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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!

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Questions From Near You

Giddings, TX
Keeping cows from eating the garden
I have a flowerbed area outside of our new split-rail fence available for planting, but cattle roam outside the fence also! Do you have any suggestions for plants that cows tend not to eat (unle...
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Giddings, TX
Trees with white blossoms in Crockett, Texas
What are the trees that are blooming just East of Crockett Texas (off of Hwy 21) right now - fairly large trees - multitude of white blooms - almost like a wild plum or pear, but tree seems too large?...
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Lincoln, TX
Brown spots on young redbuds in Lincoln TX
I have lined my driveway in Lee County Texas with Red bud trees purchased both in Dripping Springs and in College Station. The 14 trees are of varying ages and heights (planted during the fall and wi...
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Ledbetter, TX
Preventing Oak Galls
How do you prevent live oak galls? Do you have a solution? Many of our live oaks are infested with them.
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Ledbetter, TX
Spreading bluebonnets in pasture from Ledbetter TX
I've found a small patch of bluebonnets in my back pasture in Ledbetter, tx. What is the best method of encouraging their spread across the pasture? I've heard that one can pull up the plants and ...
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Paige, TX
Seeds for native Sandyland Bluebonnet
I live in Bastrop County Texas and would like to plant our native Sandyland Bluebonnet, Lupinus subcarnosus. I have checked most of the native plant supply firms, but can't find this species (except...
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Paige, TX
Grasses for shady acreage in Paige, TX
My family recently bought property in Paige, TX. We thinned out the dense vegetation leaving pines and some oak and juniper. The ground is now bare sand throughout much of the property, except for th...
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Paige, TX
Interested in planting wildflowers in the area of Paige, TX.
Interested in planting wildflowers in the area of Paige, TX.
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Paige/Bastrop, TX
Ground cover for burned acreage in Bastrop, Texas
The fire took 2/3 of the trees on my half acre in Bastrop County. It was mostly wild. What do I plant for ground cover? Do I plant native grass seed in fall? I want to keep it native as possible. ...
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Carmine, TX
Care for heritage roses
Dear Mr. SmartyPlants, I took some cuttings from an antique rose my grandmother had.I had good luck , had some of them grow for me. Some of them have blooms and others are long and lanky stems but n...
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Round Top, TX
Source for purchase of Texas ash tree in Round Rock, TX
Where can I purchase a Texas Ash (Fraxinus texenis)?
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Lexington, TX
Scrub oaks dropping limbs in Lexington TX
We live in the country between Elgin and Lexington. One of our "scrub" oaks is dropping large limbs. On examination, the limbs have green leaves and they do not appear to be rotted. Do you think ...
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Lexington, TX
Cotton root rot in Purple Sage, Leucophyllus frutescens
We had three Purple Sage shrubs in our front yard. They did very well for about three years and then this past year they just died. From what I have read they are pretty hardy so we are really stum...
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Lexington, TX
Soils for Central Texas wildflowers
Our family is moving to 40 acres near Lexington, TX with deep soil. Briefly talking to personnel at the Wildflower Center during Goblins in the Garden, I found that not all flowers in the Central Texa...
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Lexington, TX
Pests on Fan Tex Ash
We planted a Fan Tex Ash last year on our property. It's doing very well, but there are a lot of large stink bugs, yellow jackets and red wasps on it daily. We cannot seem to find any information on ...
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Plum, TX
Black Sooty Mold on Bay Tree
I have a large bay tree and all the leaves are covered with a black mold-like substance on the top part of the leaf. Under each leaf are some black/brown spots. I have washed the leaves with soap and ...
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Smithville, TX
Screen plants for part shade in Smithville, TX
Thank you very much for your reply to my question about planting bamboo. I had no idea it was so invasive. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have for me. My goal is to provide a soft an...
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Smithville, TX
Native Christmas tree from Smithville TX
I've always wanted to use a native tree as a Christmas tree. Do you have any suggestions?
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Smithville, TX
Non-native bamboo for a privacy fence in Smithville, TX
I am considering planting bamboo along my privacy fence inside my back yard. I like the informality of it and durability. Is it safe for children and pets?
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Smithville, TX
Conditions for growing Anacacho Orchid in Smithville TX
What conditions (soil type, sun/shade, understory? etc.) to grow a healthy Anacacho Orchid tree? And what is the best size tree to plant?
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Smithville, TX
Planting of Habiturf from Smithville TX
Are Habiturf and Thunderturf the same? and, how late in the year can I plant Habiturf?
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