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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

Burbank, IL
Small flowering tree for Burbank IL
Looking for a semi-dwarf flowering tree resistant to disease and insects. Current flowering crab has fire blight. What would you suggest planting. We live in a Chicago IL suburb.
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Oak Lawn, IL
Did my neighbor's zucchini affect my apple tree from Oak Lawn, IL
My neighbor planted zucchini plants near a flowering non-fruit producing apple tree in my yard. Soon afterwards in July the tree began to shed leaves. Could the zucchini plant have caused this?
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Hickory Hills, IL
Plants for Shady Clay soil in Illinois
Could you recommoned native plants for clay soil and shade near Chicago?
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Palos Heights, IL
Native Evergreen for Shady Back Yard in IL
I am looking for a native evergreen to provide bird shelter in my southeast facing small back yard. I would prefer a horizontal juniper but don't know if it could grow in the shade of the 8 or 9 matu...
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Palos Heights, IL
Is Viburnum opulus var. americana (Viburnum trilobum) Self-fertile?
I am trying to attract birds to my Chicago area yard and I believe I have good conditions to grow highbush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum). My question is about the need for cross pollination. The liter...
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La Grange Park, IL
Need help identifying a plant with lupine-like leaves in La Grange Park, IL
I encountered a plant on a level area just above a creek bed (moist soil, sun to partial sun) at one of the three largest grasslands in Illinois. The specific site looked like it may have been a burn ...
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Oak Forest, IL
My Niagara grape cutting is not growing; be patient
Hello. I live in a city about 10 miles from Chicago IL. I like grapes they are my favorate fruit to just eat. I bought a niagara grape plant that was a cutting (it looked like nothing more then a st...
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Hinsdale, IL
Burn the wetlands
Can the wetlands of Louisiana that have been soaked in oil be burned? I am a native plant gardener in the midwest. Burning is a natural process in the prairie. Southerners are not used to this and ma...
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Hinsdale, IL
Plant identification
I am trying to figure out what this plant is..It has light feathery leaves like dill. It is an annual in the midwest. Height 5-6 feet tall. Stalk is about 3 inches wide with branches that are 2 feet l...
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Tinley Park, IL
Bark damage to Tulip Tree
I have a tulip tree planted. It is about 9-10 years old. Two years ago the tree looked as though the trunk was cracked. Maybe hit by lightning after a storm. This year the bark on the side of tree...
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Westchester, IL
Is a Brandywine Maple messy from Westchester IL
Brandywine Maple: Does this tree produce sap, seeds or flower? As a home owner I can't afford more maintenance with clogged gutters or a sap covered car. Thank you.
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Darien, IL
Pruning non-native oleanders
I have an oleander that has become to "leggy". I read the pruning instructions, but where I want to prune, there are not any leaf nodes. Can I trim below at the base, or will I hurt the plant? I ...
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Clarendon Hills, IL
Mildew in Phlox paniculata
I planted garden phlox (phlox paniculata) in my front landscaping and it is suffering from mildew. It is wet on that side due to a down spout and it may benefit from being split. Does anyone know of...
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Bellwood, IL
Bugs on Arizona Cypress in Bellwood IL
I live in Illinois and have an Arizona Cypress that looks like it is dying but I notice today it has bugs inside its cone. Can you tell me why and what can I do?
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Chicago, IL
Plant Identification
Hi- I am currently am AP Biology student and have two plants left to identify that I found at a lily pool in Chicago. Can you help me identify them? One I believe is a fern, the other a flower. Th...
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Chicago, IL
Plant identification
I'm not sure of county of origin. It was given to me by someone I no longer have contact with. When I initially received it I thought it was just a small potted vine of some type. I've had it a yea...
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chicago, IL
Plant identification
green stemmed,whorled leaf,compound leaf, ovate shaped, hairy stemmed thing is fastly taking over my sandy rocked based soil cactus garden. what could it be? i bought my garden in florida
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Chicago, IL
Is resurrection plant (Selaginella lepidophylla) toxic?
Is Resurrection plant (Selaginella lepidophylla)toxic? Is it safe for children to handle?
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Chicago, IL
Plant identification
I am trying to identify a flowering plant (usually potted) that is commonly seen around homes in Phoenix, AZ. It has a long (1 to 1.5 ft) bare woody stem topped by an umbel of perhaps 15-20 small red...
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Chicago , IL
Smarty Plants on women trying to conceive
RE: Eucalyptus. Is this bad for women trying to conceive? The smell is very powerful.
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Chicago, IL
Life span of pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica
Do you have any data on the lifespan of pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica) under urban conditions where is Not subject to seral succession (trees won't be permitted to overtake it)? On the other hand ...
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