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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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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!

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Sunday - May 24, 2009

From: Round Rock, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Problems with non-native Star Jasmine in Round Rock, TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have two star jasmine plants in pots located just under the eaves of my Round Rock, Texas patio. They have been very healthy specimens until this year. They are thinning badly and the ends of the branches seem stunted, almost as though they had been glued over. I have several other in-ground plants that are doing very well. What could be causing this problem?

ANSWER:

The description sounds like Trachelospermum jasminoides,  also known as Star jasmine, or Confederate jasmine.This plant, in spite of the common names, is not native to North America. At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, we only deal with plants native not only to North America but also to the area in which they are being grown. Since we have no information in our Native Plant Database on plants outside our expertise, we are referring you to this Floridata website, Trachelospermum jasminoides for more information and the possible answer to your question. 
 

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