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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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Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

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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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
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Monday - March 30, 2015

From: Lockhart, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Privacy Screening, Shrubs, Trees
Title: Screen Tree for Lockhart, TX.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

What is a good screening tree for a ranch in the Lockhart area that won't get much water.

ANSWER:

You didn’t give Mr. Smarty Plants any details about how much screening you wanted to do, so he looked through  the database and found ten Previously Answered Questions, from people in Texas (mostly Central Texas), that sort of run the gamut  of situations that might require screening plants.

The plants mentioned are natives, and you can learn more about them by clicking on their scientific name which will take you to each one’s page in the NPIN Database. There you will find out about their characteristics,  growth requirements, and in most cases, photos. Utilizing our National Suppliers Directory can help find locations where they are sold.


Many great suggestions in some of the previously answered questions like yours can be found here 1028990918972793374114739650643554938 and  here 2800.

 

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Erosion Control Shrubs and Groundcovers for Steep NY Wooded Slope
November 28, 2015 - I need to cover a couple of very steep slopes in upstate New York that are partially wooded and near a brook. The slopes are about 130 feet back from the brook. Someone estimated that there is a coupl...
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July 04, 2013 - Dear Mr. Smarty Pants I have a 6 foot block wall, and my house is elevated, and I need a privacy hedge or tree (even flowering) to create more privacy. I do not want to use Ficus as I hear they can d...
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August 14, 2012 - Could you please suggest some plants to put in big pots out by my pool? They will get lots of heat and sun. Thanks.
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