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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!

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

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Poway, CA
Different kinds of plants living in subarctic areas
What are the different kinds of plants live in the subarctic areas?
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Poway, CA
Need Shade Trees for Entry in Poway, California
Hi - Our front door gets a lot of afternoon sun, so we'd like to plant a couple of shade trees near the entry way. Unfortunately we don't have much room between our entry path and the driveway, so...
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Santee, CA
California native plants for a steep slope
We are looking for California native plants for a steep south facing slope that do not attract bees. Can you please provide a list?
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Santee, CA
Evergreen for inland San Diego, California
I'm looking for an evergreen tree for my inland San Diego residence, 30 foot max height, growth speed is not important. I had decided on the carrotwood until I found your site and discovered the prob...
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Santee, CA
USDA Hardiness Zone of Rancho Bernardo, CA
What plant zone is Poway, Rancho Bernardo CA?
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Ramona, CA
Plant identification.
Looking for the name of a green, bamboo-like plant with narrow leaves. Have no pictures.
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Ramona , CA
Plant identification sources for Southern California
I hike the trails here in Ramona a lot. I want to be able to identify the wildflowers as they bloom. They are beginning to bloom and I am afraid another year will come and go and I won't know the nam...
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san marcos, CA
Photinia toxicity to dogs
is the photinia bush toxic to dogs??
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El Cajon, CA
Replacing non-native iceplant in El Cajon CA
Help! We are clearing fungus dead iceplant on a massive steep bank. Should I avoid replacing it with more iceplant? Would myaporum prostrate be a better option? Fast growing, erosion resistant, zero m...
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La Mesa, CA
Caterpillars ate my Sophora in La Mesa, CA.
Before I noticed what was happening, my newly-planted 1 foot tall Sophora secundiflora was eaten by caterpillars. It now has no foliage. Do you think it will leaf out again?
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La Mesa, CA
More on bluebonnets
Do you have a sense of a peak viewing time for Bluebonnets for this spring?
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Valley Center, CA
Plants that will grow under a magnolia tree.
We live in California near San Diego and have a Magnolia Tree. We have tried to plant many types of flowers around the tree only to have them die. Is there a particular type of plant that we should ...
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El Cerrito, CA
Fast-growing tree for privacy in Berkeley, CA
Help. I need fast growing tree for backyard privacy. Where in Berkeley is there a tree nursery to Buy Pittosporum trees? Thank you.
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Alpine, CA
Non-native invasive carrot wood tree losing leaves in Alpine CA
My carrot wood tree is losing all of its leaves. The tree is about 15foot high & 13 years old. Could it be gophers? The tree was trimmed 1 year ago.
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Alpine, CA
Flying insects eating leaves of non-native Brugmansia in Aline CA
I have an Angel Trumpet tree. We live in Aline, California 30 miles east of San Diego. Little yellow and black flying bugs eat the leaves. Do you have a remedy for this problem.
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Alpine, CA
Identification of plant in wildflower show
Was in Julian California yesterday for a wild flower display. Had a bad stomach ache as I was walking around looking at the flowers. Saw this one. About 6 inches tall. Instead of leaves, it had wh...
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Vista, CA
Are palm tree seeds toxic?
Are palm tree seeds toxic to other plants? I have palm trees around my pool and it seems that nothing will grow very good where the old seeds are in the ground.
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Vista, CA
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I live in southern california. What is the best groundcover to plant on a slope to prevent erosion?
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Vista, CA
Need plants to grow between flagstones in Vista, CA.
Hi, I have put in a flagstone patio set in DG. The DG is creating a very sandy messy surface on the flagstone, so want to plant a low ground cover between the joints. Its a fairly large area, in sun...
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San Diego, CA
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I am looking for a small tap root tree that will reach max height of 20-25 ft. The area is only about 4 to 6 ft. to the house slab or driveway which I need to be very careful so it doesn't crack the...
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