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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| topic | question | |
| Drought tolerant ground cover for Midlothian, TX June 17, 2012 I'm looking for a fast, low ground cover. That is drought tolerant for a large slope. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with non-native parsley from Brooklyn NY June 17, 2012 Had beautiful flat leaf parsley plants recently turn yellow & die. Found black armadillo like bugs bored throughout the roots. Now they're spreading. How do I kill them without contaminating the pla... 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 |  | |
| 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 | ||
| Blue mistflowers not blooming in Houston June 09, 2012 My blue mist flower plants are not blooming, but they did last summer. I have tried spreading manure, but it hasn't worked. What should I use to stimulate blooms. Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Source of Berlandiera pumila seeds from Coral Gables FL June 07, 2012 Where can I buy plants or seeds of Berlandiera pumila? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Something eating holes in Texas Betony from Austin June 06, 2012 What pest is eating holes in the leaves of my Texas Betonys? They look healthy but almost all leaves have various sizes of round holes in them. What is the best cure for this? Thanks View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Weak stems on asters and ironweed from Woodbridge ON June 06, 2012 My question is in regards to plants flopping over. My smooth asters and ironweeds never seem to have strong stems. Is because the soil is too fertile or maybe too shallow? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for North Myrtle Beach SC June 05, 2012 What plants will do well at North Myrtle Beach, SC that will take full sun with dry soil? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Ground cover for Thornton CO June 04, 2012 I want to order ground cover because I don't want to mess with grass any more. I live in Colorado, north of Denver. The soil has a lot of clay. I tried clover and that did not do well. My yard is par... 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 |  | |
| Do monarchs like Cynachum laeve in Austin, TX? May 29, 2012 I have found what I believe is Honeyvine (Cynanchum laeve) growing in my yard here in Austin. I tried using the LBJWC plant data base and could not find it. I also found the plant with a diff... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover for shade from Atlanta GA May 28, 2012 I am looking for recommendations for a ground cover. I live in the Atlanta, Georgia area and have a large shady slope on which I would like to use low maintenance/water native ground cover. What wou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants wilting too quickly in Toledo OH May 27, 2012 The garden I have had recent issues with plants wilting all too quickly. I would like to know what types of plants would be hearty for the climate in Toledo, Ohio. I have a partly sunny front yard and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Fiber and dye plants at the Wildflower Center from Round Rock TX May 24, 2012 When I visited the Wildflower Center recently I noticed a garden labeled as containing fiber and dye plants, but the individual plants and their uses were not all labeled. I would be very interested ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Stabilizing a lakeside slope from Bracey, VA May 24, 2012 We are trying to beautify and stabilize a relatively large lakeside steep slope with a southern exposure in central Virginia. The soil is characterized by red clay and shale rock. How can we turn this... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Which plants are resistant to dog urine in Ashmore, IL?? May 21, 2012 Which native plants are resistant to dogs urinating on them? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grass for Seattle Arboretum May 20, 2012 I am writing to you on behalf of the Arboretum at South Seattle Community College Arboretum. I am interested in Panicum virgatum Switch Grass as a plant for a very heavy clay garden in our Arboretum a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Eliminating ragweed in Sacramento CA May 16, 2012 Rag weed. How to be rid of it! My wife and lots of others that live in this part of Sacramento suffer greatly. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pollinator garden for Belen NM May 16, 2012 Trying to set up a flower garden to attract bees and butterflies. Can you tell me what would be best to grow. I live in Belen, NM. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pond Plants for Eureka Springs AR May 16, 2012 I have a 1 acre pond that we are cleaning up. This area will be used for recreation and fishing. We plan to put native rock around some of the edges and need perennial plants that do well in rocky are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| How to propagate Clematis texensis in Austin, TX? May 14, 2012 How do I propagate a Clematis texensis Buckl. Scarlet leatherflower from the seed pod? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Habiturf for East Texas May 14, 2012 We live in east Texas, right on the beginning of the piney words, the soil is a little sandy. We have taken up a wooden walkway but can't get anything to grow there. Could the soil be dead from year ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Invasive American Germander from San Antonio May 14, 2012 I brought home some American Germander (Teucruim canadense) - page 259 In Wildflowers of Texas by Geyata Ajilvsgi - from a railroad right-of-way. Since it is a member of the mint family it has becom... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Gaura drying out in Plano TX May 13, 2012 My gaura plant of 3 years suddenly seems to be drying out and no longer green or blooming? 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 |  | |
| Looking for Irises for Coryell County, TX. May 07, 2012 I'm looking for a hearty plant for Coryell County, TX. My mother always referred to these plants as "flags." I assume it is a type of iris. I'm looking for the one that will survive in the Cent... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Pool-side ornamentals for south Louisiana May 07, 2012 We live in south Louisiana and are re-doing the plants around our pool. What are some low maintenance, small shrubs (flowering) or other ornamentals that would be good in this area? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need a source of mature horsetail plants in Memphis, TN. May 06, 2012 Where can I find mature horsetail plants in Memphis,Tn.? Need enough to fill a 6 foot long by one foot wide planter Need for it to look like it's been there forever. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is wild foxglove poisonous to dogs from Liberty TX May 05, 2012 Is penstemon cobaea (wild foxglove)poisonous to pets, specifically dogs. I was thinking about adding this to my native Texan wild flower section of my backyard. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Steep slope from Charlotte NC May 03, 2012 I live near Charlotte, NC and I have a very steep sloped area from the edge of our front yard down to the road. It's a huge eyesore mainly because it is red clay dirt and has nothing growing on it. W... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Is Scutellaria suffrutescens native to Texas from San Marcos TX May 02, 2012 Is Scutellaria suffrutescens (Pink skullcap) a Texas native? I have found many conflicting answers and even seen it called Texas skullcap on sites that say it's native to Mexico. We will consider you... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Skunk cabbage from Amsterdam NY May 02, 2012 Will skunk cabbage grow under a mobile home and cause odor? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Trimming of penstemon after bloooming from Austin April 30, 2012 I planted a penstemon in my backyard last fall and it's doing great. Once the flowers have bloomed, do I cut the stalk back? It is about 2 ft tall and doesn't appear to be doing anything. I belie... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Toxicity of barren strawberries April 30, 2012 Are barren strawberries toxic? . View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for attracting butterflies in Austin April 28, 2012 My 9 year-old son is interested in finding butterfly eggs this Spring. His 3rd grade class is studying butterflies right now. I found a Wildflower Center article that lists several plants butterflie... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Speed of growth on plants from Plant Sale from Austin April 28, 2012 Hello, I recently attended the native plant sale and bought several plants for a sunny curbside bed in central Austin. Due to financial constraints I stuck with the 3 inch varieties so I could buy 3 ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Getting rid of invasive Florida betony from Myrtle Beach SC April 28, 2012 How can I get rid of Florida Betony from my lawn and flower beds/ garden area. Garden area was thoroughly dug up and hand picked of all tubules last year at least a foot deep. They are much worse now.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Sunny and shady lawns from Austin April 28, 2012 My front yard has a large bed surrounded by a mix of St. Augustine and Bermuda grass. Last summers heat killed off about 90% of the St. Augustine, which we would like to replace anyway to conserve re... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Turf grass for part-time home from Louisville KY April 28, 2012 We have a small yard at a remote location with cistern water, and need a turf grass for a yard, clay soil, which I am willing to amend. It will receive sporadic attention as my husband and I do not l... 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 |  | |
| Retention pond from Hendersonville NC April 24, 2012 We have a retention pond that has recently been cleaned and we would like to plant perennial native plant and grass seeds that will enhance the appearance and contribute to the natural process of filt... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Replacement for grass under non-native weeping willow from Yorba Linda CA April 24, 2012 What would be a good replacement for the grass currently growing under a weeping willow? Something requiring low maintenance, the problem is with mowing over and around the roots. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Source for air plant from Warwick RI April 23, 2012 Would you know of any store in Rhode Island that would sell the air plant (tillandsia plant)? I've been searching around and no luck! I would appreciate the help!! Thank you and take care View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Correct size for Wright penstemon from Granger TX April 21, 2012 The Wright penstemon pictured as your main plant, looks nothing like the other pictures below it. I realize, they can be pink or red. But the LARGE speciman out in your gardens is nowhere near the 1... 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 |  | |
| Need a perennial plant for a cemetery plot in Lexington, KY. April 16, 2012 What type of perennial plants to place on a cemetery plot in Lexington, KY. Receives afternoon sun. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Shade tolerant Wildflowers for Oklahoma City April 16, 2012 I live in Oklahoma City. I'm not in town very often, and am seeking low maintenance plants. I have MANY trees in my backyard, which makes it quite shady. I have raised beds amongst my rock garden ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Flowers for September wedding in Sunbury PA April 15, 2012 I am trying to grow my own flowers for a wedding in September. Can you please advise as to what i can grow to bloom? i live in northeast Pennsylvania. Wedding is in D.C. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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