Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

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.

 
rate this answer
10 ratings

Wednesday - July 16, 2008

From: Jeffrey, WV
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: User Comments
Title: Why is Mr. Smarty Plants website so useless?
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Why is your site so useless?

ANSWER:

We are truly sorry that you find our site of no use to you. The volunteers and staff members at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center are constantly searching for new ways to make information on plants native to North America available to anyone who goes onsite. We also have access to information on invasives and other matters of importance to the environment. Perhaps if you detailed for us how you attempted to use the site and how it failed for you, we can make improvements. But the question you asked is a plurium interrogationum such as "are you still beating your wife?" If we answer it, it presupposes that the Mr. Smarty Plants website is, in fact, useless. By the way, the majority of the questions are answered by two volunteers, each of whom puts in an average of 20 hours a week, unpaid, of course, to try and help anyone interested in plants and how they impact the world we live in. Since I am one of those volunteers, I guess we can't offer to give you your money back.
 

More User Comments Questions

Chile Pequin growing well in Charleston SC
January 28, 2013 - Not really a question. I have successfully grown from seed Chile Pequins I picked up in Texas here in Charleston Sc. They are so hardy they come back from their stalks each year and sprout from seeds ...
view the full question and answer

Clarification of question from Pitcairn PA
April 23, 2013 - What is the best site and book for wild stables in Pennsylvania?
view the full question and answer

Maintenance policy for Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
February 04, 2008 - Greetings, I am a volunteer at the University of Washington’s Elisabeth C. Miller Horticultural library. I am currently developing a maintenance policy for our database of gardening questions and ...
view the full question and answer

Foxglove safety from England
April 21, 2013 - Hi, regarding safety of foxgloves grown near edible plants - foxgloves are good companion plants for vegetables, in case of root vegetables they improve their storage life and quality. Foxgloves prote...
view the full question and answer

Synchronized blooming of cutleaf evening primrose from Brookshire TX
April 29, 2014 - I have cutleaf evening primrose (grandis) that puts on such an enchanting show, opening every evening in late April, precisely at 8:00 , that guests sit in chairs to watch the spectacle. Incredibly, ...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.