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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

Watertown, TN
Planting native blueberry bushes in Tennessee
I have long wished to have wild blueberry bushes at my home. They are native to mountainous regions of my state, but I don't know whether or not it is reasonable to expect to be able to grow them wh...
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Woodbury, TN
Plant ID in Woodbury TN
Please help identify this unusual plant. I am in Middle TN, Cannon County. This plant comes up every year and looks like something tropical. It has huge leaves about 16 + inches wide. and grows abo...
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Woodbury, TN
Plant identification
Need to identify multi branched plant, feathery appearance, approx 6' tall stalks, grows in clusters. Tiny whitish/pink flowers at top of stems. Very similar in appearance to milfoil, only these grow...
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Murfreesboro, TN
Propagating Magnolia grandiflora from Murfreesboro TN
There are several Magnolia grandiflora (Southern magnolia) that have been planted in my neighborhood in middle Tennessee by a landscaping company, and now that they all appear to be producing seeds, ...
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Granville, TN
Plants for a steep lot in Tennessee
I have built a home on a very steep lot (approx 1 1/2 acres)in Northern Central Tenn in Jackson County. The lot is too steep to mow and some of it is too steep to stand on comfortably. My question is...
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Gallatin, TN
Smarty Plants on Echinacea paradoxa
What kind of habitat (soil, sun, water etc) does Echinacea paradoxa like to live in?
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Gallatin, TN
Native plants for roadside in Gallatin TN
What native plant would you suggest that we try to establish on 100 feet of road frontage which gets full afternoon sun? The soil is mostly clay, and it's on a rather sleep hill about 10 feet high. ...
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Gallatin, TN
Identification of shrub with red berries in Tennessee
Hello, I've got a shrub in my backyard; it has leaves off in groups of 3 and it has multiple reddish berries in groups by the dozens. I'm not sure what plant it is. The shrub is stick-like and appr...
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Antioch, TN
Identification of vine with 4-petaled purple flower
Does anybody know what vine has a purple four petaled flower with small bulb in middle??
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Antioch, TN
Identity of white flowers, 6 petals and 5 yellow stamens
Have white flower with 6 petals and 5 yellow stamen in middle . Looks like yellow stamen star cluster. Could be Gladious or Star of bethleham but Star has 6 yellow stamen in middle right? Can you id...
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Hendersonville, TN
Is the fruit of Bradford Pears toxic to dogs?
I need to know if the little Berries on the Bradford Pear trees are toxic to dogs? My labrador loves eating them. Thank you,
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Old Hickory, TN
Insect pests in Gaillardia aristata in Tennessee
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a couple of 'Oranges and Lemons' blanketflower plants in a butterfly and hummingbird native flower garden that is the foundation planting of my house. They bloom prol...
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Madison, TN
Need help identifying shrub with large thorns in Tennessee.
A shrub?with very large thorns. Main stock of plant woody with a gray and white splotchy bark at base. Branches are green and shiney and have very large heavy thorns spaced several inches apart on...
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Nashville, TN
Petals not developing on blackeyed susans from Nashville TN
I have an established "patch" of black eyes susans. This year, the leaves are beautiful, the centers black..but the petals are practically non existent. They didn't seem to develop correctly. Any...
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Nashville, TN
Wildflowers blooming in Austin in October
Does the Austin area have any flowers that grow/bloom in October? I'm getting married in Austin in October and want the entire event to be as earth-friendly as possible..hence native flowers.
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Nashville, TN
List of native plants for landscaping in Nashville, TN
Can you provide a list of plants that I can landscape with in Nashville, Tennessee?
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Nashville, TN
Native vine for privacy fence in Tennessee
I am looking for a vine for privacy that grows in width not up; thru a standard 4' chain link fence. Colorfull. Can you help?
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Nashville, TN
Need plants to control erosion on a hillside in Nashville, TN.
Recently, a rogue contractor scraped all the sod off of my Tennessee hillside. Now the clay soil is exposed and washing away quickly. The hill slope is approximately 30 degrees. In the spring I'd ...
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Nashville, TN
Identification of thorny tree with lemon-like fruit
What would be a small lemon like fruit that grows on a bush with large thorns? The fruit is about the size of a golf ball, kind of fuzzy yellow skin like a lemon and smells like a cross between an or...
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Nashville, TN
Eradiacation of johnsongrass along roadways
What does latest research show on eradication of Johnsongrass along roadways?
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Nashville, TN
Difference beteen two non-native photinias from Nashville TN
What is the difference between red tip phontinias and fireball phontinias. I read that fireballs are also called red tips but I thought that red tips grow to like 12 ft. and the tag on the fireball I...
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