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
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Thursday - March 14, 2013
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Drought Tolerant, Shrubs
Title: Drought resistance of non-native Abelia from Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Are abelias drought resistant? I have a spot that is sunny from early morning till about 2-2:30 in the afternoon. Is this enough sun?ANSWER:
The Abelia is native from Japan west to the Himalayas, which takes it out of the expertise of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, home of Mr. Smarty Plants. We will only recommend plants native not only to North America but to the area in which that plant grows natively, in your case, Travis County TX.
We did, however, find this web site from North Carolina State University on Abelia x grandiflora, which says that particular cultivar is drought resistant. That article also addresses the amount of sun that shrub will need.
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