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.
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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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Monday - October 26, 2009
From: Oak Lawn, IL
Region: Midwest
Topic: Turf
Title: Did my neighbor's zucchini affect my apple tree from Oak Lawn, IL
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
My neighbor planted zucchini plants near a flowering non-fruit producing apple tree in my yard. Soon afterwards in July the tree began to shed leaves. Could the zucchini plant have caused this?ANSWER:
At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, we are dedicated to the care, preservation and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which they are being grown. Neither the zucchini nor the apple tree is native to North America. In addition, most vegetables and fruits have been so hybridized that it would be impossible to determine their origin in any case. Since we have no information on these plants in our Native Plant Database, we will just be guessing, but our guess is that the answer is no. Unless the zucchini is so rampant (which we understand they can be) that it is growing up over your apple tree and shading out the leaves, it's unlikely that the zucchini is a threat. For better information than we can give you, contact the University of Illinois Extension Office for Cook County. The horticulturists at county extension offices often are very knowledgeable about fruit and vegetable plants.More Turf Questions
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October 05, 2007 - I live in Austin, TX and have visited the Wildflower Center in the past and enjoyed the display of native grass mixes. Can you tell me about the variations of buffalograss mixes... which ones are most...
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Calyptocarpus vialis, Horseherb, for shady, mowable lawn
April 06, 2007 - Graham, Texas, Heavily wooded. Too shady for St. Augustine grass. Need mowable ground cover near house. Have heard of something called horsewort, but not able to find anything about it.
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September 10, 2007 - We would like to replace our lawn that covers a large area of our front and back yard and is watered daily and twice a day in summertime with drought resistant plants. Mr. Smarty Plants, could you rec...
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Native grass for Round Rock, Texas lawn
November 12, 2008 - Hello, I just moved into a new place and the grass in the back yard is very spotty. I would like to know the best seed to put down to cure this problem. Thank you.
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Low water lawn for Austin
September 01, 2009 - I am interested in finding out more about low water lawns and was wondering if you have resources you might suggest. We have replanted with varying types of grass several times and my front lawn cont...
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