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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!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

Questions From Near You

Evansville, IN
Problems with October Glory maple tree in Evansville IN
We have a 15 yr. old October Glory maple tree. 2 years ago we had a bad ice storm and this tree was covered with 1/2 to 3/4 " of ice. The tree resembled a chicken wishbone with its limbs touching ...
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Evansville, IN
Rhododendrons Hydrangeas in Indiana
I live in very southern Indiana. Our home faces west and at the front of our home I have planted three rhododendrons. The furthest south is growing well the two to the north not so well. All three h...
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Evansville, IN
Large ash tree with round white spot on bark
I have a large ash tree that seems to be fairly healthy. However, it has a large round white spot (about 18" diameter) on the bark, about 3' up from the base. Within the solid white circle the bark ...
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Fort Branch, IN
Flowering and evergreen shrubs for landscape in Indiana
I live in Southern Indiana and we are getting ready to redesign our front landscape. Currently, we have some yews and other shrubs that are unruly and require a lot of pruning and care. My husband hat...
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Richland, IN
Underdeveloped pecan kernels with brown spots
our pecan tree was loaded this year. it is a soft shell . some of the pecan meats are not fully developed and have small dark spots on them. could this be a blyte of somekind and if so what can we ...
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Owensville, IN
Why is non-native peach tree not going dormant in Owensville IN
I have a peach tree I grew from a peach pit. It is about 2 years old. I planted the tree in my yard this summer. It is now about 3' tall. My problem is it is not going dormant. We have had several fr...
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Owensboro, KY
Identification of small plant with lavendar flower
I have something growing in my yard and pasture that for some odd reason is growing all over the place. I never noticed it being this abundant before. I'm not sure if it's listed as a wild flower or...
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Owensboro, KY
Bluebonnet peak for 2010
What does 2010 look for bluebonnets in Texas. When will they peak?
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Holland, IN
Flowering groundcover for Indiana
I live in southern Indiana and am looking for a nice flowering groundcover that will overcome the grass. It is on a hill that is very hard to mow.
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Nebo, KY
Flat leaf cedar, Thuja occidentalis (arborvitae)
Hello, I am looking for the scientific name for what is commonly called flat leaf cedar. It has defined platelets, wonderful cedar smell, older trees have shaggy bark, in winter some of its sprays tu...
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St. Francisville, IL
Plant identification
My parents have a plant growing that we can not identify. Fast growing to 6 ft in 6 weeks. theleaves look like a fern with little sweet pea looking yellow blooms. The plants leaves fold up at dusk tig...
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Oriole, IN
Plants for a pond edge in IN
Hello, I live in Southern Indiana. I care very much about reinforcing native plants for my region & not planting anything invasive. I had a pond built last year & need some suggestions for native ...
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olney, IL
Discouraging Poison Ivy
Is there a fern that discourages poison ivy from growing?
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Hardinsburg , KY
Identity of red flower that looks like a blue bell
Looking for the name of a flower that grows in Breckinridge county Kentucky. It's looks similar to the blue bell but blood red in color. Any help is appreciated.
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Webster, KY
Landscaping large area in Webster KY
We just bought a house that we fell in love with. The land around it . . . well it has GREAT potential but is seriously lacking at the moment. Trying to get the farm up and running leaves very litt...
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Leavenworth, IN
Plants for clay soil in Leavenworth IN
I live in south central Indiana; the soil is very bad clay, either hard as a rock or mud. I have made several raised beds but am still having problems with plants rotting. What types of plants work he...
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Ekron, KY
Identity of vine growing in Kentucky.
I have a vine I can't identify. The leaf is heart shaped and the vine is fuzzy. The blooms is just now starting to bloom. They are small red and some white in it. The bloom sort of remind you of a c...
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Benton, IL
Looking for shrubs to plant in Southern Illinois.
Hi. I am in Southern Illinois. I'm needing small shrubs for a south facing area. It's a 14ft. long by 2ft. wide area. Although it's facing south, it's not real sunny. A huge tree and swing is...
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Leitchfield, KY
Non-native mimosa failing to bloom in Leitchfield KY
I have a medium size mimosa tree here in KY that usually blooms beautifully; it did not bloom at all this year. It leafed out well, needs a few dead limbs pruned, but seems otherwise healthy. Please t...
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Grand River, KY
Plants for planting in gourds
I enjoy painting dried gourds. This spring I got the idea to paint a gourd and cut holes in the side and plant some small blooming flowers. I have seen "hen and chickens" growing out of holes in the...
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cadiz, KY
Shrubs to grow in a narrow area no taller than 3 ft. in Cadiz, KY.
I need to plant shrubs in a narrow area between my house and sidewalk. I have a low porch so I want the shrub to grow no taller than 3 ft. What do you recommend? It is in full sun.
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