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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

Oak Hill, OH
Replacing firs with smaller plants
I want to pull out old fir bushes and plant smaller plants in their place. What could I buy that would take little care in my area?
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Mansfield, OH
Construction problems on site in Mansfield OH
Last year we had a rectangular above ground pool put in the person who "leveled" for use did a terrible job and basically dug a huge hole for us to put our pool in. The back side of the pool is abou...
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Granville, OH
Native Plants for Shaded North Slope in Ohio
I have a shaded north hillside which needs erosion control plants. Mostly moss and very thin grass grows there now. Please help!
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Wooster, OH
Plants for a pool fence in Ohio
I live in Ohio and have a pool with a white vinyl fence. Each year I plant sunflowers around it, but they are so messy when the birds/bees find them. Previously I planted castor beans, however, they...
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Wooster, OH
Transplanting Trees in OH
Is the middle of May too late to dig out Arborviteas and spruces to transplant? I live in central Ohio.
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Mount Gilead, OH
Fungus type problem on native blackeyed susans in Ohio
I have black eyed susans that have recently developed a black fungus type problem in the bottom and on the leaves. The flowers are now wilting and dying. What is this and how can I stop it from possib...
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Westerville, OH
Tree to replace non-native Japanese maple in Westerville, OH
I am wanting to plant a Japanese maple in an area of my yard that probably gets too much sun for this plant. I am trying to figure out what kind of plant I could plant instead to get an Asian feel I a...
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Westerville, OH
Care of Northern honeysuckle bush
I have a honeysuckle bush, I have had it for about year to two years. I would like to know if I should cut the brown parts off. There are some vines that do not look good, but some of the branches ha...
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Reynoldsburg, OH
Can Texas bluebonnets grow in Reynoldsburg Ohio?
I am a transplanted Texan now living in Central Ohio. I am tired of having to accept only pictures of the bluebonnets growing along the highways in Texas now and want to know if the weather is suitab...
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Pickerington, OH
Trimming iris leaves in Pickerington OH
I recently trimmed the stems and leaves of my iris plants in late May - I realize now this was a bit early. The leaves are still about 3-4" out of the ground. I would like to half them and move som...
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Bucyrus, OH
Fragrant night blooming plant
My Grandmother use to have a night fragrant night blooming plant that she referred to as "baby Jesus being born" when it bloomed. Are you familiar with anything of this nature?
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Powell,, OH
Horse-friendly plants for Powell OH
I am looking for horse friendly plants, i.e., shrubs, trees, bushes, etc. that can be planted in wet area in Ohio. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
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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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Canal Winchester, OH
Growing Plumeria in Ohio
Can I grow plumeria in Ohio? We were in Hawaii this past week and I brought two plants home to try to grow. Thanks a bunch.
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Dublin, OH
Black bugs on Autumn Joy sedum in Dublin OH
How to get rid of tiny black bugs on Autumn Joy sedum?
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Columbus, OH
Plant identification
I have a random flower growing out of my rabbit's grave and I can not identify it. Nothing like it grows around us and I didn't plant anything there. The petals are white. There are five of them. Th...
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Columbus, OH
Deadheadidng of gaillardia
How do I maintain gaillardias? Specially, do I deadhead them?
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Columbus, OH
Native plants for flowers in rocky area in Ohio
We have just built 4 raised beds on a slope in our backyard on Scioto River. The site is an old quarry so rocky soil below our raised beds & gets full sun majority of day from about 11am-7pm summer ti...
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Columbus, OH
Shrubs for privacy in wet area in Ohio
I am looking for flowering shrubs for Ohio that reach 8-10 feet and can handle wet feet. I am trying to avoid building a wall for privacy and would like to use flowering shrubs instead.
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Tippecanoe, OH
Invasive native mint in Tippecanoe OH
I have a problem with Mentha Arvensis, I raise sheep and goats and they will not eat this. The mint is starting to take over my 65 acre farm,Q.What is best way to rid this plant so I do not lose my gr...
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Lancaster, OH
Propagation of Baptisia from Lancaster OH
My Baptisia has gone to seed. When can I plant these seeds? Do they need strat? (zone 5)
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