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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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.
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Friday - July 01, 2005
From: Midland, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Vines
Title: Smarty Plants on hyacinth bean vine
Answered by: Nan Hampton and Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
I'm looking for what I believe is a wild vine. All i know is that it has purplish colored beans and the flowers are also purple. Also the vine itself is purplish. i believe that the vine is either from the Hill Country or the Piney Woods area. i would like to get hold of some of the beans to plant at my home in Midland. Thank you.ANSWER:
I think you are looking for the Purple hyacinth bean vine (Dolichos lablab). It is not native to North America. It is a native of Asia, but it is available commercially as seeds or plants. Here is another photo of the hyacinth bean vine.More Vines Questions
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Vine with edible nut in Chattooga County, Georgia
March 01, 2011 - From an email to this Master Gardener- The lady said when she was young her grandmother had a vine that grew along ground that produced small edible nut. As kids they called them chew-chews. Any idea ...
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How to get rid of Phytolacca americana (American pokeweed)
October 02, 2013 - Mr. Smarty-Pants, I have pokeweed growing all over my backyard. I know this plant is poisonous, how do I get rid of it for good? Also, a broad leaf vine that is swallowing my trees whole.
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Re-landscaping in Stephenville, TX.
November 17, 2012 - I prefer native plants. We are re-landsacaping, so I need grass, ground cover, vines and flowers to plant in our back yard. We have many trees and the whole yard is shady. A small area might be con...
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