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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!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

Questions From Near You

The Netherlands, Other
Smarty Plants on Kokias
I am searching for seeds of different Kokias (Kokia cookei, K. drynariodes and K. kauaiensis) and Thespesias (Thespesia grandiflora, T. thespesioides, T. nerifolia and T. popul...
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Oegstgeest/NL, Other
Books on Lilies
Dear Sir, I am looking for a book covering the Lily Family as a whole, i.e., it should preferably also discuss other Genera than Lilium only. I am especially interested in Lily members occurring in t...
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Houten, Holland
Source of native Desert Lily for The Netherlands
I am searching a bulb of Hesperocallis undulata. Do you know where I can get/buy this bulb I hope you can help me. Thank you very much warmest regards The Netherlands
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Mechelen Belgium, Other
Wildlife habitat in Gambia
Thank you for the interesting website. We bought a plot in the Gambia and would like to change it into a habitat for different living species; hence, your kindly advise is welcome as we are definitel...
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Bonn, Germany
Western red cedar (Thuja plicata) frost tolerance, making cuttings
Dear Madam or Sir, It would be very kind, if you could answer my questions about the “Thuja Plicata atrovirens” alias “Western Red Cedar”. I need the information because a good friend of mine ...
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Tunbridge Wells kent, England
Failure to thrive of passion flower in Tunbridge Wells England
I planted my passion plant 3 years ago and I have really looked after it. I think this winter has killed it, it looks so dead. I hope it can be saved; there isn't one part of it that is looking healt...
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London, Other
Identification of green succulent plant with red tubular flowers
Hi there, i have this plant which is green,leaves are succulent, and these red tubular little flowers about an inch long grow rampantly all summer. i wanna know what it is called as i take cuttings a...
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Frankfurt, Germany
Problems with rhododendrons in Germany
I am writing with questions about rhododendrons. I purchased four small rhododendron/azalea hybrids in April. Because I had to prepare the garden before planting them, I left them in the pots they cam...
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Redhill, England
Date for visitor from England to see bluebonnets
Hi there I live in England, and I'm planning a trip to Texas to photograph the wildflowers around Austin and the hill country. I especially want to photograph bluebonnets. I can be in Texas either...
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Surbiton, England
Water absorbing plant from Surbiton, England
Ground soggy with rain, is there a plant that will absorb water?
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High Wycombe, England
Trailing perennial plants for High Wycombe, England
Hello Mr Smarty Plants, I would like to know what trailing plants are also perennial, preferably flowering ones but that also look pretty when not in flower? My kitchen looks out onto a five foot h...
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Broxburn, England
Natural barrier for sheep in England
Hi I am trying to find a plant that sheep will not eat to use as a natural barrier to keep sheep out of my R/C model flying clubs flying field.It will have to be a couple of feet tall and be a long li...
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Nottingham, Other
Disease problems of non-native Weeping Willow
Could you please tell me why my weeping willow has got pink coloured leaves and seems very dry the bark is splitting and seems full of wood worm?
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Nottingham, England
Damage to Yucca rostrata from Nottingham, England
Hi, I have a yucca rostrata which has had its head snapped off in high winds (we live in Nottingham, England) we have left the trunk in the ground, will this re grow?? What is the best thing to do wit...
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Leicester, England
Are gourds poisonous, edible?
Are all the Gourds edible? How can I know which one is which? If it is not edible, is it poisonous? If not, what is stopping us from eating them?
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Oxfordshire, England
Yucca sprouting shoots in Oxfordshire, England
I have a 20ft outdoor yucca with four huge branches.It is 11 years old. For the first time it has sprouted two side shoots on one of the trunks. They are about 12 inches in length. What is the best wa...
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Paris, France
Care of Rio Grande Wild Petunia
I have bought the Rio Grande Wild Petunia, Ruellia davisiorum. How should I look after it?
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York, England
Detoxifying soil from York England
How do you neutralize toxic soil, it may have been contaminated by Foxglove Digitalis Purpurea? Thankyou
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Yorkshire , England
Mountain ash seedlings in Yorkshire, England
Is there any way I can stop Mountain Ash from seeding in my garden. This year in particular, I am absolutely overrun with the seedlings and once they get a hold they are difficult to remove.
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England, Other
Inadvisability of importing plants from one region to another
I wonder if you could help me. I want to send my friends some conifer trees from England to Florida USA. I went on the Department of Agriculture site and they recommended your site for questions. Than...
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London, UK
Rotten Oranges
Do oranges rot if they are not taken off the tree when ripe?
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