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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

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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Tiffin, OH
Resourses that are being taken away - Tiffin OH
What are resources that are being taken away from humans and organisms?
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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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Bellevue, OH
Deadheading a petunia and why
Can you please tell me the correct way to de-head a petunia and why?
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Rushsylvania, OH
Are non-native Cleveland pear trees poisonous to dogs in Rushsylvania, OH
Are Cleveland pear trees poisonous to dogs?
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Ada, OH
Aging non-native weeping willow in Ohio
We had a weeping willow now for about 15 years and it was doing fine until this summer. It has new branches sort of but a lot of the older ones are dying. There are leaves of course and they are sti...
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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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sandusky, OH
What to do with 200 yucca seedlings in Sandusky, OH?
I have over two hundred 3 month old yucca seedlings from my last yr. Yucca plants. I soaked the the seeds for 24 hrs. planted them in trays and now they are abt. 2 inch tall. My question is, should I ...
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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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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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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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Oak Harbor, OH
Photo of plant Beggar Tick
I am looking for information and a photo of the plant Beggar Tick. Thank you.
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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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Vermilion, OH
Host plants for American Painted Lady larvae in Ohio
Need to know what plants to plant as host plants for American Painted lady butterflies have larve coming in mail in few days , live in Vermilion Ohio on the Lake Erie. Thank You for your knowledge Pa...
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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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Hilliard, OH
Poison ivy in Hilliard OH?
I found a plant with five jagged leaves growing close to the ground in the trees of Ohio. Is this poison ivy or a similar plant?
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Hilliard, OH
Eliminating suckers from roots of Moraine locust in Hilliard, OH
We removed a large Moraine Locust tree and also the stump. Now little trees from the roots are coming up. How do we get rid of these so something else can be planted?
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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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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
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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