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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

Eugene, OR
Eliminating bindweed in Eugene OR
Any ideas on the best non-chemical way to get rid of bindweed in the Eugene, Oregon area? In addition to any other ideas you can suggest, are there any groundcovers that would do the job and be non-i...
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Eugene, OR
Vine for arbor in Eugene, OR
We have an arbor that is partial shade and stays fairly wet and want to plant a climbing plant on it with shallow roots, preferably with flowers. We had a wisteria but got roots and shooters everywher...
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Eugene, OR
Native Vines for Pacific Northwest
Hello, I recently built a shed/pen for my large dog. I have a trellis horizontal above the fence to hide the shed from street. I live in Pacific NW. Do you have any suggestions on a nontoxic evergr...
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Springfield, OR
Plant ID in Springfield OR
I recently discovered a wildflower closely resembling the Oregon Lady Slipper, apparently a wild orchid, but with many blooms on a single long stem and with no apparent leaves. I'd like more informat...
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Corvallis, OR
Visiting Texas for bluebonnets
I know rainfall amounts in the winter affect the blooming of bluebonnets in the spring. I am thinking about visiting Texas this spring. What should I be looking for in rainfall amounts? I will watch...
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Albany, OR
Madrone too close to house in Oregon
I have a small Madrone tree (8ft tall) located approximatly 15 feet from my house, with a basement. Should I remove it? ie will it damage the foundation and is the tree strong enough that it will no...
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Reedsport, OR
Clay hill with erosion problems in Reedsport OR
We have a very steep 35-40' clay hill subject to erosion in the Oregon rainy season. How or what do we do to get some kind of vegetation/grass, etc to grow without washing away? We have had mudslides...
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Toledo, OR
Evergreen Deck Plant for Oregon
Need evergreen shrub to grow in shade in container 5ft tall for deck.
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Salem, OR
Flowering evergreen plant for ceramic pot
I have a deep ceramic pot that I would like to put in a flowering evergreen plant or bush. It is on the deck facing west but with north and south exposure and afternoon sun.
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Salem, OR
Disposal of bulbs to control Arrowhead aquatic plant
How can I kill Arrowhead permanently? I have sprayed repeated years with Roundup, Crossbow, etc., but the arrowhead comes back from the bulb the next year!
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Aurora, OR
Plant identification
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, (love the name), I have found a plant in my yard. Underground it looks like a green onion, above ground it has a broad leaf, a thin 8-12 inch stalk and the top 2" of the stalk...
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La Pine, OR
Eriogonum spergulinum, wild buckwheat
Do you have any information on the wildflower Eriogonum spergulinum???
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Colton, OR
Deer-resistant native plants for Oregon
I have 21 acres of timber property in Oregon. We are converting part of that property to residential and I would like to plant wild flowers. I want to make sure I only plants native to Oregon and wo...
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Myrtle Point, OR
Cuttings for non-native red-tip Photinia
We have had wonderful fortune with red tip Photinia.We would like to expand our plantings.Can red tip Photinia be propagated by hard wood cuttings?
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Canby, OR
Non-native, invasive peanut butter tree from Canby, OR
I too have a peanut butter tree with the pink and white blooms, its about 5 years old and is beautiful, but 2 weeks ago it started wilting and losing all its leaves, I am afraid it is dying. Can I sav...
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Bend , OR
Need source of plants for making teas in Bend, Oregon.
I love to make my own tea, just moved to central Oregon and want to know some good plants I can find anywhere in town and can use in my teas.
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Bend, OR
Transplanting or seeding Indian paintbrush in Bend OR
I would like to know whether I can transplant native Indian paintbrush plants into my landscaping, or do I need to try and grow them from seed?
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Bend, OR
When are seeds of Indian paintbrush mature from Bend OR
How do I know when to collect seeds of Indian paintbrush - when are they mature?
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Bend, OR
Native edible plants
Hello, I would like some resources for identifying native edible plants in Central Oregon. Good clear images will be very helpful in links or books. We do alot of hiking and would like to...
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Oregon City, OR
Non-native peanutbutter tree suckering in Oregon City OR
I have a beautiful 'peanutbutter tree' in my yard. I have noted that there are plantlets coming up that appear to be attached to the main root(s) of the tree. I have been breaking them off as I don...
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Oregon City, OR
200 year old white oak with no acorns in Oregon City OR
We have a white oak tree in our yard that is about 200 yrs old. We have lived in the house for 30+ years, and have never seen an acorn. We have had it pruned by an arborist, who said it is in good...
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