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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

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

Stroh, IN
Looking for the identification of spice or cinnamon bush
My grandmother had a flowering bush that had little yellow flowers on it and smelled like cinnamon to me. She called it a spice bush. Could you help me name that bush?
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Auburn, IN
Determining distance of trees from paving in NE Indiana
I'd like to plant 3 types of trees (Catalpa speciosa- Northern Catalpa; Juglans cinerea - Tulip Tree; and Acer saccharum - Sugar Maple) next to sidewalks and driveways, but need to know if they have ...
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Lagrange, IN
Fall Planting Colorado Blue Spruce in Indiana.
I live in Northern Indiana, and I want to plant a couple of Colorado Blue Spruces that are 3-6 feet in height and Balled and Burlapped. Is it okay to plant them this time of year?
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Angola, IN
Poisonous cherries from trees in Angola, IN
Are there any poisonous cherries from trees in Indiana?
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Fort Wayne, IN
Will a Honeysuckle Shrub Damage a House Foundation?
I'm thinking about buying a honeysuckle bush. I would like to plant it close to my house. Can the roots of this bush cause any damage to the foundation to the house?
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Warsaw, IN
Native wildflowers for Northern Indiana
I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on Saturday April 21. What a beautiful place. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. I was wondering how I could find out w...
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Roanoke, IN
Plant identification of shrub with thorns and purple flowers
I have a small tree or shrub, it has very small or thin thorns on the branches. It blooms in April / May. The flowers are purple. My mother-in-law said that it has been around for over 100 years, b...
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Monroeville, IN
Grasses in Allen County, Indiana
Do you have images of Northeast Allen County, Indiana grass specimens with i.d.? I am a student teacher and am putting together a nature hunt list for my students. Thank-you,
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Three Rivers, MI
Watering Houseplants with Soapy Water
I accidentally watered my house plants with a container that had a some dishsoap in it. Will they be okay? One of the plants is a 20yr old cactus, with small roots.
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Three Rivers, MI
Plant identification in Michigan
We are trying to identify a plant in our yard. It is seven inches tall in May, grows to about knee high, has red leaves, flowers in late June, early July. The flower is light pink. It is a perennia...
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North Manchester, IN
Tentative identification of Echinacea purpurea
We have a garden plant that is 18 inches high with a purple coned shaped flower sticking straight into the air. Can someone help us identify it?
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Elkhart, IN
Flowers under pine trees from Elkhart Indiana
I have a number of pine trees at the back of my lot and would like to plant flowers under the tree. What can I plant?
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Elkhart, IN
Colorful plants for window boxes in Indiana
I want to find plants with lots of color that will fill two window boxes and trail out of the boxes and look full and nice throughout the summer. I live in Northern Indiana and the window faces south...
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Elkhart, IN
Texas Sage in Indiana
I was living in Texas and now I have moved to Indiana. I would love to have some Texas Sage here. is it possible?
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Elkhart, IN
Culture of Polytaenia nuttallii, Prairie Parsley
Polytaenia nuttallii is listed at the Wildflower Center as a biennial. PLANTS database lists it as a perennial. Please clear this up if you can. If I plant this at home with tomato plants will it...
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Hillsdale, MI
Identification of thorny plant in Michigan
i live in southern michigan and have a thorny plant with oval leaves growing in my flower beds. this used to be a grassy area how did it get there. i live on the edge of town. what plants in my area h...
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Edwardsburg, MI
Smarty Plants on wisteria
A friend has a wisteria bush in his yard that was planted around 1950 by his mother. It has yellow blossoms. He has been told many times by people passing by (they stop to look at the plant) that the...
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Edwardsburg, MI
Plant identification
My brother in law just bought a parcel of land that is bespeckled with shrubs we cannot identify. The land is located in south west Michigan. It is zoned agricultural. Due to the fact that it is ea...
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Edwardsburg, MI
Non-native fountain grass for Edwardsburg MI
I purchased a purple fountain grass by a vendor @ the Plymouth, IN blueberry festival. He told me that it is a perennial. I live in Edwardsburg, MI and I keep reading that in my area, they are consi...
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Mishawaka, IN
Source for Matelea for Indiana
I have been searching unsuccessfully I might add for a vine species called Matelea. These vines benefit the Monarch butterflies but no butterfly places online carry them. Where would a good place be...
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South Bend, IN
What's causing holes in trunk of white oak tree in SouthBend IN?
We have a huge White Oak in our backyard that is approx. 130 years old. This evening I became aware that there are several small holes around the trunk that appear to be oozing a dark sappy liquid. ...
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