Explore Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ever wondered what the best flowers and plants are for your garden? Search our extensive database of frequently asked questions - and their answers! Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Search Smarty Plants
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with a Plant Identification, submit your photo to the Green Guru.
| topic | question |
| Native Plants | Plants for green roofs in Wayne County TN November 20, 2009 Are any of the plants recommended for green roofs more subject to fire during drought conditions? Our application will be on a rustic wood cabin, thus the importance of safety from fire. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Deer-Resistant Plants | Deer resistance of maple leaf viburnum in Austin November 20, 2009 Looking on the Texas Plant Information Database for Maple Leaf Viburnum, I don’t find any information about deer (whitetail or axis, southern edge of Edwards Plateau) resistance. Other sites give mixed messages. Can you advise? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Wildflowers | Will wildflowers still be blooming end of March from Austin November 20, 2009 Hi Mr Smarty Pants - A wildflower enthusiast from Rome Italy wants to schedule a special visit to Austin end March early April 2010. Can she be sure wildflowers will still be blooming then? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Native Trees | Will Cedar Elm seedlings resprout from the root? November 20, 2009 I have a number of cedar elm saplings coming up in a garden bed which I am planning on replanting. It is very difficult to remove the entire taproot below about 1.5 feet as I encounter rocks and heavy clay. What are the chances that these will resprout and come up through my new plants if I don't remove the entire root? Thanks, Ryan View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Plant Disease | Problems with non-native nectarine in Gilbertsville PA November 20, 2009 I live in southeastern Pennsylvania. I have a mature nectarine tree maybe 14 years old. It has a greenish grey spotting on the trunk and branches, the fruit always turns into the brown mummies and for many years has had leaf curl. I used a product called Serenade biofungicide and this year there was no curl but all fruits were mummies. Is it worth trying to save this tree? What would help it if I prefer not to spray chemicals that would be toxic to birds, critters, water supply. Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Miscellaneous | Locating a Western Soapberry Tree for Montezuma IN November 20, 2009 Hello, I hope you can help. We homeschool in Indiana (Dad is a native Texan, transplanted). We are looking for someone with a healthy, mature & fruiting Western Soapberry Tree..sapindus drumondii. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Invasive Plants | Control of invasive vine in North Carolina November 18, 2009 Hi, I live in Piedmont NC, have vines that twine around my shrubbery and are impossible to pull out of the ground w/o breaking because they are so thin/delicate. The leaves are maple-like (3 lobes), and in the summer berries appear and turn purple-black. In the fall the leaves turn yellow. When I pull the vines away from the shrubs, berries fly everywhere. The vines are multiplying each year. Help! Thanks so much. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Miscellaneous | Injury while pulling weeds in Chandler TX November 18, 2009 I stabbed my self this last weekend when pulling roots from a bed so i'm not sure what it was. At the time it was a sharp pain so I pulled off my glove to look at it,barely scratched the skin so on I went. Later that day and even now it feels like its bruised on the inside and as been red and swollen. How long should I just leave it alone and when should I become concerned? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Native Trees | Christmas decorations on a live oak in Montrose CA November 18, 2009 Is it OK to put Christmas lights and decorations on a live oak? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Deer-Resistant Plants | Deer-resistant groundcover for sunny hillside in California November 17, 2009 we are looking for a deer resistant, drought resistant ground cover that we can grow from seed. we have a large,partial sunny hillside, well drained,that is cover with oak leaves and pine needles..and weeds. any suggestions? Thank you. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Landscaping | Evergreen groundcover in Louisiana November 17, 2009 I need a suggestion for an evergreen groundcover plant that can tolerate moist soil. I want something that is low maintenance to go around a pergola in my backyard that gets mostly full sun. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Plant Care | Leaf loss on Cenizo in Bertram TX November 17, 2009 I need help with a purple sage (Leucophyllum frutescens) problem. Most of one of my plants started having paler, more greyish leaves, then the leaves began to fall off. It seemed to still look healthy at the tips and it still blooms, but now has very few leaves on most of that plant. Now my healthiest sage is starting the same thing. We have great drainage, do not overwater, and I see no clear evidence of insects or scale. I have photos I could send if needed. Thanks View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Landscaping | Evergreen shrubs for urns at entryway in Midland, Texas November 16, 2009 I am looking for plants for large urns at my entry .. prefer something evergreen. The urns are about 3' tall with an opening of 10-12" .. also prefer a plant that is not too bushy or whose roots will not become matted. Thanks for any help ..... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Wildlife Gardening | Drought tolerant plants for butterflies and hummingbirds November 16, 2009 I have about 150 sq ft of space in our backyard (urban OKC residence) that gets direct sun in the morning but is 100% shaded by 11-Noon from 2 large Sycamore trees. The space is on the west side of the yard and also shaded after noon by a 7 foot fence. Would like to fill this area with a (wide?) variety of native and drought resistance flowers/shrubs attractive to humming birds and butterflies, and with a large range of color and blooming times. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Native Trees | Small tree for yard in Columbia TN November 16, 2009 I have a somewhat small yard but the construction workers put a water and sewer drain in the middle of my yard. The sewer main is located on the far side of my property my width of yard is 60 feet width from street to house is 27 feet. I want a low root system tree to plant. I don't want a big tree(over 30ft). What type of tree should I get? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Native Trees | Why so many acorns in Houston? November 16, 2009 My son's home in Houston has a Live Oak. This year it has dropped MILLIONs of the seed pods. This hasn't happened in the nine years of living there. Is anything wrong with it? It looks OK but he has raked up bags of them. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Plant Care | Trimming of turkscap November 16, 2009 I have a Mexican Turk's cap, it is in its second year of growth and is doing well. However, I feel a need to prune it? do I need to? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Landscaping | Xeric landscaping walls in Mansfield TX November 15, 2009 We have two stone, concave 10 ft. high entry walls to our private street. These are each 20 ft. in length and face the west. What xeriscaping accent plants would you recommend. Also, should we create a bed, or can we make berms covered with grass. We do not have weeding maintenance or watering ability. The soil is sandy loam with a clay subsoil. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Landscaping | Wax myrtle or cherry laurel in Austin? November 15, 2009 For a very shady area under a large old oak tree with oak toxic soil, would a Wax Myrtle or a Cherry Laurel (caroliniana) be better? Looking for an evergreen screening tree up to 20ft, but it only gets about 2 hours of morning sun in the summer, and dappled sun during the winter. Thank you so much! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Invasive Plants, Native Plants, Plant Care | Information on various plants from Alamo TX November 15, 2009 Have you heard of the following plants: Butterfly Iris,Compact Nanpina, Red Dawrf Turks I would like to know some details on the above plant: size, flowers?, draught tolerant, where to plant Thanking you in advance for whatever information you can give me. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Native Plants | Spots on leaves of sevenleaf creeper in Austin November 14, 2009 Have 3 seven leaf creepers that are planted in mostly shade. In Sept & Oct 2009 all 3 plants had dried up leaves which fell off; however, all three plants grew new leaves when we got rain and are coming back well. One plant, which gets more shade that the others, has leaves that have turned a paler green with some whitish brown spots. What is this and how do I treat it? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Landscaping, Native Trees | Plant spacing of Cenizo in Bulverde TX November 14, 2009 How far apart should Texas sage be planted? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Plant Propagation | Few seeds from turkscap in Seguin, TX November 14, 2009 I have several Turk's cap plants but most do not produce seed. Any ideas? They have been in place 5 plus years. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Plant Identification | What is the weed of Cortez from Shreveport, LA November 13, 2009 I am trying to locate the weed of Cortez. I live in northern Louisiana. Can you please let me know if you have ever heard of this? I was told that is a very rare large red flower that blooms in the spring. Also, can you let me know if there is another name for the weed or flower? Thank you for your time. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |
| Pruning Texas Mountain Laurel November 12, 2009 How much can I prune a 10 year old mountain laurel to re-shape it and when? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | |
| topic | question |
© 2009 Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
