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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers Nan Hampton, Jimmy Mills and Barbara Medford to be the culpable and capable parties. Yet, others think staff members Damon Waitt, Joe Marcus and Philip Hawkins might 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!

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

Questions From Near You

Broxburn, England
Natural barrier for sheep in England
Hi I am trying to find a plant that sheep will not eat to use as a natural barrier to keep sheep out of my R/C model flying clubs flying field.It will have to be a couple of feet tall and be a long li...
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Leicester, England
Are gourds poisonous, edible?
Are all the Gourds edible? How can I know which one is which? If it is not edible, is it poisonous? If not, what is stopping us from eating them?
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Nottingham, England
Damage to Yucca rostrata from Nottingham, England
Hi, I have a yucca rostrata which has had its head snapped off in high winds (we live in Nottingham, England) we have left the trunk in the ground, will this re grow?? What is the best thing to do wit...
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Nottingham, Other
Disease problems of non-native Weeping Willow
Could you please tell me why my weeping willow has got pink coloured leaves and seems very dry the bark is splitting and seems full of wood worm?
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Oxfordshire, England
Yucca sprouting shoots in Oxfordshire, England
I have a 20ft outdoor yucca with four huge branches.It is 11 years old. For the first time it has sprouted two side shoots on one of the trunks. They are about 12 inches in length. What is the best wa...
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High Wycombe, England
Trailing perennial plants for High Wycombe, England
Hello Mr Smarty Plants, I would like to know what trailing plants are also perennial, preferably flowering ones but that also look pretty when not in flower? My kitchen looks out onto a five foot h...
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York, England
Detoxifying soil from York England
How do you neutralize toxic soil, it may have been contaminated by Foxglove Digitalis Purpurea? Thankyou
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London, Other
Identification of green succulent plant with red tubular flowers
Hi there, i have this plant which is green,leaves are succulent, and these red tubular little flowers about an inch long grow rampantly all summer. i wanna know what it is called as i take cuttings a...
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Surbiton, England
Water absorbing plant from Surbiton, England
Ground soggy with rain, is there a plant that will absorb water?
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Yorkshire , England
Mountain ash seedlings in Yorkshire, England
Is there any way I can stop Mountain Ash from seeding in my garden. This year in particular, I am absolutely overrun with the seedlings and once they get a hold they are difficult to remove.
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Redhill, England
Date for visitor from England to see bluebonnets
Hi there I live in England, and I'm planning a trip to Texas to photograph the wildflowers around Austin and the hill country. I especially want to photograph bluebonnets. I can be in Texas either...
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Wales, UK
Monarda species seed for heirloom gardens in Wales
Hello. I am trying to obtain seeds for the following Monarda species: - barletti, lindheimeri, russeliana, and viridissima. Our address is Wales, United Kingdom and we are hoping to obtain the full c...
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Tunbridge Wells kent, England
Failure to thrive of passion flower in Tunbridge Wells England
I planted my passion plant 3 years ago and I have really looked after it. I think this winter has killed it, it looks so dead. I hope it can be saved; there isn't one part of it that is looking healt...
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England, Other
Inadvisability of importing plants from one region to another
I wonder if you could help me. I want to send my friends some conifer trees from England to Florida USA. I went on the Department of Agriculture site and they recommended your site for questions. Than...
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England, Other
Foxglove safety from England
Hi, regarding safety of foxgloves grown near edible plants - foxgloves are good companion plants for vegetables, in case of root vegetables they improve their storage life and quality. Foxgloves prote...
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England, Other
Cat eating yucca stalks in England
Is it safe for my cat to eat yucca as she is being sick and its hard to stop her
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London, Other
Where do plants grow?
Where do plants grow?
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London, UK
Rotten Oranges
Do oranges rot if they are not taken off the tree when ripe?
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London, Other
Identification of red/yellow/black flower in California
Plant found, April Mount Diablo CA 6 symmetrical petals red with a pattern of a yellow flower with black edge in the centre, I can not identify, please help.
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Plymouth, England, Other
Smarty Plants on Walter Ernest Jones
My parents are both huge gardening fans and for a mothers day present I would like to find a plant for her garden that has a connection with "walter ernest jones". Any part of this name would be gr...
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London, England
Source for common names of plants in the United States
Hello Mr. Plants! I am writing to you on behalf of Carol Sharp who is one of the leading plant and flower photographers here in the UK. We will shortly be making her collections of work availab...
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