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 is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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How to Deal with Leggy Artemisia 'Silver Mound' October 03, 2015 I have two Artemisia (I think 'Silver Mound') in full sun in West Austin. They have been happily growing there for the past 10 or so years. Both were hard-hit by last winter's cold weather and did... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Florist Gloxinia Care October 01, 2015 Got a florist gloxinia and it was doing great for months. Went on vacation and returned; it was wilted. Think son watered it too much. Allowed it to dry. It has some new leaves forming on the very leg... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Need help with Wheeler's Dwarf Pittosporum September 02, 2015 We have about five Dwarf Wheeler Pittosporum plants. All of them are mature and were doing well. I was on vacation for a week or so and when I came back I saw of each of them is plant 90% dead. The d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Are Native Cultivars As Beneficial to Wildlife? September 02, 2015 I am working on adding more native plants to my small acreage. I would like to know if using a selection or cultivar of a native species is as likely to have wildlife benefits as using a randomly prop... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Green Pearls or String-of-Pearls plant August 13, 2015 Years ago I had a plant I called green pearls because that's what it looked like. It was an inside plant. Can you please help me with this? Thank you View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Will Bermuda grass survive a drought-induced dormancy? August 12, 2015 If I stop watering a Bermuda grass lawn and let it go dormant, will it green up again when it rains again? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Evergreen privacy screen August 10, 2015 We are looking for a good plant(s) that would provide a privacy screen by our fence. We were looking at clumping bamboo (maybe black) because it grows quickly and it not too thick. The new plants woul... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Plant Identification August 07, 2015 I live in southeastern Michigan. I found a plant growing in the backyard that caught my eye. I chalked it off as a weed, but it's unique. It is shaped like a bushing type plant, has red stem, each cl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Is Crape Myrtle Native? July 20, 2015 Hello, I live in Frisco, TX. Can you tell me is there any Crape Myrtle which is native to Frisco, TX. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Getting Rid of Firecracker Flower July 16, 2015 We live in the Tampa area of Florida. We planted Russelia equisetiformis under some palm trees 10 years ago. It has grown deep among the palm tree roots. We want to kill the Russelia without harming ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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