Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
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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Smarty Plants Question Topics
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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| Is horseherb (Calyptocarpus vialis) edible? April 09, 2008 Hello, I find horse-herb everywhere. Is it edible, too? Thanks! View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Edibility of bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) acorns October 24, 2007 Is the acorn of the Bur Oak edible? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Weed prevention in vegetable gardens September 26, 2007 Mr.Smarty Plants - I know this isn't your area, but we have a vegetable garden that has been plagued by summertime weeds. Do you have a recommendation for a control plan we could implement during t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Toxicity of leaves and berries of lantana July 19, 2007 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants!!! I live in Columbia, SC and have fallen in love with the Lantana or Lanta plants. I have a lot of them because of their rapid growth. My question is -- in addition to all t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Edibility of fruit of Passiflora incarnata July 19, 2007 We have Passion flower vines growing, blooming and producing fruit all over our property and the land nearby. They are growing wild. We are near Greensboro, Georgia which is barely in the Northeast pa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Medicinal qualities of Monarda clinopodioides June 19, 2007 Monarda clinopodioides Gray basil beebalm Could you tell me if the above-mentioned plant is edible or has any medicinal use? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Mulching vegetables with straw June 13, 2007 I have a small garden with 4 different veggies, tomatoes, hot peppers, squash & cucumbers. which plants is it OK to put straw under? which plants will straw hurt the stalks or other possibilities? tha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Wild onions in southwest Michigan June 06, 2007 During the spring every year there are "Volunteer Onions" that grow in my lawn and garden. I live in Michigan, sw. question---are these onions? what are they--they smell like onions--- can they be e... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Coexistence of rubus trivialis and American beautyberry May 28, 2007 I'm growing some rubus trivialis in a 1-gal. pot and plan to plant it this fall. Will this dewberry coexist with American beautyberry, or must it have its own space entirely? If it needs its own sp... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Edibility of Rumex hastatulus (heartwing sorrel) March 25, 2007 My mother and aunt, who are in their 80s, tell stories of eating a plant, when they were girls in North Central Texas. They call the plant "sheep shire". My mother says that it is a flat weed, that... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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