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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
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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Wednesday - May 13, 2009
From: Rapid City, SD
Region: Midwest
Topic: Trees
Title: What about planting a Colorado Blue Spruce in Rapid City, SD?
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
What would be the best tree to plant in my small front yard that would be low maintenance? I live in Rapid City, SD, and we are landscaping our front yard. We were thinking of Colorado Blue Spruce but I think that will get too big.ANSWER:
The Colorado Blue Spruce Picea pungens (blue spruce) is a handsome tree that is naturally conical in shape, and requires little maintenance. However its potential of reaching 100 ft makes it a poor choice for a small front yard. Fortunately, there several dwarf cultivars that are much smaller at maturity. The links below can give you more information about Picea pungens, and lists of dwarf cultivars.
North Carolina State University; list of cultivars
National Forest Service; general information plus a list of cultivars
If you go to our Suppliers Directory and type the name of your town and state in the appropriate box, you will get a list of business that sell native plants in your locale who can help you find the tree you chose.
More Trees Questions
Care of lemon cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa)
June 09, 2008 - How do I care for a Lemon Cypress tree? Does it require a lot of sun? How often should I water it? It is 18" high and I have it in a pot on my screen porch. Thank-you
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Identification of pines on I35 between Dallas and Denton
May 03, 2011 - I frequently drive I-35E from Dallas up to Denton and I've often wondered if the pine trees that I see near the road and in the surrounding areas, especially between Lewisville and Denton, have been ...
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Weird growth on oaks in Middleburg FL
February 05, 2011 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants;
I have this plant/fungus that grows on my trees here in northeast Florida & nobody has been able to identify it for me. It looks like a clump of pine needles growing on the ba...
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Texas persimmon with scorched leaves from Austin
July 11, 2013 - I planted a Texas Persimmon seedling (five gallon) in my yard in early April. It is in a sunny, well-drained spot, and I have watered it regularly since planting. All was fine until the last weekend i...
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Can I make my large pecan trees produce larger nuts?
November 14, 2013 - I have 2 older large pecan trees about 40' tall but the nuts are very small, only about 1 1/2". What can I do to get larger nuts?
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