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
Doswell, VA
Non-toxic plants for horses in Virginia from Doswell VA
Looking for a list of Non Toxic plants to horses in the State of Virginia.
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Glen Allen, VA
Shrubs for house landscaping in Virginia
I would like suggestions for types of shrubs to be planted in front of my house.
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Henrico, VA
Erosion Control in a Mid-Atlantic Shoreline
My family owns a riverfront property off of Machodoc Creek which runs into the Potomac on the Virginia side. The water is roughly 3 feet deep at the shoreline and concrete cylinders are used to contro...
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Henrico, VA
Native flowering vine for trellis in shade in Henrico, VA
I live in Henrico, Virginia and have a trellis in a shady area. I am looking for a native vine to grow, preferably one that flowers and attracts birds and/or butterflies. What do you advise?
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Richmond, VA
Diseased non-native red tip photinias from Richmond VA
Our red tip trees have a while substance on the bark at the base of each tree..look like some kind of fungus or mold, but we don't know how to get rid of it.
Please help.
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Richmond, VA
Need recommendations for privacy screen in Richmond, VA
Hello, I read through the previous posts on privacy screen plantings in the Mid Atlantic region. There was a lot of great information, but I has a specific question that was not answered. I would li...
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Richmond, VA
Plants native to Virginia
I would like to know what websites you would recommend for information about plants native to Virginia. Glad to have found Mr. Smarty Plants, it will be tops on my Favorites list. Thanks for your t...
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Richmond, VA
Plants for a steep bank in Virginia
I have a small yard with a 3 foot steep bank that I want to plant on. I am looking for fast growing ground cover. There is some shade but not a lot and has a southern exposure. Ground is a bit roug...
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richmond, VA
ID for Dill-like weed
I live in Richmond,VA.and have a man made dam for a pond fed by several springs. There's a scruffy weed that looks like dill weed when it emerges in the spring but is so tough that I can't pull it u...
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Richmond, VA
Long-legged bugs eating roses in Richmond VA
There are bugs eating my roses. What can I do? They look like long bugs with a lot of legs.
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Richmond, VA
Larval host plants for Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) butterflies
I am looking for a list of larval host plants for Painted Lady butterflies. Could you provide such a list?
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Spotsylvania, VA
Care for non-native ice plant in Virginia
Regarding the ice plant in Virginia - do you cut it back or just trim or just leave it alone before winter?
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Midlothian, VA
Replacement of non-native red tip photinias in Midlothian VA
I need to replace our long lived red tips. They are now diseased. I would like a fast growing bush that I can trim and make a hedge with. Any suggestions
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Midlothian, VA
Why is my weeping willow looking so bad?
My weeping willow suddenly up and looked like it died Yellow leaves dried up and dropping off It is planted in what is called "Wet lands" Clay soil water wet Just looks like it is dying
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Fredericksburg, VA
Bluebonnets and paintbrush for Fredericksburg VA
Can I broadcast Texas bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush seeds, in Virginia, during early Spring and get germination; or, do I need to winterize and plant next spring.
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Fredericksburg, VA
Deer resistance of peonies in Virginia
Are peony's deer resistant - I'm in Virginia
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Fredericksburg, VA
Blackeyed Susans becoming invasive in Fredericksburg VA
Are the roots of the Blackeyed Susan (BES) invasive enough to actually destroy bulbs. BES have moved into a bed exactly where my oriental lilies were..this year the whole row of red lilies (which had...
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Fredericksburg, VA
Low cost landscaping in Federicksburg VA
Hello, I live in Fredericksburg Va and I rent a townhome with a small yard. My back yard is almost completely mud and my front yard has a hideous square shrub. So my question is do you have any plant ...
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Fredericksburg, VA
Plants for pots outdoors in winter in Virginia
Hi Mr. Smarty Plants,
I was wondering what plants would be best to grow outdoors, in pots, in Virginia, in the winter? This is a lot of restrictions but we just need 2-3 plants for our office pati...
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Louisa, VA
Plant identification from Virginia
We found lots of asparagus like stalks growing randomly in our field here in central Virginia. But, instead of an asparagus head it has a tight cluster of leaves that are small and roundish. Any idea...
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Powthan , VA
Reproducing Echinacea 'Sunbeam' from Powthan VA
I would like to reproduce a flowering plant- Sundown echinacea. I have a plant now. Can you give me info on how to do it? thanks so much.
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