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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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Friday - August 11, 2006

From: Providence Village, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Selecting landscape trees for Denton Co., TX
Answered by: Joe Marcus

QUESTION:

I live in Denton County and I'm trying to select a few trees to plant in my yard. I'd like them to be native or at least "antique" (hardy varieties which have adapted to the conditions without becoming invasive). I cannot plant fruit-bearing trees, and I prefer to avoid mimosas and cottonwoods. I'd prefer more tallish than shrubbish.

ANSWER:

Without knowing a lot more about your yard and what you want your trees to do for you it is very difficult to give you useful recommendations. However, The Texas Forest Service has recently introduced an excellent new web tool to help you select the best trees for your needs. It also gives great information on siting and planting of trees and has the added benefit of being very easy to use. Here is a link to their Texas Tree Selector.
 

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