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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

Diamond, OH
Low ground cover for steep bank in Ohio
We have a 3/4 acre pond that has several places along the bank too steep to mow. We would like to plant some type of ground cover in those areas that would keep the weeds out. The planting would need ...
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Leavittsburg, OH
Plant identification
We have a large bush type plant, about 4 feet tall, fragant voilet flowers, large dark green leaves and spiney seed pods (about the size of golf balls) that have many seeds inside. They started growi...
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Warren, OH
Invasive native blackeyed susans from Warren OH
In our demo garden we master gardeners in NE Ohio have been unable to get rid of black-eyed susans which have, like the other person, prevented or "killed" the other perennial plants. They are spre...
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Warren, OH
The most common wildflower in the United States
What is the most common wildflower in the United States?
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Salem, OH
Plant identification of large hairy vine in Salem, OH
We have large hairy vines that grow up the side of several of the trees on the edge of the woods beside our home. The leaves color resembles that of the poisonous sumac but the leaves shape do not. ...
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Kent, OH
Plant identification of tree on Kent State University in Ohio
Hello. I am fond of a very large (wide) tree on a university campus in Ohio. I have tried many plant ID search engines to try to figure out what it is. It is at least 12 feet tall and at least that ...
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Tallmadge, OH
Flowering plants for shade in Ohio
I am trying to find flowering plants I can grow in my perennial shade garden. So far I am having a difficult time except for hostas, nettle and myrtle. I need help to get my miniature lilac to blo...
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Tallmadge, OH
Planting a pair of Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides for fruiting
I'd like to plant a pair of witherod viburnums to improve their fruiting. Can I get the cross-pollination with a v. cassanoides together with a v. nudum? How close together do they need to be? (Ca...
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Struthers, OH
Identity of plant growing on deck
I can't find the name of a plant that I had on my deck, it didn't come back this year. It was a bush like plant that grew wild, it bloomed May thru August with red small flowers. My deck gets full...
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Munroe Falls, OH
A tap-rooted tree for Munroe Falls, OH?
Hello.. We need to find a fast growing shade tree which has a tap root or a heart root system. No surface roots please. We live in Munroe Falls, Ohio which I believe is Zone 5. Let us know your though...
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Hudson, OH
Plants for a sunny sloped roadside in Ohio
I am looking for a solution to a slope that cannot be easily mowed. Our yard is flat until you get about 15 feet from the road at which point it angles up to a small 5 foot area next to the road. I ...
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Hudson, OH
Poisonous plant in Ohio with hydrangea-like flower
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I was sure that I had read that there is a poisonous bush that is native to Ohio that has flowers something like a white hydrangea..or was it queen ann's lace? I believe the ...
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Akron, OH
Will Bittersweet climb on a streetlight pole?
Will Bittersweet climb on a streetlight pole, or does it need to be with a tree?
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Akron, OH
Alternative names for Aquilegia Sanguinaria
I am looking for the common name for a flower called Aquilegia Sanguinaria. Can you help? Does this even exist?
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Akron, OH
Identity of plant at funeral that smells similar to honeysuckle
What plant or flower smells similar to honeysuckle? I live in Ohio and I smelled some kind of flower or plant at a friends funeral last spring that smelled similar to honeysuckle. It was...
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Akron, OH
Transplanting a non-native rose from Akron OH
Can I transplant a rose plant that I have in sunny area to an area that will be partially shady?
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Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Website with map showing occurence of species
Hello and thank you so much for this amazing site and all the information you provide. Recently after reading about some really neat species on here I ended up surfing the net for pictures and somehow...
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Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Plant identification
Large leaf plant over 5 feet tall red stems and purple almost black flat berries in large clumps. Any idea?
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New Waterford, OH
Dividing obedient plant in New Waterford OH
I live in northeast Ohio, and have an obedient plant, which has spread, (a little) since last year when I bought it. I really do like the plant, and wanted to put it in several more areas in the garde...
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Canal Fulton, OH
Non-blooming of an apparent yucca in Ohio
I have what looks like a yucca plant in my flower bed. but in the 3 years we have lived here it has never bloomed. It did get a little bigger and has always been green. If it is a yucca, is there any ...
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Chardon, OH
Native plants for Ohio with common name beginning with U, X or Z
Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, Are there any plants native to Ohio or the Northeast that have common names starting with the letter "U" "X" or "Z"? I'm sewing a cross-stitch sampler using the alphabet ...
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