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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

Heath, TX
Growing Evergreen sumac in clay soil of Texas
I'm in need of a fast growing evergreen screening shrub/small tree. I'm considering the Evergreen Sumac but before I go further I need to know if this plant will thrive and remain evergreen in the D...
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Heath, TX
How to care for newly transplanted Live Oak.
I planted 3 B & B, 6" caliper live oaks in February and they lost most of their leaves during the normal time but when the new leaves grew back the amount of leaves were quite a bit less. I have th...
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Heath (near Dallas), TX
Sooty mold on Texas Sage in Heath TX
I have a Texas Sage that has developed a mildew, blight, fungus or (?) condition. Something has attacked the leaves with a black sooty condition. What is this and what can I do to help this plant thri...
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Heath , TX
Starting over on a lawn in Heath TX
Unless one counts dichondra as grass I have more weeds than grass in my yard.I have hand pulled the weeds and used an organic program without success. The soil is a hard clay typical of North Texas. I...
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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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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
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
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
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
Decline of sheared dwarf hollies from Rockwall TX
I have 20 year old established dwarf yaupon hollies in front of the house that I trim every year and shape the same. This year the new growth that was 2 1/2 " long I noticed the new leaves were curli...
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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
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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Rowlett, TX
Native plants for moist and shady yard in Rowlett, TX
I have an area of my yard that has drainage issues. It stays quite moist most of the time and is shady a large part of the day. I would like to plant some native plants in that area. Maybe something t...
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Rowlett, TX
Landscaping north facing wall
We live in the Dallas area and have a north facing home with a large, bare wall. I would like to plant a tall, flowering shrub that will look nice all year round. Or are there flowering vines that a...
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Rowlett, TX
Root rot and transplant shock in Texas betony
Texas betony is supposed to be drought resistant but also likes to be kept moist, but I have had trouble getting it established. These seem to be undemanding plants I have had entire stems dry up and...
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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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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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Mesquite, TX
Suggestions for flowerbed in Mesquite TX
I live in Mesquite and am new to the area. I am trying to make the flowerbed in the front of my house look better. I've planted some yellow roses and red roses but would like some perennial that bloo...
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Mesquite, TX
Evergreen groundcover or ornamental grass to plant under tree
What can I plant under my tree as a groundcover? I would like an evergreen groundcover, how about ornamental grasses?
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