Native Plants
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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.
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.
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Saturday - March 20, 2004
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildlife Gardens
Title: Backyard habitat
Answered by: Sage Kawecki
QUESTION:
I’d like to start a backyard habitat. How do I begin?ANSWER:
You can have your backyard or schoolyard habitat registered by the National Wildlife Federation. To find out more information and to sign up, visit the NWF website. You can also download Wildflower Center articles entitled “Butterfly Gardening Resources,” “Creating a Wildlife Garden,” and “Wildlife Gardening Bibliography” from the Native Plant Library, a service of our Native Plant Information Network.More Wildlife Gardens Questions
Replacing Nandina with natives for a schoolyard in Washington DC
May 11, 2011 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
Our schoolyard now has some invasive plants in the landscaping that we would like to replace with native plants. We have four clumps of Nandina planted at each pillar along a...
view the full question and answer
Grasses and wildflowers for Houston meadow
February 28, 2008 - I recently bought a house in a new subdivision just south of Houston -
as with most new developments, the area is devoid of nature for the
most part... I have planted many bird/butterfly/bee fr...
view the full question and answer
Wildflower meadow for Arkansas
September 16, 2007 - We want to create a 1/2-1 acre wildflower style "meadow" using native plants that we can naturalize. I found information for our area (Central Arkansas) on this website that is helpful, but I am als...
view the full question and answer
Memorial garden in Georgia
December 08, 2008 - I would like to plant a memorial garden in memory of my mother. She loved butterflies and bulbs blooming. Our backyard is shaded by large oaks and pines. A pool is located to the right, a large fire...
view the full question and answer
Hummingbird plants and Indian Hawthorn
May 13, 2008 - I live in The Woodlands in a new section of homes. I planted some hummingbird plants in full sun and they did ok last year for 4 months, then lost all their leaves and died when the winter came. At ...
view the full question and answer
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