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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

Lampasas, TX
Toxicity of seeds of Texas Mountain Laurel for dog
I have a Tx Mountain Laurel that is in 1 end of a dog pen. I just heard the seeds are poisonous. Is this true & should we pull the seeds off so the dog can't reach them to eat? Thanks for your assist...
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Lampasas, TX
Native plants for butterflies and birds in a park in Lampasas, Texas
There is an area along a creek in Lampasas, Texas that I want to establish as a butterfly and bird park. There are various native plants there now, but I want to add plants that are hosts for butterf...
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Lampasas, TX
Treating scarred Gum Bumelia from Lampasas TX
We have a very old Gum Bumelia with a scarred open tree trunk. In the past concrete was used to fill the scarred trunk. What is the acceptable method of helping the tree. More concrete or using blac...
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Kempner , TX
Ash tree dying back to lower sprouts in Kempner TX
My 2 year old ash tree leaves dropped, appears dead, branches dying. New growth near base of tree. Do I cut upper trunk or remove entire tree? My other ash is doing well.
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Burnet-Kempner, TX
Source for trees from Burnet TX
I am desperately searching the central Texas area for Pistacia Mexicana male and female trees to buy. I would like about four, maybe more. I live in the Killeen-Lampasas area and have been to seve...
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Kempner, TX
Is horseherb (Calyptocarpus vialis) edible?
Hello, I find horse-herb everywhere. Is it edible, too? Thanks!
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Kempner, TX
Shade trees not toxic to dogs in Kempner TX
Dear Mr Smarty Plants, we are looking for shade trees to plant around our home in Kempner, Tx. I saw another family that asked a similar question but we have dogs and holly or oak trees are toxic (my...
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Kempner, TX
Plants for wildlife and trees for shade.
We live in Kempner Texas, our land has mostly cedar trees. We would like to make a wildlife habitat on the back side of our property. Can you recommend plants that will grow in shade to partial sun,...
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Kempner, TX
Dying branches on Texas Mountain Laurel from Kempner TX
The branches on my Texas Mountain Laurel are very dry and brittle. The leaves are also starting to die. The tree has been in my yard for six years and prior to that it sat wrapped in burlap for ov...
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Kempner, TX
Fruit trees for Kempner, Texas
I just moved to Kempner , TX and would like to plant a couple of fruit trees in my 1 1/4 ac yard. I would like to plant a species that will do well and produce edible fruit. Any assistance will be app...
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Lometa, TX
Are Yucca and Spanish dagger the same?
We have Yucca, and we have Spanish Dagger. We don't think they are the same thing. Are they?
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Lometa, TX
Looking for rattlesnake flower
I taught school for many years. The students and I identified wildflowers. I had one I call Rattlesnake Flower. It was small and had a little blue flower. On the leaves were little seed cases that...
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Copperas Cove, TX
Problems with gnats in dirt
I have problems with gnats in my dirt. It's something I can't get control of. What can I do?
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Adamsville, TX
Plant identification
I found a large shrub/tree behind an old building on my place. It has small smooth oval leaves 3/4-1 inch; x 1/2 inch, small somewhat clusters of a blue fruit 1/4-1/2 inch diam with one seed in it. Ca...
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Burnet, TX
Butterflies attracted by Pink Evening Primrose from Burnet TX
I see information on Pink Evening Primrose that says it attracts 'many butterflies' Please tell me which butterflies and name them? I've looked everywhere and am just exhausted and frustrated with...
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Burnet, TX
care of Red Oak seedling; Quercus buckleyi
We purchased one of the Red Oaks seedlings for sale to members from the LBJ Ranch ($45). Now that we have it at home we are wondering about the care and feeding. We failed to ask any questions or pi...
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Burnet, TX
Native grass for sandy soil and shade
We have a sandy soil and lots of shade. Is there a native grass that would do well under these conditions?
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Burnet, TX
Pruning the leaves of Sago Palm.
Is it a cardinal sin to remove all the sago palm branches? This winter they were so badly scorched by the cold that hardly a frond went unaffected. So I cut them all off as I needed to get around the...
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Burnet, TX
Low water use tree to shade pond in Burnet TX
I'm in need of some shade at a 1/2 acre pond, but I don't want a tree to consume so much water that it will lower the water level. During droughts the little pond needs all the water it can get. Som...
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Burnet, TX
Gathering Purple Coneflower seeds in Burnet TX
I have grown some Purple Coneflower and now am trying to save the seeds to plant next spring. I have a bucket full of dried tops and I know there is a lot of seeds. Is there an easy way to separate ...
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Burnet, TX
Eradicating sumac in Burnet, TX
I have several varieties of sumac on my property. I need to know how to get rid of it. When I cut it down it seems to come back in force.
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