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A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members 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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topicquestion
Advantages of using native plants
March 28, 2015
Hello. My question is not about a specific plant but a more general question about natives. I am writing a research paper and am interested in finding seminal research that explains why we should us...
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Learning to garden from Hartford CT
May 04, 2014
Hello, I just recently found an interest in gardening, and have discovered "cultivars." I am having trouble finding what exactly a cultivar is, and if they are bad or not. Can culltivars ever occur ...
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Plant identification of tree on Kent State University in Ohio
August 09, 2011
Hello. I am fond of a very large (wide) tree on a university campus in Ohio. I have tried many plant ID search engines to try to figure out what it is. It is at least 12 feet tall and at least that ...
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Smell barrier around chicken pen in Austin
April 23, 2011
What are some shade to part-shade loving, aromatic plants (akin to Lavender or Jasmine) that will do well in Central TX? I'm trying to plant things around my chicken pen that'll create a smell barri...
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Gardening advice for Ontario, Canada
April 20, 2011
HI there. I see most of the readers are in CA, I am in Ontario Canada. I am in need of some advice on a nice flowering all year round garden for both sun/partial sun/shade garden. Some for direct sun ...
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Using Bumelia for Firewood
February 25, 2011
I have 2 trees in my yard that I think are Gum Bullies. They're tall (25 feet) and straight, thorny, leaves look like live oak, but they're deciduous. I need to remove them and wondered if I could...
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More than you want to know about planting a pond in Austin Texas
December 10, 2010
Winterizing Water Garden QA from Nov 27 Austin American-Statesman: Would the garden (60-gal aluminum) with those plants (papyrus, horsetail, water lily) be placed in the sun, shade, part shade or ? I ...
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Growing Native Plants in Juniper litter from Wimberley, TX
October 04, 2010
Junipers create an environment under their canopy that prohibits growth of other plants. I have a virgin lot that has been cleared of many juniper but has remaining heavy natural leaf mold containing...
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Grave plants in Indiana in 1914
July 30, 2010
I'm doing research on the landscape surrounding an elaborate family cemetery constructed in NW Indiana in 1914. Previous research noted that "grave plants" were planted along the short retaining w...
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Burn the wetlands
June 02, 2010
Can the wetlands of Louisiana that have been soaked in oil be burned? I am a native plant gardener in the midwest. Burning is a natural process in the prairie. Southerners are not used to this and ma...
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Bees knees squeezing
May 28, 2010
Barbara, Do the knees of bees help them squeeze if they please their wobbly, bobbly, knobbly balls of pollen?
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How and when to harvest bluebonnets.
April 30, 2010
A previous answer mentioned harvesting bluebonnet seeds by pulling up the whole plant when the seed pods turn brown. Two clarifications - when do the seed pods turn brown as these plants are hard to ...
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Pot on a pillar in a pond in Pflugerville
April 26, 2010
No question: Just a thanks to Barbara. You can't imagine how hard I laughed when I read the interpretation that I was going to plant Maximilians in a pot on a pedestal in the middle of a pond!!! S...
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Will shoes pick up American Beautyberry fruit and stain carpets?
March 21, 2010
Do the berries from American Beautyberry fall on the ground so your shoes pick up the berries to stain the carpet in my house?
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Need bug repelling plants in Arlington, VA
February 08, 2010
What kind of plants are best bug repellents, and need little or no maintenance. I'm a city girl and don't like bugs (spiders)
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Is there an automated image download function for the NPIN Image Gallery?
November 03, 2009
Hi, I have a database/web technical question. Do you provide an interface to retrieve photos from your website programatically? Thanks!
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Is common yarrow a Texas native?
October 16, 2009
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, Is common yarrow Achillea millefolium a Texas native? Please enlighten me.
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Disappearing sunlight in Phoenix, AZ
September 29, 2009
I live in a condo in Phoenix, AZ with a north facing patio that goes out about 10 feet and is 20 feet wide. During the summer months there is a span of 1 foot in the front that goes the 20 foot length...
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Why is my Weeping Fig crying leaves?
July 27, 2009
I have a weeping fig that I bought Memorial day in Birmingham, Al. It has 8 or 9 trunks growing altogether. It sits on a porch with eastern exposure, only about 2 hours of sun. It has been losing l...
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Can tulip tree sap be used to make syrup in Bunker Hill IN?
July 10, 2009
I was just wondering if tulip tree sap could be used to make syrup. I saw the sticky stuff on the leaves and decided to taste test it and it was very sweet, unfortunately I later found out that I was ...
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Leaves turning brown in Fredonia KS
June 16, 2009
Leaves turning brown.
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Transplanting Trillium in Quebec.
May 13, 2009
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I live in the Laurentiens of Quebec where they are putting a HWY in my back yard. I have a lot of white trillium that I am wanting to transplant before they start the excava...
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Is there a flower that blooms only once in seven years?
December 17, 2008
Just wanted to know if there exists a flower that blooms only once in seven years? Thank you!
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Information about rainwater collection systems
November 25, 2008
I am wanting to design and install a rainwater collection system, and would like recommendations on suppliers, how to operate, detailed info on construction, capacity and pumping. Any info you can pro...
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How to keep persimmons from staining patio
August 10, 2008
We have approximately 4 female persimmons bearing fruit around our back patio. Birds are carrying the berries to our patio and eating them which leaves a dark stain on our patio. I'm having to go o...
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topicquestion

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