Native Plants
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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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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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Wednesday - January 22, 2014
From: Poth, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Meadow Gardens, Planting, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Wildflower Meadow for Poth, TX
Answered by: Larry Larson
QUESTION:
I recently cleared some underbrush from a virgin pasture, with large oaks and mesquites scattered through it, and was wondering if it was too late to plant wildflowers? If not, what varieties of wildflowers could I plant to achieve a bloom this spring or summer? My ranch is located about 30 miles south of San Antonio. The soil is a red sandy loam. The area is about 3 acres and prepped for seeding.ANSWER:
It’s also quite possible, if you have prepared the area for planting, that dormant seeds present in the exposed soil will germinate and give you a bit of a natural bloom right away.
You are talking about creating what we call a Wildflower Meadow. For some extra information for you - There are some good reads in the “How-to” articles and several other “Mr Smarty Plants” question/answer pairs. Several of these are linked below:
When to plant wildflowers in California [not in TX but still good information]
Wildflower Garden for Driftwood, TX
Preparing for planting wildflower meadow in Austin
Timing for planting wildflower seeds in the Pacific Northwest
Re-vegetation of school site with meadow plants from Austin
From the Image Gallery
More Herbs/Forbs Questions
Montana native plants to create a garden with edible plants
January 14, 2013 - Hi Smarty Plants
We are looking to create a native herb, vegetable, root, fruit, flower and ground cover garden for the area of Hot Springs, Sanders County, Montana. Our zone is 4 and soil is mostly ...
view the full question and answer
Growth rate of non-native Asclepias curassavica
April 29, 2014 - As a volunteer at the National Butterfly center, I wonder how long from starting the seeds until the plant reaches approximately 20 cm tall does it take a tropical milkweed (asclepias curassavica) to ...
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Landscape color for Rialto, CA
May 11, 2009 - My sister-in-law lives in Rialto CA near the base of the San Bernardino Mt ranges and it gets very windy out there. She and I were trying to figure out the best native plants for her area. Her home fa...
view the full question and answer
Removal of previously-planted perennials
July 23, 2008 - HI I JUST MOVED INTO A NEW HOUSE THIS YEAR THE PREVIOUS OWNERS PLANTED A LOT OF BEAUTIFUL PERENNIALS BUT I WANTED TO PLANT OVER ONE OF THE PERENNIALS THAT I REALLY DO NOT CARE FOR. IS THAT POSSIBLE? I...
view the full question and answer
Shade Tolerant Groundcover for Texas
July 13, 2016 - I live in Atascosa county in Pleasanton Texas, I have an abundance of Live Oak and Ash trees shading my property and need a groundcover for my backyard which is nothing but sand and where I have dogs ...
view the full question and answer
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