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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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.
rate this answer
Wednesday - June 25, 2008
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Container Gardens, Trees
Title: Disappearing oranges from Satsuma orange in Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I had many tiny future oranges on my Satsuma Orange Tree until a few days ago. Suddenly, all were gone except one. They weren't on the ground and the tree itself seems incredibly healthy. It is grown in a very large container in sunniest spot in my yard. Do you know what may have happened to all my oranges?ANSWER:
Sudden fruit drop on an otherwise healthy tree would result in fruit lying on the ground. Animal nibbling would result in nibbled fruit on the ground. One orange left when all the others are gone is a clue. Conclusion of this amateur sleuth: someone has scarpered with your little oranges. It's hard to imagine why-they can't possibly have been big enough to use in a salad, they're not ready to be harvested for seeds, and they are not anything a pawn broker would be interested in. Possibly they are being used for a table decoration, or maybe there was a scavenger hunt for which miniature oranges earned extra points. This is a very sad commentary, if true, on ignoring property rights or abusing an attempt to beautify the area. We found nothing in our research that indicated Satsuma oranges ever spontaneously evaporated.
More Non-Natives Questions
Problems with non-native photinia in Austin
October 07, 2013 - Hi, I live in Cedar Park, TX (Austin Suburb)and have planted a number of Photinia shrubs in various areas of my property. All about 10 months old.
The leaves are curling along their length on many...
view the full question and answer
Non-native Lavender Problem in Austin, TX
July 05, 2012 - I am having a problem with two of my lavender plants and was hoping I could send a photo of each to get your opinion. I've been growing rosemary and lavender successfully for quite sometime and am aw...
view the full question and answer
Rose care for Austin
August 18, 2013 - I am a transplant from the Pacific NW and need to relearn rose care for Austin. When is the best time to cut back the roses, or do I even bother? I also need to find out how far back I can trimming a...
view the full question and answer
Problems with non-native yellow lantana from Elgin TX
June 17, 2012 - Why do my yellow lantana buds turn brown and do not open fully? The sprinkler system does not spray onto the lantana.
view the full question and answer
Getting flowers to grow under non-native globe willow in Salt Lake City
June 12, 2010 - We have a globe willow in our back yard that is about 15 years old and cannot get any flowers to grow under it. Can you recommend what we need to do to treat the soil, and what type of flowers will gr...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |