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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!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
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Tuesday - July 07, 2009

From: Clearfield , PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Mystery perennial in Clearfield, PA
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have a perennial growing in my flower garden. I didn't plant extra seeds and don't know what it is..it has palm like leaves and long thin stem. It grows tall, maybe about 10 inches from the ground and I would like to know what it is..?

ANSWER:

Unfortunately, that description would cover many, many different plants, native and non-native to Pennsylvania. It could even be a weed planted for you by your friendly neighborhood birds, who are very good about spreading seeds around. If it's really important to you, we suggest you go to the instructions for submitting a photo on the Mr. Smarty Plants Plant Identification page. Note the kind of additional information needed with the picture(s), and we will try to identify it for you.
 

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