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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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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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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

Jacksonville, FL
Identity of a plant in Florida with red fruit like a small tomato
It looks like a small tomato but it isn't. It has a bunch of flakey seeds on the inside, which are a light brown in color. The outside is red, and I think it starts out growing green and also white....
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Jacksonville, FL
Hedge shrub for shade in Jacksonville FL
Looking for shrub or hedge ( no Azaleas please )to line front of house that is full time shade in Jacksonville Florida ( something different, on the lines of tropical if possible).
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Jacksonville, FL
Stopping erosion on bank of a Florida retention pond
I live on a retention pond, which has had all vegetation killed by the lake doctor. As a result the bank has eroded so there is a drop off directly to the water rather than a sloping bank. What plan...
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Jacksonville, FL
Identification of tree with strawberry-like fruit in North Carolina
While visiting Boone, North Carolina we walked the Greenway in town. There were a few trees with a round red fruit similar to a strawberry. They were about the size of a penny and a dull red color dot...
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Jacksonville, FL
Invasive non-native mulberry and groundcover in Jacksonville FL
Northeast Florida (Jacksonville) inland. My mulberry tree provides dense shade in the summer and filtered light the other seasons, leaving sand in its growing area. What fast growing ground cover woul...
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Jacksonville, FL
Difference in native and non-native cherry laurel
I have a backyard volunteer that I have identified as a cherry laurel, but how do I tell the Carolina from the non-native? This is still young (2 years or so), and not flowering, at least not now.
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jacksonville, FL
Need help with Tulip Tree in Jacksonville,Florida
I planted a 20 foot tall Tulip Tree last spring. The hole I dug was double the size of what the tree came in. The tree was doing well until we got tropical storm Debby. In the middle of the night t...
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Jacksonville, FL
Trying to find a plant called sheepshire
Hey there Mr. Smarty Plants, just one question. As a child in east Tennessee, we picked plants called sheepshire that looked like small clover leafs and had small yellow blooms. One could chew these...
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Jacksonville, FL
What would replace non-native orange tree leaves in butterfly hatchery?
I have a very small orange tree that currently has dozens of caterpillars on it that look like bird droppings. I think I have narrowed them down to a swallowtail butterfly. I would love to let them ma...
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Jacksonville, FL
Problems with dogwood tree in Jacksonville FL
Sir, I believe I have a Cornus drummondii, a stiff dogwood tree on my lawn which a few years ago was big, lush and full of branches and leaves. In the last 2 years I have noticed about 80% of it drop...
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Jacksonville, FL
Problem with non-native gerbera daisies
My gerber daiseys leaf but they don't want to bloom. They come back. What am I doing wrong?
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Jacksonville, FL
Native Groundcover Suggestions for Under Florida Oak Trees
I am looking for native plants that will do well under several oak trees in Northeast Florida. My yard doesn't get much sun and I'm told I have acidic soil. Are the any plants that would do well wit...
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Jacksonville, FL
Effects or insecticide on Monarch butterflies
Thank you for fielding questions about plants!! Our nursery just informed us that their milkweed grower was using imidacloprid in their milkweed production. As a follow up to the question already in...
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Jacksonville, FL
Identification of plant with bell-shaped flowers
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I am in need of a plant name to purchase. It is absolutely beautiful. The plant has light green leaves, the flowers that bloom look like bells (of course they hang upside down...
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Jacksonville, FL
Century Plant
I have a century plant that has just begun to bloom. I have a transplanted a few pups, successfully. I am wondering how I am to go about removing the mother plant once it blooms and dies. I'm reading...
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Jacksonville, FL
Problems with Live Oak tree in Jacksonville FL
My live oak tree was planted 13 years ago as a mature young tree. Until last fall, it was full and healthy. Then leaves started turning brown and dropping. The company who cares for our lawn/shrubs ...
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Jacksonville, FL
Drought-tolerant plants for deep shade in Florida
I am looking for indigenous, drought tolerant, leafy dense plants (kind of hosta like) that will grow in deep shade (under a tree that gets little sun) in Jacksonville, Florida.
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Jacksonville, FL
Groundcover for shade in Duval County, Florida
What low growing ground cover would be good for a lake edge area. This area is shaded with overlying woodland type trees. I planted some autumn ferns but they have getting overrun with poison ivy. I a...
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Jacksonville, FL
Thorny vine growing through hedge
In my hedge, a vine grows that has a bulbous root. It has large thorns up and down the vine. The leaves are shiny and grow all along the vine that is exposed to the sun. the vine grows up thru hedg...
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Jacksonville, FL, FL
Plants in wheelbarrow dying in Jacksonville, FL
I planted a wheelbarrow with daisies, petunias and black and blue salvia. the salvia is thriving, but the others died. Is the salvia toxic to them?
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Bandera, TX
Mountain laurels with insect problems in Bandera, TX..
I have 3 mountain laurels about 8 yrs old. Suddenly about 3 yrs ago worms started decimating them. This yr I got dipel dust which works great but only for two weeks. I now have small red flies and ...
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