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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Shade trees for Spring TX August 17, 2011 Dear Mr.Pants, our west-facing backyard in Spring, Tx, is unbearable in this Summer's heat. Neither us nor the neighbors has any backyard trees established yet, as the subdivision is pretty new. C... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Oak tree with browning leaves in Brenham TX August 16, 2011 I have a large oak tree in my small back yard. I also have a sprinkler so the tree has been receiving some water. Nevertheless, some of the leaves are turning brown in patches. Would drip watering ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Cedar elm with brown leaves August 12, 2011 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, We feel we may have limited time to save our beautiful Ceder Elm. We have many trees in our yard (Post Oaks and Cedar Elms) and have been told they are all between 50 - 75 year... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Defining drip line on trees from Austin August 08, 2011 When you say that trees should be watered at the "drip line," do you mean that literally? I assume that the drip line means at the outside edge of the leaves or branches. Does that mean that waterin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Dormancy in Pin Oaks without water in Del Rio, TX August 02, 2011 Can Pin Oak trees go dormant without enough water? If so how long can they live that way? Can they be brought back to producing leaves? If yes, then what do I need to do besides giving them water. I d... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
It's so hot, even the Salvia greggii are sad, in Bulverde Texas July 28, 2011 I have several Salvia greggii in large terra cotta pots. The leaves have developed a yellowish tint and are thinning. What is the best process to get them back to full green foilage? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Shy blooming non-native Crape Myrtle, in Littlestown Pennsylvania July 25, 2011 My Crape myrtle has been planted about three years, and reached a height of about 4'. It blooms late July and for the past two years, has only had one or two blooms on it. I have a lot of buds whic... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Possible freeze damage in Wax Myrtle from last winter in Bastrop, TX July 25, 2011 Our Wax Myrtle is about 7 yrs old and in good shape until this past winter when we had several very hard freezes. Now several of the large branches are dead and more are dying each month. We have not ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Why did mountain laurel turn brown and die? July 20, 2011 I have (had) a lovely mountain laurel that I planted more than 25 years ago. Many times one or two branches would turn brown and I would trim them out. The shrub is about 10 feet tall and is many tr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Should Texas live oaks be mulched under drought conditions? July 19, 2011 Should we mulch our live oaks in pastures for water retention? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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