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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Monday - August 25, 2008
From: Sheboygan, WI
Region: Midwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Hedge for steep slope by sidewalk in Wisconsin
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have a fairly steep slope from the sidewalk to my yard. The space is about 48" high, 30" deep and 120' long. I was thinking that a boxwood hedge would fill that space nicely but no one else around here has done that and I don't know why. I would like th hedge to be at least up to the level of the yard and perhaps 3-4 feet higher. Does this make sense or are there better options?ANSWER:
Here are four shrubs that should fit into your area and look good as a hedge.Cornus sericea (redosier dogwood) with more photos and information
Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood) with more photos and information
Physocarpus opulifolius (common ninebark) with more photos and information
Amelanchier arborea (common serviceberry) with more photos and information
You can see other possibilities by visiting our Recommended Species page and clicking on Wisconsin on the map. This will give you a list of over 170 native plants suitable for landscaping in Wisconsin that are commercially available. You can then use the Narrow Your Search option and select 'Shrub' from the "Habit (general appearance) category" to reduce your list to 29 species.
More Trees Questions
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September 03, 2008 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants
I would like to know how to tell how much a tree will grow if the average of the trees are growing at the rate of approximately 3 to 3.5% annually. And how do they come up wi...
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Trees for a new home in Las Cruces, NM
October 06, 2009 - I've just purchased a brand new home in a sub-division in Las Cruces, NM and I'm looking for some landscaping advice. I come from upper-central Illinois, so I'm used to having trees pretty much al...
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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 ...
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April 29, 2014 - We had a 65 gallon live oak planted last October. We watered it regularly and it was green all through the winter. In March the leaves started to turn brown but never dropped, as they should have.
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Should I top my scraggly magnolia tree? No
January 27, 2010 - Mr.Smarty Plants, I live in Crockett,Tx. My husband and I just bought this house. In the front yard I have a very tall,scraggly magnolia tree due to trees growing up around it. We have cut some of tho...
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