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
Sunday - September 09, 2012
From: Round Rock, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders, Pests, Shrubs
Title: New nursery plants with sappy spots from Round Rock, TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
We live on the west side of RR, near Cedar Park and recently bought three 15 gallon cherry laurels from a nursery. Started to plant them today as we bought them a week ago and noticed base of the trunk from top to bottom is covered in black spots and some look like sap coming out. What is it and how can I save them? There are hundreds of spots on the trunk, I can email a picture. Thanks!ANSWER:
Honestly, if you still have your charge card receipt or other proof of purchase, we would hotfoot that Prunus caroliniana (Cherry laurel) back to the nursery. That sounds like an insect of some sort, and the loss of sap is a serious threat to the plant. Not only do you not want to spend the time and money planting that plant, you don't want whatever it is spreading to other parts of your garden. In fact, if you don't have proof of purchase, and the nursery won't admit liability, we would recommed leaving the infected plants there anyway, to get them out of your garden.
From the Image Gallery
More Pests Questions
What are the webs floating in the air? Are they harmful to plants?
October 03, 2010 - Austin, TX has experienced fall weather for the past week..low humidity, nice temps, sunny skies. But long webs are connecting from trees to our plants to the porch. Not on the trunk of the tree like ...
view the full question and answer
Need help with a Coreopsis eating beetle in Shiro, TX
April 20, 2011 - Mr.Smarty Plants,(Sorry, I kept messing up with my emails) Anyway, here goes: I usually have a beautiful meadow full of lanceleaf coreopsis blooming by now. Not this year. I found to my horror every s...
view the full question and answer
Ravaged by snails
May 23, 2007 - Our Prickly Pear Cactus is being completely ravaged by snails. Is there something in my yard that could be attracting them? Is there something I can do to keep them off the plant? Also is is safe to...
view the full question and answer
Striped caterpillars on Cornus sericea (redtwig dogwood)
September 07, 2011 - My red-twig dogwood has white/black striped caterpillars that congregate on the underside of the leaves and they are stripping the leaves. What can I do? They almost look like Monarch butterfly larvae...
view the full question and answer
Poor drainage in wildflower bed
November 10, 2004 - I have a flower bed that has given me difficulty because it has poor drainage but typically receives sun for most of the day. Salvia gregii was the only survivors for the initial landscaping attempt. ...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |