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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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
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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Thursday - May 22, 2014
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Propagation, Shrubs
Title: Propagation of possumhaw from Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I planted a possumhaw holly plant about 3 months ago and am really excited to watch it grow from its current 3-foot height. It is starting to berry right now. My question is about those berries: (Clearly, it's a female plant.) Do I need to have a male plant close by for it to produce those striking berries which stay on all winter? If so, where could I even get one as the male (non-fruiting) plants are hard to find? Thank you!ANSWER:
This is a truly tricky question that Nature has given us. Here are three previous questions from Mr. Smarty Plants that address the subject:
From Georgetown TX
From Victoria TX
From Plano TX
All three of these questions make good points, but you will have to insist on getting what you want from a nursery, or hope there are male Ilex decidua (Possumhaw) in the neighborhood.
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