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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

Princeton, WV
Is it safe to eat vegetables grown in the same bed as foxgloves?
I have foxglove in my flower beds and have planted tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and cantaloupe in the flower bed and now I am concerned about the shared root system. Also, my tomatoes are touching the...
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Hinton, WV
Native plants for wildlife habitat in West Virginia
We live in the southern region of Summers County in West Virginia. Our yard has a lot of shell and small rocks in it; it is in direct sun light. I would love to have a welcoming hummingbird, butterfly...
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Pulaski, VA
Indoor Lantana Care from VA
I have a Lantana plant. When I moved it inside, it was fine. Then I watered it too much. Is it possible to replant( to dryer dirt) in the winter time. Is has been in the 30's here, but inside 68. ...
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Dublin, VA
Trees for privacy shield in Dublin, Virginia
What are the best trees to plant for privacy in a small yard?
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Blacksburg, VA
Native grasses and turf grass for VA
I recently moved to Blacksburg, Virginia. I am becoming involved with a church here that recently started a grounds committee. There is some discussion within the group of which varieties of native ...
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Quinwood, WV
Mystery forest plant in WV
In the mountains of southern WV I have several acres of shady, moist land. It has never been developed and is COVERED with a low growing fern?ground cover?whatever. It creeps along on very shallow r...
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Jeffrey, WV
Why is Mr. Smarty Plants website so useless?
Why is your site so useless?
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Salem, VA
Native deer-resistant plants for Virginia
I live in Roanoke/Salem Virginia and want to plant a few plants native to the area along the front yard rock wall. I would prefer they be the same, deer resistant, around 5-6 feet tall max and flower...
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Salem, VA
Establishing wildflowers on a slope in Virginia
From Roanoke Virginia. I have a steep bank rising from one side of my driveway to woods above. Different areas vary from full sun, to half day shade. It is possible to carefully walk/stand on it, we a...
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Roanoke, VA
Smarty Plants on thousand year old interrupted fern
We recently built a new home in the mountains of western Virginia. I am told by the local Botanist that there is a patch of "thousand year old interrupted fern" that runs through, among other pla...
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Roanoke, VA
Problems with wax myrtle in Roanoke, VA
Our Wax Myrtle bushes tend to lose all their foliage during the Winter months and each year seem to flesh out their leaves less with each passing Spring. One bush never returned and save for one branc...
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Roanoke, VA
When to plant non-native red-tip photinia
When do you plant the Red-Tip Photinia Flowering Shrubs in Roanoke VA?
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Summersville, WV
Identification of orange flowering tree in West Virginia
I was wondering if you might have any suggestions as to what small tree-like plant I saw over the last two weeks (mid May) in West Virginia, in the woods, in the mountains. With honeysuckle-like leav...
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Boones Mill, VA
Evergreens for privacy in VA
I need fast growing evergreens or large shrubs, flowering or non-flowering, for privacy. They will need to flourish among large oak and hickory trees that are 75 plus years old. We don't want to dama...
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Mount Airy, NC
Plants for a moist, wooded area in North Carolina
I am looking to plant some native flowers in a wooded area in Surry County NC. The chosen location is fully shaded beside a creek. The water table typically sets about 2 feet below the surface of th...
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Ashe Co., NC
Rescue of roadside plants in Ashe Co.
I live in a wooded area off of a dirt road that is going to be widened and paved by the state. There are many native plants and shrubs growing on the side of the road in areas that will soon be pavem...
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Low Moor, VA
Plants to prevent bank erosion in Virginia
I am looking for good native plant choices for a steep river bank. My driveway is at the top of this slope, so I will need to avoid any plants that would cause erosion. I would prefer low shrubs.
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Charleston, WV
Erosion control in Charleston WV
I live in Charleston, WV and just purchased a home that has a hill side out back that has some erosion occurring. I was wondering what would be the best ground cover to plant in my area to control the...
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Charleston, WV
Need suggestions for plants to form a privacy hedge in Charleston, WV.
Mr. Smarty Pants, I live in zone 6 and an looking for an evergreen privacy type hedge that grows no taller than 10'-12'. I am not interested in any boxwood type of hedge. The evergreens would be ...
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Charleston, WV
Pruning a mock orange in Charleston WV
How far back and when do I prune a "Mock Orange" in order to get it to bloom?
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Charleston, WV
Plant Identification
I found a purple berry-like plant in my back yard. It has no leaves, and it is about 5 or 6 inches tall. Do you know what it is called?
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