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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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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

Sierra Vista, AZ
Why is Asphodelus fistulosus (onionweed) forbidden by property owners assoications?
Our local property owners association is imploring us to remove all onionweed (Asphodelus fistulosus L.). The USDA lists it as a noxious weed. Why? I think it is pretty and flowery. Is it poison...
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Sierra Vista, AZ
Tree for caliche soil in Cochise County, Arizona
What trees will thrive in areas of moderate caliche soil in southeast Arizona? My property is at 4,200 feet of elevation. Thanks for your help
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Sierra Vista, AZ
Pink wildflowers on DFW runways in April-June
I fly thru DFW quite often and have noticed in April-June timeframe the runways are dotted with a light pink colored wildflower. Have asked the DFW Customer Service folks for the name, ones I've ask...
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Huachuca City, AZ
Do flowers on century plants grow century plants from Huachuca City AZ
The flowers on century plants: can they "grow" century plants?
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Naco, AZ
Problems with Arizona Ash from Naco AZ
Hi Mr. Smarty.. Live in southeast corner of Az. My Az. Ash is diseased. Just noticed leaves are curled, (still green) and when I open the leaf it has a zillion little white, what look like mites ...
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Benson, AZ
Chlorotic Texas Mountain Laurel in Benson, Arizona
I've planted a Texas Mountain Laurel in heavy clay soil in Arizona. It's been in place for 3 years and flowers each spring. However it's leaves are a shade of medium, yellowish green nothing like t...
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Benson, AZ
Euphorbia 'Cherokee' leaves drying from Benson AZ
I have a Euphorbia 'Cherokee' in a pot and has been growing nicely but some of the leaves are turning red and drying up and falling off. Is this normal for this plant?
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Pearce, AZ
Deer resistance of Calylophus berlandieri
Is Calylophus drummondii deer resistant? We have a lot of mule deer in se Arizona? Thanks in advance for your advice.
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Vail, AZ
Gregg's mistflower in pot from Vail AZ
I recently bought a Gregg's Mist plant and don't know much about it. I live in Arizona and was wondering how well the plant will do if I plant it in a large ceramic pot? Will it continue to grow? ...
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Rio Rico, AZ
Plants to stop erosion in Arizona
I'm looking for a plant to stop erosion; I have big wash outs that are starting to erode my yard so I guess I'm looking for deep rooting plants. I live south of Tucson, Arizona. If you can advise me...
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Rio Rico, AZ
Evergreen flowering shrubs for AZ
I need to know about evergreen flowering shrubs no more than 3 to 4' height.
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Tucson , AZ
Failure to thrive of non-native Confederate Jasmine in Tucson AZ
My Star/Confederate Jasmine, a 30 foot long wall of it, for over 5 years now has one side of it losing leaves. I seem to remember it did this one other summer, but came back in?? What could be the pr...
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Tucson , AZ
Life expectancy of Desert Willow in Tucson, AZ
What is the life expectancy of a Chilopsis linearis under ideal circumstances.
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Tucson, AZ
Problems with Green Cloud cenizo in Tucson, AZ
I have a large number of Green Cloud Texas Rangers on my property. I water all very consistently, once a week and most of these are around 5-6 ft tall and 15 years or more old. We've only had a few i...
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Tucson, AZ
Problems with Texas wild olive tree in Tucson
Planted a Texas Olive tree in Tucson, Az. Some of the leaves are kind of yellow. It gets part sun and part shade and is growing. Is this due to too much water, not enough water or does it need somet...
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Tucson, AZ
Identification of plant with red beans Catalina Mts., Arizona
While hiking at the base of the Catalina Mts. near Tucson in Jan., I came across a plant, the pods of which were open, displaying a bright red bean. I took some of the beans to plant in my yard. I was...
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Tucson, AZ
Making Ruellia nudiflora thicker in pot from Tucson AZ
Can Ruellia Nudiflora be propagated in the same pot as the parent plant? Can it be cut back to stimulate a denser plant? I have plants in several pots and would like to 'thicken' the plant. Tha...
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Tucson, AZ
Propagation of Juniperus deppeana by seed
Hello, I am interested in any info you can provide me on alligator juniper (Juniperus deppeana) seed propagation. Thank you.
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Tucson, AZ
Propagating Texas Mountain Laurel by seed from Tucson AZ
Propagation of Texas Mountain Laurel from seed
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Tucson, AZ
Problems with non-native Chinaberry tree from Tucson AZ
I have a 30+ year old Chinaberry tree and this year the branches are much sparser with leaves and there are a lot of small dead branches. Should I fertilize and what should I use? Thank you
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Tucson, AZ
Will Texas Mountain Laurel roots damage pipes in Tucson AZ?
We have a Texas Laurel tree in our back yard,and it is doing fine, and we are are planning to put another one in the front yard close to the house will the root system attack our pipes ? no septic sys...
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