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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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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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Questions From Near You

Tehachapi, CA
Smarty Plants on Jimsonweed
White flowers that are seen a lot along hwy 58 east towards Tehachapi; they look like "angel's trumpet" but not sure... they are big, white and have dark green leaves and cluster in a bush..any ideas?
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California City, CA
Non-native smoketree for California City, CA
I was wondering if you could tell me if it would be a good or bad idea to plant a Smoke Tree (most likely European) in the vicinity of a septic tank. We are looking for something which will provide a...
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Bakersfield, CA
Non-native vines poisonous from Bakersfield CA
Are pink bower vines and stars and stripes mandevilla toxic to dogs?
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Bakersfield, CA
Containing Japanese Wisteria Roots
I have some Japanese wisteria plants that I would like to plant inside root barriers but I cannot find any info on how deep the roots go. Do you know if a 2 ft deep root barrier for trees can contain ...
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Bakersfield , CA
Low sedge for lawn in Bakersfield, CA
We have a small area for a lawn, but would like to get away from a traditional "lawn". Can you recommend a sedge grass that would act like a lawn (not much foot traffic)that can be mowed once in a w...
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Palmdale, CA
Plum trees (Prunus spp.) poisonous to horses
Are fruitless plum trees poisonous to horses
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Palmdale, CA
Goat damage to Arizona Cypress from Palmdale CA
My goats stripped the bottom branches of my Arizona Cypress. Will they come back and how can I prevent future damage?
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Palmdale, CA
Non-Toxic Flowering Vine for Sunny Trellis in California
I am looking for a flowering trellis plant that is non-toxic to my dog, will grow in the California area that I live in, and will be in full sun.
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Agua Dulce, CA
Sickly non-native plumerias in California
I have 5 plumeria plants in pots, between 2-3 years old. The beginning of the summer they all looked great and now were looking pretty sick, pale/yellowing leaves, burned areas & spots. I have a long ...
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Acton, CA
Plant in Las Vegas with fern-like foliage and yellow/orange/red flowers
We were in North Las Vegas and saw a beautiful plant, I would love to find it. It had a fern like foliage at the bottom with long thin stems and a flower clump at the top with yellow/orange/red flower...
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Valencia, CA
Can I move my Dwarf Orange tree from California to Florida?
I am moving from California to Florida and have a small dwarf orange tree. Can I bring it with me to Florida? Thanks!
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Newhall , CA
Trees with non-invasive roots or tops in Newhall CA
We would like to plant a tree with noninvasive roots near our garden wall and concrete driveway in a grassy area in the front yard facing west. This spot is very sunny in the afternoon with automatic ...
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Ridgecrest, CA
Is the Texas mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa, toxic to cats?
Hi Mr. Smarty Pants! Regarding Texas mesquite tree, I know that rabbits and deer etc eat the seed pods, but my cat every time he goes outside starts munching on the pods, and I can't find any info o...
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Wasco, CA
Altering the flowering time of Phacelia tanacetifolia
I have been using Phacelia tanacetifolia as a forage plant in a 1 acre and 6 acre enclosure to mass rear the Blue Orchard Bee,(BOB), Osmia lignaria for use as a managed pollinator of almonds in Califo...
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Granada Hills, CA
Trimming back Agave havardiana
Hi.. thanks for all the great information on Agaves. We have a number of Agave Havardiana (blue) that love where we planted them. Several have gotten HUGE. So much so that they are starting to ge...
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Tujunga, CA
Groundcover for clay soil in Southern California
I live in Southern California and have hard packed clay soil in my yard. Could you recommend ground cover that would be green, low to the ground, require little water and survive in clay? I can't a...
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Chatsworth, CA
Need trees & shrubs for a 2.5x45 ft. planter box in Chatsworth. CA.
We recently built a pool in our backyard and need to redo all the landscaping. We have a planter that is 45 feet long and about 2.5 feet wide. We'd like to put some trees in this planter that are n...
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Simi Valley, CA
Skin allergies; is Juniper the culprit in Simi Valley, CA?
My husband and I have had terrible skin allergy problems this spring (for me it's been 3 years) and think it may be the juniper bushes outside our bedroom and kitchen windows. Is there a fast growin...
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Simi Valley, CA
Non-native carrotwood tree in Simi Valley CA
We have a beautiful 40+ foot carrotwood tree that has been covered with small nut-like pods growing in bunches. They are a mess. Is there a spray that controls/eliminates this problem?
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Simi Valley, CA
Groundcover for Southern California clay slope
I have a 30 ft. high by 96 ft. long slope with clay soil slope that I want to plant a low height ground cover. Any recommendations on what ground cover possibilities to use.
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Montrose, CA
Christmas decorations on a live oak in Montrose CA
Is it OK to put Christmas lights and decorations on a live oak?
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