Native Plants
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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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| Irish Strawberry tree care from Sydney Australia April 15, 2012 Hi I have an Irish Strawberry tree - AKA Arbutis Enedo. I have had it for a couple of years now, I have it planted in the ground quite healthy soil, I feed it Dynamic lifter (chicken manuare/pellet f... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Soil for Emory Oak from Dripping Springs, TX April 15, 2012 I bought an Emory Oak today at the Wildflower Center's plant sale. Upon reading about it when I got home, I see "it won't grow in alkaline soils." I was hoping to plant it in the riparian area ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Trees poisonous to horses from Landrum SC April 15, 2012 Please tell me if the following trees are poisonous to horses: hickory, beech, poplar, and redbud. Thank you very much. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Tilling for grass under old live oak in San Antonio April 15, 2012 Hi, I have a 250+ year old Texas Live Oak. As usual, the lawn under the tree, after 18 years needs to be redone. MY QUESTION: to put down new sod the lawn company needs to till the soil about 4 t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Can I move my Dwarf Orange tree from California to Florida? April 12, 2012 I am moving from California to Florida and have a small dwarf orange tree. Can I bring it with me to Florida? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with non-native indoor palm in Guilford CT April 08, 2012 My question is I have an indoor palm plant that I have had for 7 yrs. It has grown from about a 5" plant to about 3' tall plant. The past few weeks the leaves are turning yellow & brown and lost abo... 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 | ||
| Do non-native globe willows have a taproot from Midland TX April 06, 2012 Do globe willows have a tap root? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Purple ash trees for Lubbock TX April 05, 2012 Do purple ash trees grow well in Lubbock Texas? I want a faster growing tree. Heard all the oaks are slower. Any opinions would be appreciated. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Texas wild olive tree April 05, 2012 I live in the Phoenix area. My Texas wild olive (Cordia boissieri) is about 5 years old, about 12 feet tall and has beautiful blossoms all year long. However, this past year (through all seasons... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Red oaks that didn't drop leaves in Austin April 04, 2012 I have a number of Red Oaks on land that did not drop leaves this past fall. Now these same trees seem to be dead? It seems there's some type of mold/fungus on the trees. Some trees have small patche... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Mountain Laurels are dying in Georgetown, TX. April 02, 2012 Ten year old Mountain Laurels both last year and this spring have had entire branches turn brown just after blooming this Feb. Round Rock Arborist suggested I contact you. Last year one of my laurels... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Trees for home in Kansas April 01, 2012 I am needing help planting trees in my yard. It's a new construction home and I would like a tree that won't get into the septic system easily. Also, I have to plant 3 other trees as well due to the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Wild native trees with orange blooms March 30, 2012 What is the wild native tree that is blooming orange blooms - as you drive down the road thru Chappel Hill, and Brenham area. I've never seen these before when we went viewing bluebonnets - however,... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Specifications for a property in Corning CA March 29, 2012 Drought resistant, deer resistant, low growing (ground cover), and shade tolerant request: I am looking for a variety of species that not only fit the above preferences, but also a few other things. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Illegal to remove an orange blossom from ground in Florida from Atlantis FL March 28, 2012 Is there any law that prevents someone from removing an orange blossom from the ground in Florida? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hypoxylon Canker removal in Austin TX March 26, 2012 I have several oaks that appear to have been killed by Hypoxylon atropunctatum from last summer's drought. Is it safe to cut them down in March or does that risk spreading Oak Wilt too. Should I ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trees safe near walls from Rio Grande City March 24, 2012 What trees can be planted near the house that the roots won't break my walls? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of tree blooming in Austin with yellow balls March 21, 2012 What is the tree/large shrub that is blooming now (mid-March) in the Austin area? It has small mesquite-type leaves, round yellow balls with fuzz on them and is fragrant. Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identity of flowering yellow trees in Austin March 21, 2012 There are numerous flowering yellow trees in my Austin neighborhood. Are they mesquite or goldenball lead trees? They are quite fragrant, like a new bar of soap. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Leaf Galls on Live Oak March 20, 2012 Hi - I have a live oak tree that always seems to have thinner foliage than our other two. Upon closer examination today I found small brown balls all over the mature leaves. The balls look and feel ve... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Moths around Sophora secundiflora from Driftwood TX March 15, 2012 Sophora secundiflora Our Mountain Laurel has a lot of large moths flying around it. Should we be concerned? Will they hurt the tree? thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Lifespan of Screwbean mesquite from Amargosa Valley NV March 15, 2012 I see the lifespan of the honey mesquite but not the screwbean (especially in the southern Nevada area - Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge area). What is their normal lifespan? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Hardy Tree for Kansas March 14, 2012 I'm hoping to find a tree that is hardy and will survive all rough seasons in Wichita, KS. The spot is in front of a northern exposure window. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Black Walnut tree in LA March 12, 2012 I was just given a black walnut tree and am trying to determine where to place it. I’ve read on your site that “Certain plants will not grow under Black Walnut trees because of the juglones that the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Is Texas Mountain Laurel Honey Toxic in Fulshear, TX? March 11, 2012 Toxicity of Texas Mountain Laurel HONEY I know the seeds and leaves of the Tx Mountain Laurel are toxic. But, is honey that comes from the Mountain Laurel toxic too? I heard that it is, but can'... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Tree to plant on rocky soil in San Antonio March 10, 2012 I want to plant a tree in a particular spot in the yard but after digging down 10 inches I hit solid rock. I filled the hole with water and it took hours for it to go down. It is one of the higher e... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Tree for a Missouri yard March 10, 2012 Our front yard tree died. We have landscaping that needs shade. We are in Zone 5, looking for a fast/medium growing shade tree that does not produce anything that falls into the grass and will allow t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Does Helasia diptera absorb toxic substances from Dover Plains NY March 09, 2012 Dear Mr. Plants, Halesia carolina is described as absorbing toxic substances: herbicides, pesticides and pollutants from water, air and soil. Does Halesia diptera do the same? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of tree with red feathery leaves March 08, 2012 What is the name of a tree with dark red leaves, feathery, slim trunk; maybe in the pepper family? Jedi? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Ligustrums planted last summer are doing poorly in Houston, TX. March 06, 2012 I planted large mature ligustrums trees (~ 8 ft) last summer and the leaves are turning yellow and falling off. Can you please tell me what the cause of this might be and what we can do to prevent th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| pruning crape myrtle (ugh, non-native) March 05, 2012 We would like to plant a Dynamite Crape myrtle in front of our front window. They grow 20' to 30'. Can I trim it each year to about 15' to 20'? Should we plant it approximately 5 feet from the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting fruit and nut trees in Mason County, TX March 02, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have 36 acres 15 miles west of the city of Mason TX. I wish to plant one acre plots of sustainable organic crops that are long term and hardy. (cost and effort not an iss... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Evergreen hedge for NY February 26, 2012 I am looking for a native evergreen shrub that could be used as a hedge or privacy screen on the Rockaway peninsula in Queens county. It is a beach community with sand soil ( except where it has been... 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 | ||
| Sap of mulberry similar to sap of maple for syrup from Wellman IA February 23, 2012 Can the the sap of the mulberry tree be used to make syrup similar to maple Syrup? 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 |  | |
| Spot for communion and tree planting on Long Island February 20, 2012 I'm planning to combine my son's communion and a tree planting memorial for his uncle/godfather that passed on Valentine's Day. I'm looking for a venue on Long Island that can combine both on May ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Roots in foundation of home in Audubon NJ February 17, 2012 I live in an old house (almost 90 years old), and within the past year I have noticed in one area the concrete basement floor breaking. Today I finally made time to investigate. In these old houses ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Problems with volunteer tree in Joshua TX February 15, 2012 I have a 'volunteer' tree which has been in our back yard for about 15 years. It has had the usual traumas, ie. lots of snow, ice, etc. but after last years drought, its bark is coming off and sev... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Trees native to Anza Valley California February 14, 2012 What are the best trees to plant in Aguanga, California? 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 | ||
| Trees to replace live oaks in Driftwood TX February 07, 2012 I am looking for ideas on what trees to plant in Driftwood, TX to replace live oaks that have been lost to oak wilt. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Buds disappearing from magnolia in New Jersey February 04, 2012 I live in New Jersey.I planted my 5.gal Vulcan magnolia in December. It came with 4 big buds and 3 small buds.I planted in good location where it gets lots of sun. The tree is well settled and looked ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Box elder beetles in Austin TX February 02, 2012 We have an large infestation of box elder beetles. They are crawling all over the yard and sometimes on the outside of the house. When you walk in the yard a cloud of them rises up and fills the air. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Trees to replace some non-native invasives in Deltona FL February 02, 2012 I would like to replace 3 large ChinaBerry & 3 large Chinese Tallow trees in my good sized back yard with some local wildlife friendly trees native to the Deltona area(first area.) What do you recomme... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Reducing Allergens in Yards and Gardens January 31, 2012 What are some allergen-free native plants to Central Texas that thrive in the soil and can survive in the weather? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Can trees survive if trunks are buried under 3-5 ft of soil? January 27, 2012 We have two cedar elms and a mesquite that I protected from backfill as our Texas Hill Country lot was leveled in preparation for building a house. The bulkheads are now holding back 3' to 5' of ma... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Controlling oak suckers in Austin January 26, 2012 I live in Austin TX and have one particular native Oak tree in my back yard with a large bed around it. I don't plan on planting anything else in the bed since it is already nicely landscaped along ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Live oak leaves yellowing from Denton TX January 26, 2012 In autumn of 2010 I planted 10 live oaks about 6 to 7 ft. tall. I have see that during the month of Dec. 2011 to Jan. 2012 they are showing some yellow leaves. What can I do to help them? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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