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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

Bertram, TX
Failure of Bald Cypress to fully leaf out
My family just moved to a house in Burnet County, about 7 miles south of Bertram, close to the Balcones Canyonlands NWR, with very rocky limestone soil. We bought several trees last fall, including a ...
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Bertram, TX
Identity of vine with green flowers
What is this trailing plant with half inch green flowers with gold metallic centers? Looks like a milkweed plant or gourd plant of some kind. I found it off Hamilton Pool road. West of Austin TX
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Bertram, TX
Non-blooming orange bell plant
My orange bell plant is not blooming. I live in Central Texas where it is hot. The plant has part sun, part shade. Is there any way to help it bloom?
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Bertram, TX
Sap dripping from redbud in Bertram, TX
Our multi-trunked Texas redbud has sap dripping down 3 of the trunks. It seems to originate from a very small crack in each trunk. The tree is just starting to show pink this week, and is about to blo...
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Bertram, TX
Help with Habiturf from Bertram TX
I am a resident of Bertram..about 45 min northwest of Austin. I have 1.33 acres of land with my home on it. My front pasture is pretty nice native grass but my backyard is full of weeds. I'm guessing...
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Bertram, TX
Landscaping in Bertram TX
I have a landscaping job in Bertram, Texas and am looking for all my options as far as full and partial shade somewhat hardy plants. I'm mainly looking for small plants and pretty flowers I can do wi...
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Bertram, TX
Leaf loss on Cenizo in Bertram TX
I need help with a purple sage (Leucophyllum frutescens) problem. Most of one of my plants started having paler, more greyish leaves, then the leaves began to fall off. It seemed to still look healthy...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Looking for a source for Texas persimmon tree (Diospyros texana)
I have looked all over for Texas persimmon trees but am having a difficult time finding any for sale. Do you know of any nurseries near Austin or Georgetown that sells them?
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Liberty Hill, TX
What happened to the bluebonnets?
I was wondering if you could tell me why there weren't any bluebonnets out this year? I live in the Hill Country and drive to Austin everyday. I look forward to seeing the bluebonnets up and down the...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Possumhaw losing leaves in Liberty Hill, TX.
I have two female possumhaw trees and one of them is losing its leaves. I planted both of them in February and they were doing very well, getting green and full. What's happening?
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Liberty Hill, TX
Mexican Plum not doing well in Liberty Hill, TX.
Two summers have passed since I planted my Mexican Plum. It's in full sun. It seems to have added height but not much width. It's virtually a 7 foot stick with 1 foot branches from top to bottom. It...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Wildflowers of April wedding in Liberty Hill TX
We are planning a wedding for April 9 in Liberty Hill, TX (78642) and live on several acres. We would like to plant wildflowers on the land to use for bouquets and centerpieces. Could you please recom...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Horse ate bark of cedar elm from Liberty Hill, TX
I have three acres with a rental. Planted a Cedar Elm near the porch. My ex-renters allowed their horse to graze around the house. It ate the bark off of the tree. How can I save this tree?
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Liberty Hill, TX
Trimming back freeze damage from Anacacho orchid in Liberty Hill TX
When is it safe to trim back what I think is dead wood on my Anacacho orchid trees (that were hit hard this past winter)? Is there any harm done if I cut back living wood?
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Liberty Hill, TX
Texas Ash
Where can I purchase a Texas Ash? One native tree nursery advertised Texas Ash but the trees turned out to be Fan-Tex, which I believe is an Arizona Ash cultivar.
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Liberty Hill, TX
Instructions on making wildflower seed balls
About 2 years ago I visited the LBJ Wildflower Center and picked up a sheet that described how to make wildflower seed mud balls. I've lost the sheet and can't find the directions on your site. Ca...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Question about a beetle eating bees
I have a beetle that is about index finger or pinkie fingernail size. I have a bee hive and it's eating the bees by injecting it with an inch long probe and sucking out the liquid of my bees.
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Liberty Hill, TX
Coral Honeysuckle suitability for Central Texas Fence
I recently purchased a house in Liberty Hill. My backyard is enclosed by an iron fence (painted). I am interested in creating a habitat for birds, so I'm thinking of planting coral honeysuckle vine...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Plants for Liberty Hill TX in full sun
We recently bought an acre of land in Liberty Hill, TX. We have a large planting area in the front that is devoid of any plant life. I would like to turn this into a semi shaded area with some annua...
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Liberty Hill, TX
Problem With Vegetable Garden Soil
We live in Liberty Hill on 25 acres and we are working to restore native grasses and plants. We are ardent supporters of the Wildflower center. I say this because my question is not "typical" of wh...
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Liberty hill, TX
Alamo vine not blooming in Liberty Hill TX
My Alamo vine is not blooming. It is planted in full sun. The vine looks healthy. Should I fertilize, if so, with what.
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