Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_00.gif)
Tuesday - September 02, 2008
From: Giddings, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders
Title: Keeping cows from eating the garden
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I have a flowerbed area outside of our new split-rail fence available for planting, but cattle roam outside the fence also! Do you have any suggestions for plants that cows tend not to eat (unless there's a drought!), or plants that the "pruning" would help?ANSWER:
You are not the only one that has written us about that problem. In the interests of not retyping basically the same answer, we would like to refer you to our previous question. We should also mention that after we posted that answer, another online correspondent pointed out that lantana berries are very poisonous, and should not be in an area that children can access. The whole point is, cows will eat anything, and the only way to protect a plant you don't want to be cow fodder is to move the plant where the cow can't get it.More Diseases and Disorders Questions
Ailing Lacey oak in Austin
August 09, 2010 - I have a five-year-old lacey oak that is about 5 feet tall. Last last spring it became infected with oak phylloxera, which was initially misdiagnosed. I treated it with Neem oil several time but this ...
view the full question and answer
Dry browning leaves on Monterrey Oak from San Antonio
August 08, 2013 - I have a Monterey Oak that was planted four years ago and was doing great until the last two weeks. It has turned brown and the ends of the branches are very dry and brittle.
The root flare was cov...
view the full question and answer
Problems with Green Cloud cenizo in Tucson, AZ
June 15, 2009 - I have a large number of Green Cloud Texas Rangers on my property. I water all very consistently, once a week and most of these are around 5-6 ft tall and 15 years or more old. We've only had a few i...
view the full question and answer
My Mock Orange fails to flower in Redmond, WA.
July 06, 2011 - I planted a Mock Orange shrub about 5 years ago. The first few years, it only produced leaves but no blossoms. Then, last year, it finally produced 4-5 blossoms on 2 of the branches. This year, it a...
view the full question and answer
Will damage to live oak root make it more susceptible to oak wilt
December 24, 2012 - Hi. I knicked the root of a live oak when digging. Will this hurt the tree and make it more succeptible to wilt? Is there something I can use to protect the exposed part of the root and make it les...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |