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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

Troy, OH
Late leafing and early leaf-drop of Ohio buckeye tree
We recently bought a house which has an ohio buckeye tree in the back yard. It stands about 40 feet from a large creek in Troy, Ohio. The tree is about 30 feet tall. A strip of the bark is missing....
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Dayton, OH
Failure to bloom of non-native viburnum in Dayton, Ohio
I have a 3 year old Marie's Doublefire Viburnum that has healthy, abundant foliage but never blooms. I do not prune it. What am I doing wrong? Thanks
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Beavercreek, OH
Identification of fast-growing weeds with orange flowers
I have fast growing plants (weeds?) in my heavily wooded backyard. They reach heights of over 6 ft and have orange flowers. I have spent hours searching the web today with no success -the closest thin...
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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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Economy, IN
Striped caterpillars on Cornus sericea (redtwig dogwood)
My red-twig dogwood has white/black striped caterpillars that congregate on the underside of the leaves and they are stripping the leaves. What can I do? They almost look like Monarch butterfly larvae...
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Mason, OH
Problems with non-native African violets from Mason OH
I have had 3 african violets for at least 4 weeks. I continue to water them and have moved their location. They continue to have wilted leaves. Are they done for or is there something I can do to g...
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Morrow, OH
Insects on hybrid 'Ann' magnolia in Morrow OH
I have an Ann Magnolia. It is covered in all kinds of stinging insects and flies. This has never happened before. Is this a common problem for the tree? What should I do?
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Fairfield, OH
Plant identification
I live outside of Cincinnati and I have a bush that has long yellowish leaves that grow like a spider plant. Just recently long purple things have grown in the middle of them. Is this normal or should...
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Elida, OH
Tulip trees losing bark in OH
We have two tulip trees in our yard that are losing their bark at the base of the trunk. I am careful with the mower keeping away from the tree when I mow. What could the problem be and what can I d...
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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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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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Albany, IN
Living fence to contain sheep in Indiana
I would like to plant a living fence that would also contain sheep. I have researched this but I cannot find a definite list of trees or shrubs to use. Do you have any suggestions?
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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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Milford, OH
Replacement for boxwoods in Ohio
I want to replace my boxwood plants but I don't know what would be a good replacement. I have a hydrangea plant that is in the middle and I would like something to go on each side of the hydrangea. I...
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Milford, OH
Plant that smells like cinnamon in Milford OH
Wanting to know what wildflower/weed would be so aromatic and smells like cinnamon? Always enjoy this wonderful smell when my husband and I ride the motorcycle, but don't know what it is. Would like ...
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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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Grove City, OH
Plants to compliment pine trees in Ohio
We just moved into a new home, the backyard has a above ground island with 5 pine trees (fairly young ones, not big) between the trees are some piney looking shrubs, there is a lot of open space on 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
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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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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