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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers Nan Hampton, Jimmy Mills and Barbara Medford to be the culpable and capable parties. Yet, others think staff members Damon Waitt, Joe Marcus and Philip Hawkins might 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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Questions From Near You

Littleton, CO
Dying leaves on Autumn Blaze Maple tree in Littleton, CO
I have an autumn blaze maple where for the last two years the left side of the tree turns light green, then brown, and leaves die. The right side is dark green, normal. Is this a water over/under pr...
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Littleton, CO
Eradication of mahonia repens
What is the best way to kill and/or remove mahonia repens?
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Littleton, CO
Food and medicinal value of Parsley Hawthorn
I have found several sites that talk about how the parsley hawthorn is edible and how the hawthorn berry in general is really great for the heart, but I did not find any mention of this on your info a...
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Littleton, CO
Sources of Hypericum anagalloides (tinkekrs penny)
I am currently in search of any place where I may be able to purchase some of the Tinker's Penny. Could you please assist with this in any way possible? Greatly appreciated.
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Centennial, CO
Where can I find poppies that bloom all summer in Centennial CO?
Where can I find poppies that bloom all summer? Are they called California poppies?
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Centennial, CO
Texas mail order nurseries for perennials from Centennial CO
Can you advise Texas mail order nurseries for perennials?
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Centennial, CO
Resurrection plant not reviving.
I have what might be a resurrection plant but it never turns green. When it is watered it opens up and turns from tan to dark brown. Is it just a different variety of resurrection plant or something...
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Highlands Ranch , CO
Poppies for a wedding in August from Highlands Ranch CO
Are poppies available to buy for weddings in August in Colorado?
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Lakewood, CO
Is the Magnolia 'Ann' safe for horses
I bought a magnolia "ann". Will it hurt my horses to eat any part of it?
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Denver, CO
Problems with maple in Denver
I live in Denver, CO and planted an Autumn Blaze maple three years ago. It has done very well until about a week ago. The leaves are drying out and falling off and earlier today I noticed some bugs ...
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Denver, CO
Inquiry about the Arizona Cypress trees in the Family Garden
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I recently visited The Wildflower Center and enjoyed seeing several features that were new since my last visit two years ago. In the Family Garden areas I saw several beautifu...
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Denver, CO
Taking stock in where and what you grow in Denver Colorado
I have two year old stock plants growing in a container in my home and they are finally starting to bloom. However, the buds open but don't produce any petals. Also they are experiencing yellow leave...
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Denver, CO
Asters bloom period
When do the asters bloom?
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Denver, CO
Is arborvitate (Thuja sp.) safe for horses
Is arborvitae poisonous to horses? I want to plant it along the horse pasture. If it is poisonous, what are similar plants that are not poisonous to horses?
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Denver, CO
Greenhouse bluebonnets for July wedding from Denver CO
Would it possible for my daughter's florist to get bluebonnets for her late July wedding? Are they propagated in greenhouses?
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denver, CO
Non-native, care for Jade plant.
I've had a jade plant for 5 years and it has done well, even though it was in a plastic pot with regular soil. I need to repot it and it was recommended I use a clay pot and a soil made for succulen...
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Denver, CO
Austrian pine in landscape in Denver CO?
I'm relandscaping my yard and want to use all or mostly native plants, as I want to create a wildlife. My landscape designer has indicated she wants me to use Austrian Pine in as a specimen tree in t...
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Denver, CO
Century plant offshoots in Denver
Each year I get a small "baby" Century Plants in the early winter..December - January, But it dies off before summer. We live in Denver, CO My main plant is doing fine. Also, should I cut the lo...
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Denver, CO
Hand pollinating watermelon grown indoors in Denver
Hi! I'm growing watermelon indoors and I was wondering if I had to self pollinate it? Their flowers just started blooming! If so, how do I go about doing this? Thank you so much!
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Denver, CO
Failure to thrive of non-native Lamium maculatum
Hello: Approximately 3 to 4 years ago I planted approximately 20 Lamium Beacon Silver plants in a shaded area of my yard, with limited sun. The first year they seemed very hearty and expanded. I ce...
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Denver, CO
Geographic determination of flower colors
Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I'd like to find out if there are any correlation between geographic location and the statistic of flower(native) colors. Here in the Rockies, there seems to be a lot more ye...
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