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 | |
| Sources for Strawberry Bush (Euonymus americana) in Pennsylvania December 01, 2005 I am interested in purchasing some Strawberry bush plants but I am having problems finding where I can purchase them. Any suggestions? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Lists of native plants in Rome, Italy area November 27, 2005 Do you know anywhere that I can find a list of native plants in Italy, especially in the Rome area. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Inadvisability of introducing American Beautyberry to Michigan November 25, 2005 I recently brought back to Michigan from Florida 2 young beauty berry plants. I currently have them in a pot inside my home. They are growing quite well, and show a hearty appearance. What are th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Projected longevity of Opuntia fragilis (Fragile Prickly Pear) November 25, 2005 How long does Opuntia fragilis live? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Viability of Desert Willow in clay soil in Fredericksburg, TX November 25, 2005 I have recently purchased a house in a new subdivision in Fredericksburg, TX. The lot was not landscaped. I have a small lot (85 X 135), my back yard is about 50 X 85. The soil is a heavy clay. I am c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Small evergreen native shrubs for apartment garden in shade in St. Louis November 25, 2005 I live in an apartment in St. Louis, MO, and have a small patch of rocky soil in the stairwell that I would like to plant with a native or natives. The area is entirely shaded, but all the natives I... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Process of transpiration in plants November 21, 2005 I'm in 6th grade and I have a science project to do and the question is, Do living plants give off moisture. The first part of my project is to explain how living plants give off moisture. I've chec... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Regulations on picking native plants and flowers on Government or National Park lands November 18, 2005 I was wondering what the laws and regulations on picking native plants and flowers on BLM land and NPS land are, and where I can find this information. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plant town ordinances in New Mexico/Chihuahuan Desert November 17, 2005 I'm interested in city/town landscape ordinances in the New Mexico/Chihuahuan Desert area. What towns do you think do a good job using native plants? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Guidelines for planting native wildflowers on roadside November 17, 2005 My 4th grade Girl Scout troop has chosen to plant bluebonnets and other wild flowers along TX Hwy 114 in Southlake as their project for their Bronze Award. Do you have a guideline that you follow w... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Locating milkweed to feed larvae of Monarch butterfly November 17, 2005 A monarch butterfly on her way south, stopped and laid her eggs on a tropical milkweed. The larvae have hatched and now I want to insure their survival, but I only had 1 plant which they have strippe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Questioning native status of Alberta Spruce in New Jersey November 11, 2005 I am in the process of transforming my yard to native plants. Several years ago I planted a Dwarf Alberta Spruce. I want to be sure this isn't native before I remove it but haven't been able to fi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Propagation of non-native, poisonous oleanders November 11, 2005 How do I propagate oleanders? Can the cuttings be rooted in water? Or is it better to use rooting hormone and stick the cuttings in the soil? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hibiscus wilt in Texas Star hibiscus November 10, 2005 I have a Texas star hibiscus on my deck. It flourished all summer, but not quite a month ago, the leaves turned yellow and fell off. Will it come back? What happened??? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Cotton root rot in Purple Sage, Leucophyllus frutescens November 09, 2005 We had three Purple Sage shrubs in our front yard. They did very well for about three years and then this past year they just died. From what I have read they are pretty hardy so we are really stum... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Where and when bloom; will they bloom in artificial light November 06, 2005 Do wildflowers grow through out the world, even in desert and Arctic regions? When do they bloom? Will they bloom in artificial light? What is the most interesting fact about wildflowers? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Pineapple plant care November 05, 2005 Hello, I have a new pineapple plant that is still very small 1-2 inches around the fruit at most. The fruit has recently turned a deep yellow as if it were ripe. I am wondering if it can be ripe at su... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Conditions for wisteria bloom on Ontario, Canada November 05, 2005 I live in Ontario Canada, and about 4 years ago I bought a shrub which was called wisteria. I loved this bush when I visited a cousin out in British Columbia. The problem is it has no trouble growing ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on Pinguicula October 28, 2005 Does any plant of the genus Pinguicula (butterworts) grow wild in israel--maybe in Mount Hermon or Upper Galile?. israeli carnivorous plant society couldn't give me a clear answer about this issue. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Storing seed from Pickerel weed October 28, 2005 What's the best method to store seed from Pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata) and Arrowhead (Sagattaria latifolia)? Should it be kept wet? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Late leafing and early leaf-drop of Ohio buckeye tree October 28, 2005 We recently bought a house which has an ohio buckeye tree in the back yard. It stands about 40 feet from a large creek in Troy, Ohio. The tree is about 30 feet tall. A strip of the bark is missing.... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hours of darkness for non-native poinsettia to bloom October 28, 2005 I have a poinsettia from last Christmas still alive. I was told to get it so many hours of darkness. Do you know how many hours? When would be the best time to start displaying the plant again? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Safely killing Paedeeria cruddasiana Prain (sewer vine) October 27, 2005 Is there anyway to safely kill Paederia cruddasiana Prain (sewer vine)? Thank you! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Dfferences between Argemone arizonica and other Argemones October 27, 2005 I am trying to find information about the differences between the Argemone arizonica which grows only in the Grand Canyon and the other Argemones which grow in the rest of the U.S. Do you have any... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants growing between Eagle Pass and Del Rio, TX October 25, 2005 I have just bought an acre near Quemado, Texas. That's about halfway between Eagle Pass and Del Rio. I'd like to know what the native plants for this area are, especially colorful flowers for the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care of Florida Blue or Lisiantus in Houston October 24, 2005 I'm in Houston, Texas and I'm growing, for the first time, Florida blues, Eustoma, purple. Since I am from California I'm not familiar with this plant. It's beautiful. How do I care for them i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on science projects October 24, 2005 Hello, i am a 6th grade student at a middle school in GA. I am doing a science project and my question is, "Does music affect plant growth?" Is there a plant that would work best for me to experiment... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on temperature October 18, 2005 Mr.Smarty Plants, I am a student at Hill Freedman Middle school and I have a science fair coming up. I really need a answer to this question "What effect does temperature have on the growth of plants... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native, invasive, poisonous Chinese yam October 16, 2005 I found a vine in my yard [central Indiana] which I believe is Dioscorea oppositiflora and I wanted first to confirm my identification and second to find out about edibility [especially of the airborn... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Habitats of pitcher plants October 16, 2005 Where do pitcher plants live? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on forbs October 16, 2005 What kind of plant is a forb? I see the term used frequently in reference to grasses (I think), but I can't figure out exactly what a forb is. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant Care for Plumeria October 15, 2005 I have a plumeria that is getting too tall for my small patio. How I should cut it back and can start the cuttings into new plants? Does the original plant need any special care when it is cut back? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on wisteria October 15, 2005 A friend has a wisteria bush in his yard that was planted around 1950 by his mother. It has yellow blossoms. He has been told many times by people passing by (they stop to look at the plant) that the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants for condo apartments in New York October 14, 2005 Hello, and thank you for this wonderful source of help! We live in Hastings on Hudson, NY in a brick building of 7 condo apartments. Our corner unit has one narrow flower bed out front on the stre... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on fungal attack October 12, 2005 I have three plants that have been getting fungus on their soil and I've tried to get rid of it by scraping it off, watering it less and more sunlight. It's two coleus and a begonia. I don't know... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Possibility of saving hurricane-damaged Umbrella Magnolia October 12, 2005 Our beautiful umbrella magnolia Magnoliaceae Magnolia tripetala was toppled during Hurricane Katrina. We have lifted it back in place, however it looks very distressed. I have the following questions:... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native plants, wildlife hosts for small yard in New Jeersey October 12, 2005 I live in New Jersey & am in the process of changing my yard over to native plants. My yard is very small & I currently have a Kousa dogwood tree that I want to replace with something native. I need... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native and non-native Wandering Jew and Four o Clocks October 10, 2005 I am looking for information on 2 separate plants in my yard. The names that people have given me on what they are is as follows: Wondering Jew Four O'Clock View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Native wildflowers and grasses for sunny field in Nashville, TN October 09, 2005 I want to plant wildflowers in a sunny field (old pasture land) in Nashville, Tennessee. I plan on killing the existing weeds and tall grasses with roundup this fall and planting native grasses (wha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants to accompany cactus and agave October 09, 2005 What plants would look well with cactus and agave to soften the look of spikiness? Also, a homeowner in our association wants the association to plant a pyracantha at the corner of the street to preve... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Hearty, bushy native plants for windowboxes in Abilene, TX October 08, 2005 I live in Abilene, Tx and am a horrible gardener. I would love to have window boxes with some sort of hearty bushy plant. Any suggestions, I'm at a total loss...? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Care for non-native Indian Banyan Tree October 06, 2005 I was given a Ficus benghalensis (Indian Banyan Tree) cutting, rooted in water. I need advice on how to plant it, what kind of dirt, best type of pot ie. plastic, glass, etc. The cutting is 1 foot i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Monocarpic plants for Indiana October 06, 2005 We were in Hawaii this summer and became acquainted with the Silversword. This plant (according to what we were told) blooms only once in it's lifetime (of 50-70 years). Are you aware of any other pl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Landscaping with native plants in Austin October 06, 2005 I'm expanding a flower bed in front of my house and would like to keep it all natives. 1) How do I find out what type of soil I should add? (I live near Hyde Park, Austin and haven't had a soil te... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Edible wild plants in Montana September 30, 2005 Where can I find information about wild edible plants in Montana? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Smarty Plants on seed balls September 27, 2005 Do you have the recipe for Wildflower Seed Balls? It's where you mix dry wildflower seeds, compost, red clay, and water to form a seed ball and then you throw it. I think the ratio is 1 part seed, ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Viability of Texas madrone tree in Weatherford, TX September 27, 2005 I live in Weatherford, Texas (Parker County). Will a Madrone tree make it ok here and who sells them? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Non-native, invasive Datura sprouting from compost September 26, 2005 Hi, I have a plant growing out of some compost we purchased this spring and no one can tell me what it is. It's about 4 ft. tall, the stem is maroon like rhubarb and it produces 4-5 in. tubular lig... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Source of Datil Yucca for Anchorage, AK September 24, 2005 Mr Smarty Plants, I want to buy a Datil Yucca Plant. I live in Anchorage Alaska. Can you tell me where I might be able to purchase one? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Source for Gulf Muhly for Houston September 24, 2005 Could you help me find a seed source for Gulf Muhly, Muhlenbergia capillaris please? I need enough for about 2 acres. Thanks. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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