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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!

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Questions From Near You

Jonestown/Leander, TX
Native plants for Jonestown/Leander
Dear Mr.Smarty Plants, I am new to Texas we bought a house here in Jonestown/Leander that has absolutely no plant life whatsoever I was wondering if you could provide me with the names of some drough...
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Jonestown, TX
Plants for seeping hillside and muddy bottom area
We live on the north side of Lake Travis. About half acre of our property is currently planted with natives. The other half consists of a huge limestone ledge, a steep slope with little soil that seep...
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Volente, TX
Help with native plants suffering from drought and heat
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, HELP!!! I live on Lake Travis outside Austin and we planted our yard this spring with lots of wonderful native plants. Now most of them look like they are dying (in particu...
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Volente, TX
Evergreen tree for privacy screen
I live out in the hill country in Volente, TX. I'm looking for a fast growing, native evergreen tree variety that would make a good privacy screen. I don't want a hedge, but I do want to replace a...
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Lago Vista, TX
Thuja arborvitae not thriving in Austin
I planted 5 giant thuja arborvitae two years ago. They have grown six inches and aren't doing that well. I live in Austin Texas and it was a hot summer. I water them 2x a week, now 1x a week. They a...
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Lago Vista, TX
Pruning of crepe myrtles
I have three crepe myrtle trees in my yard. When do I trim back the branches? What if I waited too long to trim them back? Can I still do it? How far do I trim them back? Thank you.
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Lago Vista, TX
Deer-resistant native ground cover for part sun in Lago Vista TX
Looking for a ground cover in an area that gets partial sun, is level and good drainage. Area is 10' x 20'. Thought about Trachelospermun Asiaticum (Asiatic Jasmine) but what ever I go with it has t...
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Lago Vista, TX
Technique of using cut flowers to make paper
Have an inquiry regarding how to locate (or if such a craft/technique exists) someone or some service that is aware of a process to take fresh-cut flowers & dry & press them into paper or onto paper t...
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Lago Vista, TX
Spineless prickly pear from Lago Vista TX
We visited Lady Bird Johnson Center yesterday. I was impressed with the spine less prickly pear cactus. Is it a native or a hybrid?
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Lago Vista , TX
Winter damage to non-native Jasminum mesnyi
I planted 6 shrubs in 2006 that I think are some type of jasmine that have yellow flowers. Can't remember the name. I live in Lago Vista TX just outside Austin. This year 3 are doing really well a...
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Lago Vista, TX
Deer resistance of non-native Loropetalum
I love Loropetalum (Plum Delight). Is it Deer Resistant?
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Lago Vista, TX
Need suggestions for native grasses to stabilize hillside Lago Vista, TX.
I was hoping for some advice. We live on a hillside near Lake Travis. 10-12 years ago I removed all cedar trees. There is approximately 1-2 acrees of steep land between our residence and the lake. ...
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Lago Vista, TX
Making cuttings from purple sage in Austin, TX.
I would like to plant additional purple sage for landscaping. May I do this with cuttings from an existing adult plant? If so, how and when would be the best method? I live in Lago Vista, TX
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Lago Vista, TX
Problems with non-native peach trees from Lago Vista TX
I have two peach trees that are setting fruit. Last year the small fruit had sap coming out of most of them. When they ripened there was a rotten spot in each of them. I had to throw most of them aw...
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Lago Vista, TX
Rejuvenating an old Wax myrtle hedge
I have 8 wax myrtles that were planted about 9 years ago as a screen from our neighbors. They are about 12 feet high. During the past 9 months they are getting thinner and thinner. Two of them hav...
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Lago Vista, TX
Winter trimming of Greggs mistflower
Do I cut my gregg's mist back to the ground for the winter or just leave it alone?
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Lago Vista, TX
Is Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) deer resistant
I visited a building in Austin, Texas today that had Star Jasmine out front. The man I was visiting said it is also called Confederate Jasmine. It smelled divine! I am wondering if it is deer resis...
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Lago Vista, TX
Transplanting seedlings washed out of area by rain
I sowed a rather large area in my wild back yard in wildflowers. There is no grass. A few weeks later after we had been watering them because of no rain (in Sept), we got way too much rain and many o...
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Lago Vista, TX
Where to find nursery type containers in Austin TX
Where in Austin TX can I purchase nursery type containers to transplant my seedling
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Lago Vista, TX
Late planting plum tree from Lago Vista, TX
I have two plum trees in plastic containers that I purchased in March. For a lot of reasons, we didn't get them planted. I have kept them alive by watering consistently, but I am now wondering what...
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Lago Vista, TX
Inoculant for bluebonnets
Where can I find inoculant for my bluebonnets? I have searched high and low. Native American Seeds does not carry it. I can buy it for soybeans in a huge quantity, but am not sure that this is the ...
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