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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

Canton, GA
Hardiness of Mexican bush sage in USDA Zone 7
I have a Mexican Sage (salvia). I need to know the care of it especially because it is a gift and the plant is about 5 ft. With the weather and the red clay I don't know if I could plant it or just ...
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Kennesaw, GA
Plant identification in Georgia
I saw the same question that I was going to ask about the plant that folds its leaves at dusk, with sparse branches, rapid growth, small yellow flowers and long (whisker-like, but do not appear to be ...
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Adairsville, GA
Removing invasives plants in Adairsville GA
We just moved into a new house and kudzu, greenbriar and poison ivy are trying to take over. I pulled what I could out of the trees, cut everything off at the base of the vine. I even tried digging ...
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Adairsville, GA
Shrubs for area around underground storm shelter
We want to plant shrubs around our underground storm shelter to divide it from our parking area. Obviously, this is to avoid having someone drive on top of the shelter. What native shrub to North GA ...
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Roswell, GA
Yellowing of Leyland Cypress in Roswell, GA
We paid for 12 foot naylor blue leyland's to be planted behind our home. This is their first season in the ground here - they came from a tree farm - there is yellowing on some of the branches and w...
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Roswell, GA
Treating cuts in tree trunks
We have two young trees that deer made bad cuts in the trunks. What can we put on cuts to keep bugs and disease from getting in them.? Thank you.
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Roswell, GA
Brush cleaning fluid used under non- native Loropetalum in Roswell GA
My painter cleaned their brushes under one of my Black Diamond Lorpetulum and it is wilting "BAD." Is there anything I can do?
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Alpharetta, GA
Plant identification from Alpharetta GA
I found a thorny bush in a yard. It had either immature fruit or a seed pod that I would like identified. The pod was a little larger than a golf ball, yellow, and a little fuzzy. When cut open it ...
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Cumming, GA
Plants for erosion control in Georgia
Hello, I have a question regarding water run-off coming from the neighbors yard as my yard is below their yard. What kind of ground cover would grow very quickly (low to ground) to help with the r...
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Cumming, GA
Evergreen shrubs or small trees for privacy in Cumming GA
I have a eight foot fence in my back yard. My back yard is full of trees and is very shady in the late spring and summer months and in the winter when the leaves fall is very bare. I am looking for...
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Marietta, GA
Exotic plant/shrubs for Marietta, GA.
Hi. I live in Marietta GA. and i am looking to add some curb appeal to my front lawn (around the border of the house). I would like evergreen plants and shrubs. I love the tropical/exotic look. do you...
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Marietta, GA
Hybrid Impatiens leaves yellowing from Marietta GA
My impatiens looked great when I went out of town, I had recently fertilized. The person left to water them fertilized them. Now they are yellow and dwarfed. Anything I can do?
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Marietta, GA
Wildflower meadow on former cattle pasture in North Carolina
We have purchased approximately 7 acres of land in North Carolina. A neighbor has been using the land for grazing his cows, but I hope to plant it with wildflowers once we've built a small house. W...
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Marietta, GA
October wildflower bouquets for South Carolina wedding
I live in Marietta, Georgia and my daughter is getting married in Pendleton, South Carolina (near Clemson,SC) October 11th. I am in charge of getting 10 wildflower bouquets for the bridesmaids !!! C...
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Marietta, GA
Source of seeds for non-native Josephs Coat
Looking for some time for Joseph's coat seeds,(Althernanthera--Chartreuse), Can you help?
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Ellijay, GA
Removal of Invasive Mint
The herb Mint is taking over my flower garden. How can I kill this out? Thank you,
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Smyrna, GA
Lawn Grass for North Georgia
I would like to know which type of grass would be best to plant in my yard? I have two dogs so there is a lot of traffic. The yard is on a slope so some of it stays dry while the rest is almost always...
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Duluth, GA
Replacing grass on steep hill in Georgia
I live near Atlanta, Georgia. My yard is a steep hill, which makes mowing VERY challenging. If possible, I would like to remove the grass and plant something hardy that does not require mowing. What p...
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Duluth, GA
New plant introductions in Georgia.
Can you list 5-10 brand new plants to the marketplace this 2009-2010 season for my area in GA? Thank you.
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Dallas, GA
Best dogwood to plant in Dallas GA
I am interested in how to select the best dogwood (Flowering) tree to plant in Dallas, GA 30157. The location receives full sun, the soil is typical GA clay/?. I found a list of 20+ Dogwood trees on...
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Dallas, GA
Speed of bluestem grass spreading in Georgia red clay from Dallas GA
How fast does bluestem spread in Georgia red clay?
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