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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

Nevada, TX
White ash trees with bunched up leaves from Nevada TX
I have very young white ash trees (3' tall planted this winter) The leaves are crippled not opening up bunched up together and have a white powder. Is this aphids mites or what. Only on one tree. Th...
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Nevada, TX
A year and a half old live oak tree is doing poorly in Nevada, TX.
We planted a live oak tree about a year and a half ago. the tree is still rather small. The leaves are of a vibrant green, however the leave have only grown through the center of the tree and not out...
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Royse City, TX
Keeping dogs and cats out of flower gardens
Do you have any suggestions to keep the cats and dogs out of my flower garden? They either just walk through it, and trample everything, or sleep on the soft blooms and squish everything. I am despe...
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Royse City, TX
Legal to mow wildflowers in HOA in Royse City, TX
We live out in the country in Rockwall County, Texas. Is it legal to mow the wildflowers on our 2 acre lots? The HOA documents we committed to require the homesites to be maintained, but there is di...
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Royse City, TX
Identity of Dwarf Oyster Plant.
I purchased a plant from the local Home Depot, and it said on the sticker in was a Dwarf Oyster Plant. I can't seem to find any information on that name, so maybe it was marked wrong. See if you ca...
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Royse City, TX
Wind damage to pecan tree in Royse City, TX
The wind broke my pecan tree trunk in two. It is approximately 2 in caliper and about 15 feet tall. Is there a tree trunk repair?
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Fate, TX
What do cedars do to cause cedar fever?
What do the native cedars in Fate Tx do in the winter that causes allergies to get really bad that they have named it cedar fever
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Fate, TX
Purchase access to plants at Wildflower Center
I am interested in purchasing some of your plants. How can I do that? Do you send plants thru the mail or is their a nursery near you that has access to your plants that does? I am interested in Sa...
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Wylie, TX
Pruning Bald Cypress in Wylie, TX
I have a 6 year old bald cypress that sustained damage to the upper portion of its trunk a couple of years ago. Since that time it has grown more outward than upward and developed a rounder shape. I...
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Wylie, TX
How long do bluebonnets last?
How long do bluebonnets last? When should I no longer expect to see the beautiful state flower along the side of the road? I want to know how long I have to take memorable pictures of my children. Tha...
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Wylie, TX
Native flower bed with part sun
I have recently put in three small flower beds and replaced the hard clay with decent dirt. The site is shaded in the AM but mostly sun in the PM. I would like to plant natives - what can you recommen...
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Wylie, TX
Trees for screen around pool near Dallas
I am looking for a native plant to use around a pool to provide screening (I am putting in a 12 ft tall set of flag poles to suspend a sun screen the HOA wants me to block the flag poles) I have 8 ft ...
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Rockwall , TX
Native species of tree for Rockwall TX
Hello, I am attempting to plant a native species of tree 20 miles east of Dallas, Texas (Rockwall, TX) in honor of my brother's marriage. He is a biologist and a huge supporter of native species....
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Rockwall, TX
Trees and shrubs for Rockwall, TX
Hi! I've been advised to contact you regarding my dilemma. Please rsvp asap. I'm ready to plant. 1)I have a small backyard with full, hot, Dallas sun and cold winters, many times below freezing. ...
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Rockwall, TX
Browning leaves on recently planted chinkapin oak in Rockwall TX
I just planted a chinkapin oak that is about 1 1\2 inches thick last week and now some of the leaves are turning brown. Does that mean its dying? Do you have any tips that I could use to protect it?
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Rockwall, TX
Non-native pistacio problem Rockwall, TX.
I have an eight year old Pistacio tree that has leaves turning brown and falling off. It is June! Why?
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Rockwall, TX
Blooms on Desert Willow withering quickly in Rockwall TX
Why do the blooms on my Desert Willow dry up and wither away in one or two days?
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Rockwall, TX
Plant identification
This incredible plant has grown up in the past two months. Considering the extreme heat of this summer, my husband assumes it must be a weed. We have had this skinny strip of dirt for four years, and ...
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Rockwall, TX
10 year old Wisteria fails to bloom in Rockwall, TX.
I love wisteria. I had four (4) wisteria plants professionally planted at least ten (10) years ago. These wisteria plants have NEVER bloomed. Why not?
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Rockwall, TX
Privacy screen for Rockwall, TX
Dallas area privacy screen recommendations. I have about 125ft of wrought iron fence between my yard and the neighbor's and a drainage pipe that runs along the fence. The neighbor's property sits u...
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Rockwall, TX
Native plants for creekside erosion control
I need advice on what native plants I can use to slow erosion by my creek. The watershed for a large area ends up at my place, and nothing is growing where most of the runoff flows. I've got braken...
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