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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!

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

Questions From Near You

Perkasie, PA
Need identification of a bush with red bumpy berries in PA.
Pennsylvania - We are trying to identify a bush that has small red bumpy berries. The berries are the size of a crab apple or a cherry. Can you tell us what it is?
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Perkasie, PA
Survival of wildflowers after Hurricane Irene in Perkasie PA
Mr. Smarty Plants, We have (had) a beautiful row of wildflowers and sunflowers along the one side of our house. Now that Hurricane Irene has passed, most of the flowers are matted down from the wind...
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Perkasie, PA
Identification of plant growing with purchased plant
I purchased a heurchera and there was another plant that was growing in the pot with it. I planted both together in my garden. The "other" plant is growing and none of the gardeners around here has ...
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Bucks County, PA
Arborvitae thinning in Bucks County, PA
My arborvitae trees are about 11 ft. tall. I had them put in about 3 years ago. They were 8 to 10 ft. when planted. After the first year, I have noticed they are thinning to the point where you can se...
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Bucks County, PA
Grasses for Pennsylvania
What type of grass does the best in my area?
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Quakertown, PA
Container plants for Bucks County, PA
I live in Bucks County, PA and I would like to have a garden, but do not have a green thumb. Which plants come back each year that survive in large pots. Are daisies also a good choice for my garden...
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Lansdale, PA
Need a tree to grow in the middle of a retention pond in Pennsylvania
I have a shallow retention pond in my yard in South Eastern Pennsylvania. The pond is used for rainwater runoff and also for natural springs that are located below the surface. If I plant a tree in th...
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Perkiomenvill, PA
Wildflower planting in Northeast Pennsylvania
I live in PA, Northeast, and have high grass that is mostly wet, I was wondering if I could just throw wildflower seeds out into the high grass and if they would grow.
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coopersburg, PA
Ducks and geese resistant plants for a pond in PA.
We have a pond in all shade and we have ducks and geese. We would like to plant something in the space between the walkway and the pond to add color, but they have eaten everything we've tried- fern...
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Center Valley, PA
Establishing native pasture in East Texas
We are the owners of a 20 acre parcel in Harrison County, Texas. It is currently planted in pine trees. Our intentions are to thin and harvest the pine trees over the next 10 years. We would like t...
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Hellertown, PA
Yucca blades damaged by weedeater in Hellertown PA
Can I cut off the blades of a Yucca plant that have been eaten on the edges with a weed wacker and are very unsightly looking? Can they be cut back to the flower shaft?
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Ambler, PA
Plant with stalk of purple berries
I have a plant that just grows.large hollow purple stalk, purple berries in long clusters , grows very tall any thoughts.. it grows like a weed
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Erwinna, PA
Plant Identification
My father-in-law received seeds from a friend-- he didn't know what kind of plant it would grow. Now he questions what kind of plant it is-- it has a red stalk and 17 inch leaves, it appears to grow...
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Collegeville, PA
Location of Taxus baccata
Where in the USA may I purchase taxus baccata? I can't find them anywhere on the internet or at local nurseries. I need about 125! So, saplings would be preferred even though they are slow growing...
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Collegeville, PA
Non-native invasive chickweed in Collegeville PA
My problem is chickweed. I have found considerable information on how to eliminate the chickweed. My question is after following a suggested elimination process: How and when do I reseed with grass?...
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Collegeville, PA
Understory Shrubs for Pennsylvania Clay
I want to replace three non-native Euonymus alatus with native shrubs that will serve as host plants for butterfly/moth species and/or attract bumblebees and other native bees. The shrubs I have are ...
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Ivyland, PA
Deer resistant trees and shrubs for PA
My yard backs up to woods, and we have a herd of 12 deer who peruse the neighborhood. This winter, the deer went after bushes and trees that they previously have not touched: euonomous and leyland cyp...
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Gilbertsville , PA
Is yellow tulip poplar alive from Gilbertsville PA
How can I tell if my yellow tulip poplar is alive? thank you
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Gilbertsville, PA
Wildflower in southeastern Pennsylvania
I live in southeastern Pennsylvania and want to identify a wild flower that is common along small town and rural roads and highways. It is blooming now (Mid May), has a flower spike similar to a larks...
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Gilbertsville, PA
Problems with non-native nectarine in Gilbertsville PA
I live in southeastern Pennsylvania. I have a mature nectarine tree maybe 14 years old. It has a greenish grey spotting on the trunk and branches, the fruit always turns into the brown mummies and f...
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Royersford, PA
Thinning out of maple tree following heavy winds
A 15 yr old red maple lost significant fruit in spring from heavy winds, in summer the tree seems thinned out. Is this the reason? Tree is otherwise very healthy and has always had thick foliage in ...
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