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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Smarty Plants Question Topics
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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| Prospects for newly-seeded Habiturf lawn from Round Rock TX March 17, 2012 Re: Habiturf installation Can you provide feedback about how my newly seeded Habiturf lawn should look at various stages? I think I prepped the lawn properly, but I may have planted too early (... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting Habiturf in Houston, TX> March 08, 2012 First, I want to say thank you for such an informative site. You say that the Buffalograsses tend to do well in drier and well drained soil. My house has a lawn that drops about 10 inches in about... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| low-growing evergreen shrubs for thin soil March 05, 2012 Thanks to the winter freeze, we'll be starting fresh with the plants in the bed along the front of our house. The bed is about 13' long and faces the west, so it gets afternoon/ evening sun but no ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| pruning crape myrtle (ugh, non-native) March 05, 2012 We would like to plant a Dynamite Crape myrtle in front of our front window. They grow 20' to 30'. Can I trim it each year to about 15' to 20'? Should we plant it approximately 5 feet from the ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| killing grass on 1 acre before planting Habiturf March 04, 2012 I have an acre of full sun lawn on a slight slope in Dallas - would the habiturf be appropriate & if so, how do I go about killing off the existing weeds/crab grass before installing? Removing 3 in o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| High water table in Glewood Springs CO March 03, 2012 We are considering the purchase of a home in Glenwood Springs, CO (elev. Approximately 5,000 ft) and find it strange that while neighboring properties in the subdivision have beautiful landscaping wit... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Do I need to cover my Habiturf planting with straw? March 02, 2012 I'm preparing to seed the Habiturf in my front yard in a couple of weeks. My dad has suggested I spread some straw to help protect the seeds. Your thoughts? Thanks!!! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Planting wildflowers in spring for spring bloom March 02, 2012 I was wondering if it is possible to plant wildflowers around this time of year, and expect them to bloom in the spring still? I have heard that many wildflowers germinate in the fall. Are there c... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need plants to control erosion on a hillside in Nashville, TN. February 28, 2012 Recently, a rogue contractor scraped all the sod off of my Tennessee hillside. Now the clay soil is exposed and washing away quickly. The hill slope is approximately 30 degrees. In the spring I'd ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| How do I plant seeds harvested from my flower bed? February 28, 2012 In early Spring of 2011 I planted a new raised bed 75'x4' in size, with wildflower seeds obtained from a commercial nursery in Corpus Christi. I was taken back by their cost relative to the volume o... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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