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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!

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Questions From Near You

Lighthouse Point, FL
Problems with iguanas in Ft. Lauderdale FL
I live on the intracoastal waterway near Ft. Lauderdale,FL and I am having problems with iguana. They will not eat lantana or buttercups; however is there a poisonous ground cover, preferable with fl...
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Lighthouse Point, FL
Groundcover for Lighthouse Point FL
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: I am looking for mowable ground cover for part of my back yard. Due to a Mahogany tree, a hammock, surrounding foliage and a fence, there is alot of shade in the area, alon...
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Delray beach, FL
Problems with hibiscus in Florida
Have a hibiscus in Florida. It has always done beautifully planted in the ground. This year, it has developed something where the branches are sort of white, and the buds (and ends of branches) look ...
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Delray Beach, FL
Smarty Plants on Gloxinias
How do I care for my newly acquired Gloxinias?
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Delray Beach, FL
Can hazelnut trees grow in South Florida?
Can Hazelnut trees grow in South Florida?
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Boynton Beach , FL
Source of seeds for non-native euphorbia peplus from Boynton Beach FL
Where can I buy Euphorbia peplus? (milkweed) seeds, sap used in treating skin cancer?
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Boynton Beach, FL
Hedge border for Boynton Beach FL
Seek recommendations for planting in zip code 33437: 2-2.5' high, dense formal hedge border: minimal care, full sun, sandy, 1-2x/wk irrigation. Is Ficus Green Island Microcarpa suitable? Other rec...
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Boynton Beach, FL
Watering for Scarlett Milkweed in Florida
I have a Scarlett Milkweed and it was doing very well until this last week. It now has yellow leaves that are falling off and no flowers. It says on the tag that the water is low once it is establishe...
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Coral Springs, FL
Doggy berries
I recently wrote to you regarding my Doggy ingesting some berries from a neighbors out of control fence line-falling onto our property. The answer you gave was 100 % correct! Despite my feeble attempt...
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Coral Springs, FL
Identification of plant with red berries toxic to dogs
I recently retrieved my poor doggy from the Vet. He had eaten a berry from an invasive-commonly seen brushy plant growing along my neighbors fence line. We try to keep our side clear-but the small lar...
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Ft Lauderdale, FL
Wildflower Garden for a June wedding in Pepper Pike OH
Greetings, We have a grand idea to plant a wildflower garden for an outdoor wedding in June. Located in Pepper Pike, Ohio at the home of the groom. They have a large property and we wondered what woul...
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Ft Lauderdale, FL
Seeding rates for Florida.
What formula do you recommend for seeding Florida Native Wildflower meadows? I recently read in a text on Western U.S. Wildflower Meadow seeding that: a) ratio would differ if sowing a monoculture ver...
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Atlantis, FL
Illegal to remove an orange blossom from ground in Florida from Atlantis FL
Is there any law that prevents someone from removing an orange blossom from the ground in Florida?
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Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Kudzu for Ft. Lauderdale, FL
I just inherited a piece of land and am very much interested in starting some kind of homeopathic herbs. Can you tell me about Kudzu and where I can purchase some of these seeds?
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Fort Lauderdale, FL
Native ground cover for Fort Lauderdale, FL.
I just moved into a duplex with a narrow back yard with dark sandy soil and no irrigation system. I travel and am looking for a hardy ground cover that can take heat, drought and limited sun between 1...
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Lake Worth , FL
Nativity of Salvia coccinea (scarlet sage)
Is Salvia coccinea native to Florida? In wikipedia they say it is native to Mexico.
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Lake Worth, FL
Need erosion control in Granite Falls, NC
In Granite Falls, NC we have a sloping area at the end of the driveway that needs plants that will keep the ground from eroding. What do you suggest?
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Lake Worth, FL
Fruit fly maggots attacking non-native Grumichama in Lake Worth FL
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants How do I prevent fruit fly maggots from attacking my Grumichama fruit?
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Lake Worth, FL
Is black olive (Bucida buchera) toxic to people or dogs?
We have what we think is a black olive tree growing in our front yard, which I keep trimmed to about 4 feet high. A bird dropped the seedling in my garden, so I'm not quite sure it's a black olive,...
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Sunrise, FL
Does cutting off the budding agave bloom save the plant from Sunrise FL
I have an Agave(century plant) just starting its long flower stalk. I have read the mother plant will die after flowering. Can I cut off the stalk before it flowers to save the plant? If not, how do i...
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Sunrise, FL
Resources for designing a landscape in Florida
I have a large backyard that was devastated by Hurricane Wilma 2 years ago. I am tired of looking at bare grass. Is there a good lanscaping resource that I can design a rather large landscape. I reall...
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