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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

Waverly, GA
May I send a blueberry picture for ID?
May I send a digital photo of plant for confirmation that it is a wild blueberry?
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Kingsland, GA
Plant identification
Purchased foliage plant - no one knows its name. Leaves (stems) are bright green and 10" tall. Has "babies" like a spider plant but leaves (stems) are wider and thicker. Has a "rib" to them in...
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Fernandina Beach, FL
Dwarf Form of Japanese Blueberry?
Is there a dwarf variety of Japanese blueberry that will grow in my area? Or is it so non-native that it's not in your category?
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Fernandina Beach, FL
Vine like blackberry with 3 leaves & thorns in Florida
What vine looks like a blackberry vine but has three leaves and thorns?
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Jesup, GA
Non-native eleagnus from Jesup GA
An elderly farmer has told me about a plant called Alley Agnes, but I can't find any plant by this name anywhere. He doesn't know another name for it, says it's what everyone has always called it i...
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jesup, GA
Fast-growing native trees that are safe for horses
What trees can I plant that are fast growing for shade and, most importantly, safe for horses?
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Jesup, GA
Caterpillars devouring Blue Wild Indigo in Jesup GA
I have a false blue indigo growing in my garden. Every spring it gets defoliated by Genista moth caterpillars. It usually doesn't put out new growth until the next spring. This summer, it has put ...
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Bryceville, FL
Information about Lady Lupine (Lupinus villosus)
Dear Mr.Smarty Plants, Lady Lupine grows in our yard in northeast Florida, and I would like to learn more about it, especially the stages it goes through, like now the purple petals themselves are c...
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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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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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