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.
Support NPINHelp grow the Native Plant Information Network by giving to the Plant Database Fund or subcribing to Wildflower magazine.
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
Murrysville, PA
Looking for a tree not toxic to horses in Pennsylvania.
I'm sending a tree as a gift and I need to know what I can get that is non toxic to horses. Can you please suggest a few.
view the full question and answer
Monroeville, , PA
Plants to cover rock wall in Pennsylvania
Please recommend plants that I could use to plant on the (full sun) slightly sloped ground space above a 3 foot high, 20 foot long unattractive stone wall that would grow over and down to cover the wa...
view the full question and answer
Pitcairn, PA
Native Edible Plants of Pennsylvania Books
What is the best book that you know of for finding wild plant edibles in Pennsylvania?
view the full question and answer
Pitcairn , PA
Clarification of question from Pitcairn PA
What is the best site and book for wild stables in Pennsylvania?
view the full question and answer
West Mifflin, PA
Plants for erosion control in West Mifflin PA
I have recently had a retaining wall rebuilt in my back yard and an above the ground pool installed. My lawn is uneven with no grass and the hillside is very dry dirt with rocks. What type of plant ...
view the full question and answer
McKeesport, PA
Creeping buttercups in juniper in McKeesport PA
I have creeping buttercups in my juniper ground cover. How do I get rid of them.
view the full question and answer
Greensburg, PA
Pruning non-native Japanese maple
Can you tell me how to properly prune a Japanese maple?
view the full question and answer
Greensburg, PA
What tree berries causes blisters in PA?
This summer my family was playing with some berries picked from a tree in our backyard. They would place them in their mouths and shoot them through homemade pea-shooters. Shortly after everyone beg...
view the full question and answer
Greensburg, PA
How to Remove Pokeweed in Greenburg, Pennsylvania
Last year I purchased a home with 3 acres of land and it is infested with pokeweeds,Phytolacca americana! I have small children and know this is a poisonous plant. Could you please tell me a way to ...
view the full question and answer
Tarentum , PA
Indoor lantana tree dropping leaves
I purchased a lantana tree,a lantana hybrid that is only tolerant to 32 degrees. We are zone 5 so I brought it indoors and it only gets the morning sun, and 85%of the leaves have fallen off. The leav...
view the full question and answer
Whitehall, PA
Native Tree for Narrow Space in PA
I have a narrow space along my cedar fence in full sun. A Japanese maple approximately 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide is failing there due to winter rodent damage to its base. I would like to replace i...
view the full question and answer
Whitehall, PA
Cork Screw Rush doesn't spiral in Whitehall, PA.
Why won't the stems on my cork screw rush plant twist and/or spiral? It's planted outside. It was twisting and spirally when I planted it. Growing outside the past 4 years but does not twist or curl l...
view the full question and answer
Whitehall, PA
Evergreen for privacy in PA
We need to plant a privacy/sound barrier hedge/hedgerow and my husband says it must be evergreen. I am not familiar with which species would be native to our area and I just don't trust those big sto...
view the full question and answer
Pittsburgh , PA
Plants for steep slope in Pittsburgh PA
I have a similar question to one from SC. I live in Pittsburgh, PA. We have a steep slope behind a newly built in pool. What type of plants can I put on the hillside to hold the soil. It gets a ...
view the full question and answer
Pittsburgh, PA
Transplanting a Century Plant in Pennsylvania
When is the best time to transplant a Century Plant?
view the full question and answer
Pittsburgh, PA
Plant identification
I love around Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, and I saw a strange plant. It has a soft green outer shell, a harder thinner shell inside, points, but aren't pointy, and a white substance out of the stem when...
view the full question and answer
Pittsburgh, PA
Retention of soil on bank in Pittsburgh, PA
I have a steep bank in front of our house in Pittsburgh. We no longer want to mow this bank and wish to plant something that will spread and hold the soil. What do you recommend?
view the full question and answer
Pittsburgh, PA
Non-native and/or hybridized shrubs in Pittsburg PA
I planted 2 boulevard cypress pom pom trees last year in my front yard in the clay conditioned soil. We dug the tree holds according to the planting instruction and filled some sand in the bottom for ...
view the full question and answer
Pittsburgh, PA
Deer resistant plants for campground in West Virginia
We spend the summers at a campground as permanent campers. We fix up our sites to be a pleasure to spend our time smelling and see the wild life come and perch around the area. We would like to know...
view the full question and answer
Pittsburgh, PA
Low-growing lawn substitute for Pennsylvania
Hello Mr. Smarty Plants
Please help. We are moving to an old farm house in Western Pennsylvania with several acres of lawn. Our plan is to return much of the land to wildlife friendly meadows and woo...
view the full question and answer
Pittsburgh, PA
Leaves on maple turning red in June in Pittsburgh PA
We live in PA and have a medium sized maple tree in our back yard. It is not a red maple. This year, in June, the very top of the tree's foliage turned bright red. This bright red started at the t...
view the full question and answer