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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Full Sun, Wind-Tolerant Shrubs and Vines for Steep MN Hillside June 26, 2013 My neighbor and I share a very steep, large (in total almost 200 ft. wide) west-facing hillside in Excelsior, MN on Lake Minnetonka. We both have a flat grass area at the bottom so the hillside does n... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Erosion Control for a NC Clay Slope June 06, 2013 Hi, We have a large slope on the road edge of our property that has been gradually eroding with spring rains (NC red clay). We would really like to plant something for erosion control but the bank is... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Erosion control for steep slope in Southern California June 05, 2013 I need help for soil erosion control for a steep slope in sunny Southern California. Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Limiting erosion around pond from Brooklyn Park MN May 20, 2013 Minnesota resident, wants to find plant limit erosion from pond? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Stopping Soil Erosion on a Slope May 13, 2013 I live in Bonaire, GA and have a slope in my back yard. The soil is red clay and it gets sun most of the day. A small section of this slope tends to have a mudslide to the bottom of the slope. How ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Low growing erosion control plants for lakeside in Washington Township NJ May 12, 2013 I live on a small lake in Northern NJ and have installed beautiful Boulders along the water to help stop erosion. Now I want to add plants along the property but would like low growing, soil retentio... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Groundcover for foot traffic in dry shade from Prineville OR May 12, 2013 I live in central Oregon. I have an area under a large elm tree that slopes on all sides and has lots of foot traffic and no sun. (my kids have a swing in the tree and play around it a lot.) It's a v... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Shrub or Vine for NH Slope May 11, 2013 I'm looking for a native plant/shrub/vine that can be used to control erosion on a relatively steep slope in New Hampshire. Do you know of any? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Groundcover for Sunny Slope in CT May 11, 2013 I need a plant to use as groundcover and for erosion control on a sunny slope in southwestern Connecticut. Any suggestions other than juniper? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Groundcover for a Sunny, Steep Slope in Maryland April 29, 2013 I need a groundcover for a sunny dry steep slope in Towson, Maryland. The slope goes from the parking lot down to a deck area. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Smoky Mountains Shaded Slope Plant Suggestions April 29, 2013 We live in a very shady spot in Great Smoky Mountains in Western North Carolina. We would like to plant vegetation on a sloped area behind our cottage to stop erosion after building an addition. Our h... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for steep slope in Pittsburgh PA April 25, 2013 I have a similar question to one from SC. I live in Pittsburgh, PA. We have a steep slope behind a newly built in pool. What type of plants can I put on the hillside to hold the soil. It gets a ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Non-native daylilies for steep hill in Manassas VA April 25, 2013 Would like to plant steep hill w perennial flowering plants like daylily. The daylily farm said this would work great but not sure if we should lay landscaping fabric and poke through holes to plant ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Erosion control on slope from Columbia SC April 25, 2013 We are in the process of having a new home built in Columbia South Carolina. Part of the front yard has a steep slope starting approximately four feet from the corner of the house and running to the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Long Island Barrier Beach Plants April 22, 2013 I live on the south shore of Long Island on a barrier beach and am landscaping my property as a result of Sandy damage. I am going with a sand base, and I am looking for suitable trees and shrubs for... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Shady Perennial Groundcover Suggestions for Indiana April 21, 2013 Could you please recommend perennial groundcovers for Indiana that are low and leafy, self-spreading, non-invasive, deer resistant, and moisture tolerant; and that are good for erosion control on a sh... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Erosion control in Spicewood TX March 20, 2013 I am from a small community along the Colorado River a few miles East of Marble Falls. We are looking for a ground cover/grass to prevent erosion on on our beach front. We had planned to use Bermuda G... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
How to stabilize a slope under Red Oaks? March 19, 2013 A portion our front "yard" (20x40 feet) is a limestone hillside shaded by 3 large spanish oaks. The small amount of grass holding onto the hillside is now gone from the drought, and the hill has er... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Further explanation of retaining walls and trees from Washington MO March 11, 2013 I had a question previously about putting retaining walls across the root system of a 40' tall bald cypress tree(not like spokes on a wheel, but concentric to tree trunk). How wide can the walls be? ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Controlling slugs in a Pacific Northwest strawberry patch February 04, 2013 Would love to plant various varieties of strawberries on a bank for erosion control and ground cover. How can we keep the slugs at bay? We are in the the Pacific Northwest View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Erosion Control for Shady Ditches January 24, 2013 What plants can you recommend for erosion control along shady ditches in Northwest Indiana? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need suggestions for plants for a 45 degree slope in Falls Church, VA. January 23, 2013 Have a 45 degree hillside 50 feet wide by 60 feet long on north side of 26 story building. Very little sun with the need for soil retention plants. Would like a native plant or plants to cover area... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Winter groundcover for shaded backyard in Austin January 10, 2013 I live in south Austin and have a shaded backyard. During the summer, the lawn died and the ground is now bare. I'd like to plant some kind of winter grass or ground cover that will hold the soil i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need plants for steep slope in Knoxville, TN. January 10, 2013 I have several steep banks that have to be weed-eated each year every week. Do you know if there are any kinds of ground cover that would take over the weeds on these steep dangerous banks. I live in ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native Plants for Shaded North Slope in Ohio January 03, 2013 I have a shaded north hillside which needs erosion control plants. Mostly moss and very thin grass grows there now. Please help! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Groundcover to prevent erosion in Florida November 04, 2012 I live on a hill and put in a new side driveway and now I am seeing erosion along the driveway and can see the bottom of my concrete. Grass won't grow because its all shaded. What would be the best g... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Erosion control from Lakeland FL November 03, 2012 What native Ground cover is best for erosion control on slope of lake-front? Prefer not too invasive for this northern facing area behind a seawall and near large Oak tree. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Groundcover for Bonsall, CA October 17, 2012 I live in Bonsall, CA. (San Diego) I have 3 acres, flat and sloped that are graded dirt. (DG and sheep poop from previous owner). It is getting close to mud season and I'd like to plant winter cover... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Revegetating a hillside in western Washington state October 10, 2012 Removing several downed trees across my dock demolished the native plants growing on the hillside and the contractor pulled out their remains. The area faces east on an open freshwater bay. Close to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need plants for a slope in KY. September 29, 2012 I have a slope in my back yard that is mostly a slate shelf, grass and Weeds will grow but not well, very spotty. I am wanting a ground cover that blooms. Would like to not have to mow. This is a ve... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Grasses for Erosion control in Iowa September 27, 2012 We have a sloping yard in the midwest that gets 2-4 hours of sun during the warm weather. When we have large rainfalls, the water just pours down the slope causing a lot of erosion to the surrounding ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Deer-resistant groundcovers for erosion control September 26, 2012 I need a ground cover (vine??) that will help me with erosion on a sloped front yard. It gets about 6-8 hours of sun and my main need is for something that the rats in our neighborhood will not destro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Wildflowers for hill with erosion in San Carlos, CA September 22, 2012 What wildflowers would you suggest for our hills that have erosion, low ground cover in San Carlos, California? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Exposed Tree Roots in Austin September 04, 2012 I have a large ash tree with a lot of mud at the top of a sloping yard. I want to build a small retaining wall with the ground leveled above. This would entail covering exposed tree roots with 4-18 in... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need plants to replace cedars on a 40 degree slope in Boerne, TX. August 28, 2012 My backyard is a roughly 40 degree slope that is covered with cedars. The slope is basically all rock, what can I grow here to replace the cedar which drink too much water. I would still like the area... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Native plants both deer resistant and good for erosion from North Oaks MN August 23, 2012 We have several partially sunny areas on hills that are prone to both deer and erosion. Our goal is to reduce runoff in an effort to preserve the watershed that provides tap water to many citizens of ... 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 | ||
Need suggestions for native grasses to stabilize hillside Kerrville, TX. August 18, 2012 We have a steep slope at the back of our property in "caleche" territory in Kerrville. It is about 80 feet wide by 40 feet and ends at a wash. It is outside of our fenced yard and we are in city lim... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Establishing wildflowers on a slope in Virginia August 18, 2012 From Roanoke Virginia. I have a steep bank rising from one side of my driveway to woods above. Different areas vary from full sun, to half day shade. It is possible to carefully walk/stand on it, we a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Stream Bank Erosion Control for Bryan/College Station August 16, 2012 I live in the Bryan/College Station area and need a ground cover to abate erosion on the bank of an intermittent stream. The bank is shaded. Do you have any suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Low maintenance, shade tolerant groundcover for Pacific Northwest August 09, 2012 What's a good low maintenance, shade tolerant ground cover for the Pacific Northwest? It needs to have good erosion control, too. 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 | ||
North Dakota Riverbank Stabilization July 17, 2012 Can you suggest plants to prevent and stabilize river bank erosion on Sheyenne River, ND? Must be tolerant to cold, varying level of salts and sulfates and water level (from drought to flooding) View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Retention ponds for states in southeast, from Greenville SC July 14, 2012 We provide maintenance for Stormwater detention ponds and are looking for native grasses to plant in the bottom and sides of typically dry detention basins. Prefer low growing grasses that spread to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plantings for sides of retention pond in Willits CA July 02, 2012 I am looking for recommendations for ground cover for the outside of embankments which impound wastewater. This is to improve the aesthetics and deter weeds. The slopes are 1V:2H, so if we can avoid... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Ground cover that won't hide snakes from Asheville NC June 29, 2012 I have an unusual situation: several bare areas in an otherwise wooded area, which receive partial sun, and are not near water -- it rains here frequently, but the soil can become quite dry at times. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plantings for a slope from New Carrollton MD June 27, 2012 My house (Maryland, near DC) sits at the bottom of a south facing slope. The soil is very heavy clay. The grade is about 1:20 for about 100 feet (with a steeper part at the top). Part of the hill is i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need a pretty ground cover to control erosion in Rigdeway, SC. June 09, 2012 What is a fast, pretty ground cover blanket to control erosion on steep hill. gets full sun. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plants for a pond edge in IN June 08, 2012 Hello, I live in Southern Indiana. I care very much about reinforcing native plants for my region & not planting anything invasive. I had a pond built last year & need some suggestions for native ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need native plant to stabilize 45 degree slope in Houston, TX. June 06, 2012 Can you recommend a native TX plant to be used to stabilize a 45 degree slope in the Houston area? Durability, maintenance and appearance should be considered. Thank You. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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