here? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Reseed Buffalograss in Early Spring in San Antonio January 14, 2011 When is best time to put down Buffalo grass seed in 78260 area. How much dirt should I put over existing sodded buffalo grass, which is now sparse? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Tolerance to foot traffic for native turf grass December 16, 2010 I have read your articles on your mix of three native seeds for turf grass and on other native grasses but am left with a couple of lingering questions. We have about a 600 sq. ft area we want to plan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Grass-planting time in Mt. Pleasant, TX December 15, 2010 We are new to Texas and just finished building a house. The builder wants to seed the grass now (December). Will it germinate or will we have to replant in spring? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Erosion control on partially shaded slope November 27, 2010 Mr. Smarty Plants, I live in Atlanta, GA. My house is on a hill, and I am beginning to have erosion at my backyard porch (concrete slab, on the corners especially). The soil is mainly red clay, a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Cutting Juncus effusus back from Bellevue WA November 18, 2010 I read your posts about Juncus effusus and just have one follow-up question. When is the best time to cut them back to the ground - before winter or early spring? I live in the Pacific NW. I recent... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Properties of Nolina species November 16, 2010 I bought two plants that were labeled "Nolina" but one has round leaves and the other has flat leaves with serrations. Are they two different species? Also, can they be divided or is there only on... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Irrigation of landscaping project after 1 year in San Antonio November 10, 2010 Hello, I am working on a project in San Antonio where the following vegetation types have been specified: cedar elm, bald cypress, 'Tifway 419' bermuda grass, mountain laurel, esperanza, and lantana... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Ground cover to withstand dog traffic in Michigan November 02, 2010 I need a soft ground cover that will grow in sand, and be able to take four big dogs that love to run in the yard. Grass just doesn't make it. Someone suggested that groundcover might work. Thanks... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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