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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

Americus, GA
Are Cleveland Pear trees in Georgia toxic to horses and/ or dogs?
Are flowering Cleveland Pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) poisonous to horses and/or dogs? I have read that the prunus species are, does that include pear trees? Please help!
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Americus, GA
Replenishing a fallow field in Central Geogia.
I have recently taken a 54 acre field out of cultivation and would like to replenish the soil with native cover plants. There is a slope to a portion of the field that is experiencing some erosion. I...
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Ellaville , GA
Evergreen shrubs as dust barrier in Georgia
Mr. Smarty Plants, I live on a dirt road in West Central Georgia. Could you recommend a fast growing, low maintenance evergreen shrub or small tree (that will not harm my horses or goats) that will fo...
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Preston, GA
Plant similar to painted buckeye in Stewart Co., GA
My neighbor said that she saw a plant in Providence Canyon in Stewart Co, GA that was similar to the painted buckeye, but bloomed later in the summer. Do you know of this plant?
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Leesburg, GA
Looking for a tree to plant as a memorial in Leesburg, GA.
I'm looking for tree to plant as memorial to my brother who died. It must be native, for South Georgia, zone 8, open fields. It should provide mast for wildlife. Heat zone 8, good drought-tolerance. ...
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Warwick, GA
Lilies with with wide lush foliage in Georgia
I love lilies of all kinds, but I particularly like lilies with wide lush foliage. An example would be Agapanthus foliage. What other lilies present that same attribute?
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Albany, GA
Wildflowers for Area Around Drainage Pond in Georgia
We have a drainage pond behind our business in Albany, Georgia and would like to plant about an acre of wildflowers around it to help with soil erosion and to help keep weeds from taking over again, w...
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Albany, GA
Failure to bud out of nuttall oak in Albany GA
We planted a nutall oak in the fall of 09. It seemed to fare well during the winter. It is now spring and all of our other trees are budding out. The limbs are flexible. Not breaking off easily like t...
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Bonaire, GA
Stopping Soil Erosion on a Slope
I live in Bonaire, GA and have a slope in my back yard. The soil is red clay and it gets sun most of the day. A small section of this slope tends to have a mudslide to the bottom of the slope. How ...
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Columbus, GA
Food for a veiled chameleon in Columbus GA
Hi I own a Veiled Chameleon, and have been recently searching for different options as to live plant use for their cage. It has pretty much come down to using hibiscus plants and only hibicus plants. ...
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Columbus, GA
Eliminating wisteria invading from neighboring yard
How can I get rid of Wisteria vine? It originates in my neighbor's yard. Have tried everything; gets in my Oak tree and has almost killed it. Thanks.
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Phenix , AL
Overseeding native wildflower seeds as opposed to herbicides
Greetings from Alabama, We would like to "roundup" approx 2 A and plant some wildflower (s) that would TAKE OVER. We have 20 A and over half is in mixed woods. Pine, oak, sweetgum, and ???. Do y...
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Phenix City , AL
Ground cover for sun in Phenix City, AL
I live in Phenix City, AL and am new to planting. I have a 60 x 15 feet slope that is just dirt. I am going to till it next week and want to plant some various ground cover plants (that will grow to c...
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Phenix City , AL
Plant in North Georgia Mountains with strong fragrance
I need to ask a question about a plant in the North Georgia Mountains which are part of the Appalachian Mountains.I need help trying to figure out what plant in the North Georgia Mountains and the App...
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Phenix City, AL
Drooping leaves on iris in Phenix City, AL
I had a bed FULL of iris rhizomes so I thinned them out and made two beds. They flowered perfectly but some of the flower stalks and some of the leaves began drooping over. The flowering is over. The ...
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Phenix City, AL
Erosion controlling Groundcover for Phenix AL
Hi I am trying to find a grass or ground cover to control erosion on firing range berms which are 1:1 grade on a firing range outside of Phenix City AL. Sandy clay soil, direct sunlight almost all day...
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Phenix City, AL
Plants to stop erosion in Alabama
Our front yard is being washed down the street when we have rainstorms. It's been especially bad this year due to all the rain.What kinds of plants/grasses could we use to help stop the water from r...
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Phenix City, AL
Problem with non-native sweet vernal grass, Anthoxanthum odoratum
Hello there Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a question about growing Anthoxanthum odoratum known as sweet vernal grass. I'm trying to get Anthoxanthum odoratum, sweet vernal grass, to grow in my yard becau...
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Phenix City, AL
Growing rabitteye blueberries in Phenix City AL
What type soil is needed to grow rabbiteye blueberries?
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Cataula, GA
Native plants for erosion control in Cataula GA
I have several steep embankments on my property that are slowly eroding. What kind of plants (other than grasses, the area is not lawn mower accessible) can I plant to keep this from happening? We hav...
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Lizella, GA
Where and when bloom; will they bloom in artificial light
Do wildflowers grow through out the world, even in desert and Arctic regions? When do they bloom? Will they bloom in artificial light? What is the most interesting fact about wildflowers?
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