Native Plants
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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 | |
| Plants for sunny dry soil location August 22, 2010 Do any native plants exist in a highly sunny very dry soil location? (high overhang prevents rain but allows sun) View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hybridized Indigo Spires having problems in Wimberley, TX August 19, 2010 I planted 7 Indigo Spires from one gallon containers in May and now each plant is about 18" tall. 4 of the 7 fell over about 2 weeks are. The plants still look healthy with no dropped or curled leav... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Perennial for cemetery plot in Massachusetts August 03, 2010 What perennial would work well in a cemetery plot that has very dry sun? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for cutting garden in Starkville MS July 29, 2010 I would like to know the native plants to put in a cutting garden. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Perennials for flower bed in Humble TX July 28, 2010 I have a 10 foot by 10 foot flower bed that needs to be replanted and I am located in Houston, TX so what would be some good perennials to plant that are good to grow in this heat? I have been told L... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Red sister Cordyline problems in Brownsville TX July 27, 2010 I bought a Red Sister Cordyline plant but once the leaves grow they dry from the ends. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Perennials for mountain cabin in Southern California July 26, 2010 We have a mountain cabin at 7,000ft elevation in S. California. Please recommend native perennials. Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Mexican sage bushes in Mokena IL July 12, 2010 I have two Mexican sage bushes; can they be planted in Illinois and survive the winter? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deer resistant plants for area under grand fir (Abies grandis) in Idaho July 08, 2010 What can I plant on a slope under Grand Fir trees in North Idaho, zone 4 - anything deer resistant? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants indigenous to Sedona, AZ July 07, 2010 I live in Sedona AZ and I want to plant indigenous plants in my garden. Is there a list of AZ native plants shrubs and trees that are indigenous to Sedona? If there is no list that is specific f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cottony infestation on Turk's Cap in Austin July 05, 2010 The Turks Cap in my front planter is well-established and, overall, happy and blooming. However, some of the top leaves, those in the most shaded area, have what looks like a thin, loose layer of cot... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deadheading Mexican hat to produce more blooms in Austin July 05, 2010 I have several Mexican hat (rudbeckia) plants growing wild in my yard. Would deadheading now give them a second flush of bloom in fall? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Flowering plants for shady garden in Bastrop July 02, 2010 We live in Bastrop, 8 miles west of the Historical district. We have a small flower garden in a shady spot around 25 feet from the back patio of our home. We'd like to find out what native plants, f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for steep slope in shade in Iowa July 02, 2010 I work for a small non-profit shelter here in Dubuque, Ia. that has a very steep slope behind the building that needs some sort of plant or grass planted to stop erosion. The slope gets little to no s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shade loving plants with color for Irving, Texas July 01, 2010 Looking for shade loving perennials or annuals with color - native and low water. Live in Irving, Texas. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a steep slope in New York June 27, 2010 We just installed a swimming pool in our back yard, which is at the top of a south facing slope. After the pool was installed the slope is now 3 ft higher and very steep (unmowable). I'd guess steepe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Fertilizer producing leaves over flower production in Austin June 27, 2010 Can you please list which Central Texas perennials' will favor leaf growth over flower production when fertilized? I have many in the "Grown Green" booklet and need to know which flowering plants s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Erosion control in West Union IA June 22, 2010 Erosion control and native grasses/plants for steep, shady slope in northeast Iowa. We are building a house in northeast Iowa (near West Union in Fayette County). The road that was graded to the ho... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deer-resistant plants for under cedar and oak trees in Austin June 22, 2010 I have about 1.5 acres in southern Travis county. It's full of mature live oaks and cedar trees, and the soil is full of limestone. I've been gathering the limestone and using them to create raise... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants to prevent erosion on slope in Texas June 19, 2010 We have an erosion problem developing on the low side of a gently sloping hill. We are in clay soil at the base of the hill with oaks and pines. We have a right of way that is without trees forty fee... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for shade, poor soil in Park Ridge NJ June 17, 2010 Hello! I live in far northeast New Jersey, by the New York state border. I am looking for plants for areas of my lawn that nothing currently grows in - due to shade and poor soil quality - very rocky,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for pool area in Kentucky June 12, 2010 We live in central Kentucky and have a backyard pool that desperately needs some landscaping. I would like plants that don't drop a lot of leaves or "trash". I'd like a list of great poolside pl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trimming iris leaves in Pickerington OH June 08, 2010 I recently trimmed the stems and leaves of my iris plants in late May - I realize now this was a bit early. The leaves are still about 3-4" out of the ground. I would like to half them and move som... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants that will grow on the Connecticut coast June 08, 2010 I live on the coast in Connecticut and have a hard time growing plants here. I live about 1/2 mile from the beach and find that my soil is very rocky. The only plants that have done well in my yard ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with giant coneflower in Richardson TX June 05, 2010 Dear Mr Smarty Plants- I have had a giant coneflower in my garden for 2 years now. This year it came up like it always had..got lots of leaves and then withered..turned brown and died. It got plent... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Short flowering plant that will grow in sand in Black Creek WI June 03, 2010 I would like to know what kind of flowering plant would grow good in sand? A short plant. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Balancing bloom in beds in Kents Store VA May 26, 2010 Our beds along a walkway in rural Central VA have replanted themselves - oenethera speciosa and dwarf yarrow have abandoned the north bed and are flourishing in the south bed. Sedums, lavender and can... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Annual flowers for rocky area near driveway in Pennsylvania May 25, 2010 What type(s) of annual flowers can I plant along a driveway in northeast PA? The soil is very rocky and the area is mostly shady receiving only morning and some late afternoon sun. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Penstemon digitalis not blooming in Hebron, NE. May 22, 2010 My Beardtongue plants are too close together. Can I transplant my Penstemon digitalis now, even though the plant is approx. 20" tall? It is not blooming. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How do Venus flytraps really work? May 13, 2010 How do venus flytraps *really* work? I've read it has something to do with the hairs in their "mouth," but is there a chemical reaction going on? A physical "trigger"? Help me understand the Venu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need to stabilize a south facing slope in Henderson, NC April 30, 2010 Hi, I have a south facing slope that is heavy clay with rock under it. It gets a lot of sun. I have planted a few bushes and some ground cover, but with all the snow and rain we had this past winter, ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Transplanting trilliums April 28, 2010 What's the best time to transplant white trillium on my property on the shore of Lake Michigan? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Best time to plant wetland plants in NY April 19, 2010 Hello Mr. Smarty Plants - I'm working on a fresh water, shoreline wetland creation project in New York State. I've created two zones of native wetland plantings, an emergent shallow marsh zone ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tropical plants for a pool-side planter in Cape Coral FL April 19, 2010 I live in Southwest Florida and have a pool inside a cage with a pool planter built into the deck around part of the pool. What kind of tropical plants can I put in the planter that are not root inva... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Damaged newly planted Gaura in Austin April 16, 2010 Hello yet again! This past Friday we attended the plant sale where we got lots of goodies to start a new bed. The plants were all planted on Sunday. All of them are doing fine, even beginning to... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Project on natives in Connecticut from Chino CA April 13, 2010 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, My 10 yr. old daughter is doing a project on Ct., and would like to know what the most common plants, trees and flowers are found in this state. A few of each would be a great ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Salvia that needs dividing in Maryville MO April 09, 2010 I have some May Night salvia that is 3 years old. Last summer it split in the middle and spent a lot of the summer laid open. I'm wondering if it needs to be split or pruned in some way? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to deal with wild verbena. April 07, 2010 Hello. I have a great 9 acres of black dirt in Dripping Springs! However now that I have cleared cedar, and then w/the great rains came...I am being taken over by wild verbena. (purple)..looks like wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Perennial blooming plants for Ashland MO April 02, 2010 I am beginning to create a flower bed in front of my house, I do not have a green thumb so I want to know what plants would come back yearly and I can plant now in Mid Missouri? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How to grow milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) for monarch butterflies March 31, 2010 I tried and tried and tried to grow Asclepias viridis, A. asperula and even A. oenotheroides from seeds and even tubers for fourteen years! Do you have advice for growing these and other milkweed plan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Low growing, flowering evergreen plants for Pflugerville TX March 30, 2010 I am wondering if you can suggest some low growing, flowering evergreen plants for my garden. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowers for sunny and shady gardens in Cedar Hill TX March 30, 2010 Last year I spent way too much on flowers for my sunny and shady flower beds. They all died from the heat, even after constant watering. What flowers could I plant in sunny and shady flower beds that ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants with color for steep slope in Calera, Alabama March 26, 2010 I have a large steep slope in my back yard that the developer called a privacy break. It has poor soil and gets full sun. I have planted muhly and maiden grasses but would like some color. The slope ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowers for sandy soil and sun in Wharton Co., TX March 23, 2010 I live in Wharton County. I am looking for flowers to plant in beds that have sandy soil and are well drained. The area receives sun all day until 5-6 in the afternoon. I would like to have flowers t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for yard in Sweetwater, Texas March 19, 2010 What plants or grass would you suggest for an area that that is located on the east side of our house - full sun morning through noon, then it's shaded the remainder of the day.. Thanks!! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a sunny, dry slope in NY March 01, 2010 Looking for plants, native to area, that are quick growing to a height of approximately 6" to 12" for a steep slope comprised of shale in a sunny location. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a mixed border in Houston February 22, 2010 I live in Houston and have a flowerbed I'd like to fill with plants that will look good year-round. The back is already lined with 6-foot shrubs so nothing like that. I'd like something with colorf... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for steep slope in California February 21, 2010 I have steep slope, southwestern facing, minimal shade in Southern California. The soil is rocky. Because of fire danger, I would rather not plant grasses. Do you have a suggestion? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Dietes bicolor(Bicolor Iris) winter-hardiness in Austin February 09, 2010 I have many bi-color irises (dietes bicolor), the freeze in Austin turned them brown. Can I trim them back without harming the plants? If trimming is acceptable, can you give me tips? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Soil for native Chilopsis linearis and Salvia greggii February 08, 2010 I want to plant a desert willow and a salvia greggii in my small lot. The developer used sandy loam to fill in the small garden in the front. I am 73 and a bit impaired. Do I really need to remove ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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