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 | |
| Dividing non-native daffodils from Austin April 15, 2012 The foliage on my daffodils is lush and healthy, but I have no blooms. Should I divide them? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Clover Among the Bluebonnets in Round Mountain, Texas April 13, 2012 I have a beautiful yard of bluebonnets, but mixed in with them are a tall clover that is hiding the flower's beauty and a shorter plant with clover-like leaves that produces burrs. Pulling is not an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Hyptis alata information for San Marcos TX April 13, 2012 We saw a plant called Hyptis olata at the WFC plant sale today and cannot find it in the NPIN list. THis is a new one to us. Can you tell us something about it? THanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Removing invasive Dichelostemma firecracker plant from Austin April 12, 2012 We have dichelostemma firecracker plant & cannot kill it. We need help in getting rid of this plant. Spent another 3 hours digging up corms this afternoon. It is invading our backyard & want it kil... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ridding property of Dichelostemma Firecracker Plant from Cleburne TX April 11, 2012 How do we get rid of Dichelostemma-Firecracker plant? It has invaded our yard & we hate it! How do we kill it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need plants for new wrought iron planter in Spicewood,TX. April 10, 2012 I live in Spicewood, Texas, and have just purchased some really nice wrought iron window boxes for my patio railing. What would be the best and prettiest plants to use? Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native daylilies and pachysandra in same area from New York City April 07, 2012 Will daylilies and pachysandra thrive if planted in the same bed, or will they harm each other? 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 | ||
| Plant ID from Foster RI April 05, 2012 I have a weed flowering plant in bloom in a moist semi-shaded area. I would like to send a photo but I do not know how to upload. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hummingbird Attracting Plants for Shade in Smithville, TX March 28, 2012 I want hummingbird plants for shade. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Tall perennials for a sunny North Carolina border March 26, 2012 I need border plants for in front of a picket fence along front sidewalk. Space is only approx 1'6" wide and widening is not an option. So far I have daylilies, cannas, Mexican petunias, daisies, i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Flowers for October wedding in Rockport TX March 26, 2012 Hello Mr. Smarty Plants! I live in Rockport and am getting married in October. What can I plant that will be blooming then to have fresh cut flowers for the wedding? Also, when should I plant? 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 |  | |
| Care for non-native 'Glacier Blues' from Charlton MA March 24, 2012 Do you have to prune or cut down Glacier Blues in the garden? My plants look brown and wilted. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Bastard cabbage in Austin TX March 17, 2012 Not sure if this is the forum to address this; but is there any effort out there to do something about the bastard cabbage taking over Austin? Especially on MoPac where you can hardly see the bluebon... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Looking for native plants for a rain garden in Arlington, TX. March 12, 2012 I am looking for native Texas plants that would do well in rain gardens. Do you have any suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Looking for Mimosa pudica plants in Austin, TX. March 10, 2012 Where can I buy a Mimosa pudica plant in or near Austin? I don't want seeds, but a few small actual plants. Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How do I plant seeds harvested from my flower bed? February 28, 2012 In early Spring of 2011 I planted a new raised bed 75'x4' in size, with wildflower seeds obtained from a commercial nursery in Corpus Christi. I was taken back by their cost relative to the volume o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native aparejograss and Water-cress at a spring in Horeshoe Bay TX February 24, 2012 AT a small spring that seeps from a rocky hill on my ranch near Austin, a stringy grass called aparejograss has replaced the watercress that used to be there. Should I be worried? Does the appearance... 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 | ||
| Plantings for beneath a red oak in Lubbock TX February 23, 2012 What would you recommend to plant in a two tiered raised bed facing west, totally blocked from the east, thus receiving only the afternoon sun? A 21 year old red oak sits in the middle of the upper ra... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shade ground cover under honeysuckle from Wichita KS February 21, 2012 Hi! I know this is a bit odd, but I am trying to find a nontoxic, good ground covering plant that can live in the shade while competing with the roots of a whole bunch of honeysuckle. I have a few ide... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Trimming of Flame acanthus from Bastrop TX February 17, 2012 My flame acanthus never lost leaves off the bottom tier of branches this winter. With the brief warm weather and rain we've had, the top and middle tier of branches have all re-leafed. It is very l... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need perennials for front beds in south-facing house ib San Angelo, TX. February 12, 2012 What perennials will work in my front beds of southern facing house in West Texas? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Container plants for Arlington TX February 10, 2012 Mr. Smarty Plants, I just moved to Arlington, TX. I am trying to create a container garden on my apartment balcony. What flowers, herbs, vegetables, and fruit combinations can I put together that wil... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Landscaping large area in Webster KY February 10, 2012 We just bought a house that we fell in love with. The land around it . . . well it has GREAT potential but is seriously lacking at the moment. Trying to get the farm up and running leaves very litt... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for north side from Dale TX February 10, 2012 What native trees and bushes can I plant on the north side of house? Can I use corn meal( I NEED FIGHT A GRASS) in flowerbed and then plant native wildlife seeds(FLOWERS)? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Are there drug cartels on the bluebonnet trails from Lake City FL February 08, 2012 We plan to fly to TX to see bluebonnets but do not know if the weather and forest fires have destroyed them. If not, can you estimate the peak bloom time? We are 75 and 81 and move around rather s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need to plant something in the cracks in my patio in Skipperville, AL. February 06, 2012 Mr. Smarty Pants, I have a cement patio full of cracks. I would like to grow some sort of plant or plants in the cracks. I live in lower Alabama, and my patio is in full sunlight. Do you have an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need plants to grow between flagstones in Vista, CA. February 06, 2012 Hi, I have put in a flagstone patio set in DG. The DG is creating a very sandy messy surface on the flagstone, so want to plant a low ground cover between the joints. Its a fairly large area, in sun... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Restoring tornado-damaged property in Alexander City AL January 29, 2012 Dear Mr Smartypants, We were struck by the outbreak of tornadoes last spring and our wonderful woods are now unsightly sloping pastures with erosion problems.. many stumps and coils of roots. We are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant ID from Woodcreek TX January 27, 2012 I would like to attach a photo of a weed in my lawn and have you identify it. How do I send a photo? I have been told it may be ground ivy. Please tell me how to kill it without damaging the lawn. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care for indoor ivy from Carollton TX January 26, 2012 I have an indoor ivy that is on a pole. The pole is breaking, and I need to separate the ivy from the pole with the least amount of trauma to the plant. How should I do this? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Moving "lily of the valley" from MD to TX. Is that OK? January 17, 2012 My question pertains to lily of the valley. From your database, I learned that it is a native plant but only the following states were listed: GA , KY , NC , PA , SC , TN , VA , WV. I am moving from... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Horsetail Rush invasive in Santa Monica CA January 16, 2012 Mr. Smarty Plants: I live about 3 miles from the beach in the Santa Monica area and have an 18inch deep planter area in my backyard that is adjacent to my garage. I like the look of horsetail rush. I... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Negative and positive effects of invasive dandelions from Rama Ontario January 12, 2012 How do Dandelions have a negative impact of being a invasive and a Positive impact of being a invasive species ? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Allelopathy in Sassafras albidum January 11, 2012 Sassafras albidum description says "Sassafras is allelopathic and can discourage the growth of certain other plants within its root zone." My question is: WHICH plants are susce... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Managing non-native invasive creeping yellow cress in Rio Medina TX January 10, 2012 Due to my lawn mower dying and waiting for the shop to fix it my yard got a bit overgrown. I was walking around the yard looking at the blooming wildflowers and have discovered that one of them is Ror... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Questions about lilies from Trussville AL January 10, 2012 How can I tell what kind of lily I have? Or better yet,what is the difference between Asiatic lily and a daylily? I also noticed someone asked about Cahaba lily. Just want to let you know I grow Caha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Arrow weed January 10, 2012 Is arrow weed (Pluchea serecia) shade tolerant? Do you have an on-line resource for native species? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Seasonal tasks for Big Red Sage and Tall Aster in Marble Falls TX January 09, 2012 I transplanted some Big Red Sage and Tall Aster into my raised bed garden in early summer this year. They've sent up lots of rosettes. Do I need to protect them from freezing in winter? Do I need to ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Cutting back of non-native Salvia Elegans in Portland OR December 31, 2011 I did not trim back my pineapple sage in the fall. It is now winter and the plants are bare sticks. Should I cut them back or leave them alone? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Taking stock in where and what you grow in Denver Colorado December 22, 2011 I have two year old stock plants growing in a container in my home and they are finally starting to bloom. However, the buds open but don't produce any petals. Also they are experiencing yellow leave... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Frost damage to native plants in Austin December 19, 2011 Hello, We bought a number of native plants at this fall's WFC sale and planted them. The recent frost seems to have defoliated our pitcher sage, beautyberry, butterflyweed, and flame acanthus plan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Source of dollarweed for shady lawn in Hillsboro TX December 19, 2011 I live in Hillsboro,Tx - Where can I get Dollar Weed for my shady lawn? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants resistant to salt spray in FL December 18, 2011 What type of plants can I put in a small planter bed next to a waterfall with a saltwater pool? Everything I put in there dies. I live in Southwest Florida. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Destruction of Straggler Daisy in Austin December 18, 2011 I hate Straggler Daisy. Not to be offensive, but it appears from other posts on this site that you, Mr. Smarty Plants, and many others would like to treat it as a protected species. It is taking over ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Canadian Marine West Coast Plants December 15, 2011 What type of plants are found in the Canadian marine west coast climate? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native plants in Denton Co. TX pollinated by bats or hummingbirds December 07, 2011 I am looking for a list of Denton Co. TX native plants that are pollinated by bats? Do we have any? How about hummingbirds? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Information on orchid Spiranthes odorata from Golden MS December 06, 2011 I live in N.W. MS and am fortunate enough to receive 'Wildflower'. Even though it's geared to TX I was wondering if you can provide me information on the Spiranthes odorata that sprang up in my yar... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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