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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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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!

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Saturday - July 14, 2012

From: Greenville, SC
Region: Southeast
Topic: Erosion Control, Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Retention ponds for states in southeast, from Greenville SC
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

We provide maintenance for Stormwater detention ponds and are looking for native grasses to plant in the bottom and sides of typically dry detention basins. Prefer low growing grasses that spread to provide erosion control and aid in water quality. We currently work in upstate SC, but also provide services in other areas of SC, NC, and GA. Thanks for your input

ANSWER:

We get quite a few questions about what we call "retention" ponds and here is one from North Carolina, that has a number of links to other articles. Be sure to follow the instructions for using our Native Plant Database to find grasses native to specific states, and also to specify the amount of sunlight, water requirements and so forth.
 

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