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Southlake, TX
Preparation for wildflower meadow at elementary school
I am a Scout working on starting a wildflower meadow at an Elementary school. How should I prepare the ground and what types of seeds do well in zipcode area 76092? I would also like so add some nat...
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Southlake, TX
Information on Texas wildflowers
Does your site (or another site known to you) have a link to provide information on when our Texas wildflowers should emerge this year at various locations in the state, and whether this year is expec...
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Southlake, TX
Guidelines for planting native wildflowers on roadside
My 4th grade Girl Scout troop has chosen to plant bluebonnets and other wild flowers along TX Hwy 114 in Southlake as their project for their Bronze Award. Do you have a guideline that you follow w...
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Southlake, TX
Privacy screen for pool from Southlake TX
I have a row of 7 live oaks that help block my neighbors two story house. Unfortunately, there is a gap between each tree of about 8 feet wide and 15 feet tall (from ground to the first branches/ leav...
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Grapevine, TX
Wildflower seeds to be sown on roadway for wedding
My daughter is planning an outdoor wedding reception at a ranch in
Granbury, Texas, on April 29, 2006. We would like to sow wildflower seeds
along the roadway leading to the ranch. What flowers woul...
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Grapevine, TX
Removing St. Augustine for natives in Grapevine TX
We have St Augustine in our yard and we hate it. It guzzles water, we have to cut it often, and it's thick and hard to work with.
Anyway, we want to replace it with a combination of some kind of g...
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Grapevine, TX
Removing existing shrubs from Grapevine TX
We just bought a house and we have some shrubs and hedges we want to remove. What is the best way to remove them so that they don't grow back? We have some holly hedges, a very large cedar or juniper...
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Grapevine, TX
Will native plants become invasive from Grapevine TX
Main Question - I want to convert my front and back yards into a native plant sanctuary but worry about if these plants growing out of control/invasive and if neighbors will complain about these "wee...
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Grapevine, TX
Plants for shade under pine trees in Grapevine TX
What plants are good to put under pine trees in the shade? I live in the Dallas Fort Worth area? The previous owners stuck a Japanese Maple in there that seems to be ok and some sort of holly bush (n...
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Grapevine, TX
Sources for Bouteloua dactyloides in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area
We live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Over the last few years our lawn has withered and now we are almost grassless. After researching we are considering planting Buffalo grass. However, after spend...
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Westlake, TX
Sample city ordinances to incorporate into city code
I am looking for a source of sample city ordinances that will allow wildflowers such that we can incorporate it into our city code. My city is rural and per its master visionplan was originally publi...
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westlake, TX
Quercus polymorpha or Mexican white oak
On the Texas Oak Wilt Information Partnership website, they list a "Monterrey Oak" as one of the White Oaks (#3 in the FAQ section). I cannot find Monterrey Oak in your Explore Plants section; does...
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Westlake, TX
Quercus polymorpha botanical name for Mexican white oak
What is the scientfic name for the Monterrey Oak?
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Colleyville, TX
Oak sprouts in flower bed in Colleyville TX
We have a raised flower bed in our back yard that includes 2 live oak trees. We have a TON of shoots that keep popping up and make our bed look very untidy. My husband doesn't think the shoots are ...
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Colleyville, TX
Planting Purple Threeawn (Aristida purpurea) and Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Do you have information on planting Purple Threeawn and Little Bluestem? Also are there any inherent problems when planting…things to avoid, etc. Wanting to plant as ornamentals in the North Texas D...
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Colleyville, TX
Native plants for screen in Colleyville TX
My soil is pure sand that goes down as far as I can dig.
I am needing native plants to use as a screen, that grow to be 6-10 ft. tall. Also, since my plantings dry out so quickly, would it be helpfu...
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Trophy Club, TX
Problem with baldcypress tree
Two of my three 20 year old Bald Cypress trees appear to have leafed out but are now brown in parts of the tree. The brown area is at the tops of the trees which are probably 40 ft. high. They were...
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Flower Mound, TX
Growing bluebonnets in pot in Flower Mound TX
We received a package of bluebonnet seeds along with the DVD Wildflowers: Seeds of History as a gift. In the film, Andrea DeLong mentions that bluebonnets did not grow well in a rich organic soil. W...
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Keller, TX
Native, flowering plants for privacy fence in Hamilton Co., TX
Looking for a native plant or climbing vine to grow on a high (8') game fence to create privacy and hide what's behind the wire. It will be planted near Hico, Texas. Would love the added benefit o...
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KELLER, TX
Possibility of using weeping love grass on property in Keller, Texas
What do you know about "Weeping Love Grass"? We have heard that it does not require watering (once the roots are established, fertilizing, nor frequent mowing. So we decided to plant it on our 2-a...
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Keller, TX
Possible invasiveness of non-native Eragrostis curvula
I have just moved to Keller, TX and am trying to establish a xeriscape plan for our property. I chose to plant weeping love grass as I learned it was a native plant and did not require fertilizing, a...
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