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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!

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Questions From Near You

Anderson, SC
Is Lycopodium digitatum native to South Carolina?
Is Lycopodium digitatum native to SC; do you know if it's available in SC nurseries?
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Anderson, SC
Deer-resistant plants for Anderson SC
I usually plant pansies in the fall & impatiens in the spring under a large oak tree which gets afternoon sun. My impatiens were beautiful early on, but then were annihilated by something. I think i...
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Belton, SC
Care for non-native Kalanchoe from Belton SC
The leaves on a Kalanchoe that we bought from Logee's has leaves starting to curl. It has been this way since I bought it. It is in a south window, it's cold out so I put the plant inside. Besides c...
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Williamston, SC
Identification of a white beebalm
I have a photo of what looks like Bee Balm but it is white in color. What is the name of this wildflower?
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Williamston, SC
Planning a park along a railroad track in Williamston, SC
We have a railroad track in Williamston, and we are cleaning up the park. Removing trees, planting flowers,shrubs. The track is on high ground and the Fire Dept. has burnt off the weeds. What kind of...
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Pendleton, SC
Landscaping with water garden from Pendleton SC
Searching for native plants in SC. Your results miss some plants listed on your site. I noticed this reading the Mr. Smarty Plants response to "Edible Plants for North GA" We aren't far apart. ...
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Piedmont, SC
Winter plants for windowbox in Piedmont SC
What kind of outdoor window box spruss can grow in upstate South Carolina in the winter months?
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Hartwell, GA
Identity of plant that resembles rosemary in Georgia
Hi, I am an herbalist, but have been unable to identify this plant and it's driving me nuts since I cannot find any information on it. I live in NE Ga and have a plant that grows here that looks li...
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Liberty, SC
Identity of plant in South Carolina with tiny purple flowers
I found a plant while walking my dogs. I live in South Carolina. The plant gets maybe a foot tall, has a square stem and the top of plant is a candelabra with timy purple flowers in it. What is this...
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Seneca, SC
Plants to trail down wall in South Carolina
Good day, I am putting in a stacked mortarless concrete block retaining wall which will rise to the forest floor along a cut bank - about 4 feet high. Each course steps back about one inch from th...
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Seneca, SC
Wildflowers blooming in upstate South Carolina from Seneca SC
When do most wildflowers bloom in upstate South Carolina?
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Seneca, SC
Will non-native hostas do well in South Carolina from Seneca SC
I am moving to SC from CT and want to bring some of the hostas I grow in CT. If I plant them in the shade in SC, will they do well down there?
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Simpsonville, SC
Grass for dense shade in Simpsonville SC
We live in Simpsonville, SC. Our back yard leads back into very dense woods. It is extremely shady, virtually no direct sun for any length of time. We have a hard time growing grass here. What type of...
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Simpsonville, SC
Grasses for a wildflower meadow in Greenville, SC
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have been establishing a wildflower meadow in Greenville, SC. Our current wildflowers are: Purple Coneflower Perennial Black-eyed Susans Cardinal Flower Butte...
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Simpsonville, SC
Shade and Rain Garden in South Carolina
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have two seperate but important questions for your mastery of native plant knowledge. First, I live in a thick, 112 ft. tall white oak forest. Therefore, there is lot...
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Simpsonville, SC
Privacy screen from Simpsonville SC
My neighbor cut down his part of our shared woods so now we see his whole "outside patio area". What kinds of fast growing shade loving trees and shrubs can we plant on our property line that will c...
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Hodges, SC
Can beautyberries be used to make jelly from Hodges SC
Since the beautyberry bush berries were used for tea to help with colic, can the berries be used for making jelly?
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Greenville, SC
Planting grass seed in Greenville SC
What type of grass seed is best to use in a sunny/ shady area where some grass is already growing? And how is the best way to prep the area for seed and fertilizer or what should I do before and after...
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Greenville, SC
Problems with Eastern hemlock in Greenville SC
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a beautiful, young, 5 and a half foot tall Eastern Hemlock. I purchased and planted it two years ago in the fall. It has been doing very well all this spring. And ne...
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Greenville, SC
Indiangrass by seed or plugs in Greenville SC
Mr Smarty Plants, is it better to establish Indiangrass by plugs or seed? Seems you would get much quicker coverage by seed, tending to choke out "strangers". I'm establishing a small native mea...
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Greenville, SC
Number of plant species existing in South Carolina
Where can I find the number of known or estimated number of plant species existing in South Carolina? I have tried several search engines, but perhaps I am not wording my query properly. Thank you f...
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