Native Plants
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
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Questions From Near You
Hyattsville, MD
Smarty Plants on potted plants
How do you know when it is time to transfer a potted plant to a bigger pot? Everytime I do this my plant dies.
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New Carrollton, MD
Plantings for a slope from New Carrollton MD
My house (Maryland, near DC) sits at the bottom of a south facing slope. The soil is very heavy clay. The grade is about 1:20 for about 100 feet (with a steeper part at the top). Part of the hill is i...
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Takoma Park, MD
Information on Mrs. Johnsons efforts in highway beautification
Perhaps you can help. I am trying to unearth a little history of Lady Bird and her involvement in the beautification of our highways, especially as it relates to using native plants. This is for a p...
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Takoma Park, MD
Healthy native plants supporting local economy from Tacoma Park MD
I am collecting information on how healthy native plant communities can support the local economy. Do you think the Texas bluebonnets are a good example of this in Texas? For example, do you know ma...
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Takoma Park, MD
Ground cover for a slope in MD
Looking for a groundcover to hold a shady slope undercut with tree roots in Maryland and to prevent further erosion.
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Silver Spring, MD
Failure of Viburnum dentatum to produce berries in Maryland
I planted several Viburnum dentatum shrubs in a hedgerow for my yard. Although I have some other viburnums in the yard, this shrub blooms profusely but does not ever produce berries. What can I do t...
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Silver Spring, MD
Southern Magnolia Damaged by Deer
I have a young Southern Magnolia (about 6 feet tall) that was damaged by deer on the main trunk. The bottom 2 feet looks okay, but where they damaged it and tore branches off, and above that, the leav...
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Silver Spring, MD
Positioning a bald cypress among cattails in Silver Spring MD
We have a rain garden, half of which is fairly overrun with broad- and narrow-leaf cattails. We've learned to be aggressive in thinning these out 2 to 3 times during the growing season. We also have ...
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Silver Spring, MD
Native, non-invasive plant seeds for each region in U.S.
I need to identify a wildflower from each region that we can package in custom packaging to use as giveaways at our member zoos and aquariums. Our project this year is called Conservation Made Simple...
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Silver Spring, MD
Source for Carex senta plugs in Maryland
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
I have discovered that Carex senta would be a great plant to replace grass that is just not working.
There are numerous articles supporting this, as well as my local coun...
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Silver Spring, MD
Follow-up on Viburnum dentatum question
This is a follow up to an earlier question, posted Sept 20, about Viburnum dentatum shrubs. I'm not sure I understand your answer. If the person having trouble getting berries went out and bought a...
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Silver Spring, MD
Deer-resistant plants for Maryland
Hello- I have a acre that is mostly full-sun (and no shade on the house) and part shade (edge of the yard) and not much in between. It is also overrun with hungry deer! I am having a hard time finding...
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Silver Spring, MD
The origin of Juncus effusus var. Big Twister
Juncus effusus, var. 'Big Twister' We're trying to figure out the nativity of this thing, and whether it is safe to plant in our very wet rain garden. Thank you for any assistance...
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Washington,, DC
Mealy bugs on plants in Washington, DC
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
There is this white stuff, looking like snow flakes, that is attacking my office plants. I use gasduster to blow it off of them, but that does not stop it from reappearing. Wh...
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Washington, DC
Are baldcypress trees (Taxodium distichum) self-fertile
We are considering planting a bald cypress in a grassy children's play area that has fair amount of clay in the soil and receives a good amount of rain water from an adjacent slope. This seems a good...
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Washington, DC
Smarty Plants on Invasive Plants
How bad are invasive species?
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Washington, DC
Smarty Plants on invasive and exotic plant species
Where can I go to learn more about invasive and exotic plant species?
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Washington, DC
Transplant shock in Liatris spicata
I bought a liatris spicata start a month ago, and transplanted it into my front yard (full sun, clay soil, moist due to all the rain recently).
The plant immediately wilted so I transplanted it in ...
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Washington, DC
Smarty Plants Exotic Species
What is an Exotic Species?
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Washington, DC
Smarty Plants Exotic Species
What Makes an Exotic Species Invasive? (When is a Guest a Pest?)
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Washington, DC
Vine for Patio Wall in D.C.
I have a concrete patio wall 4 feet tall and 9 feet long in Washington, D.C. The wall runs east to west and there is a patio above it. I am looking for vines to cover it so that I would not have to lo...
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