Native Plants
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
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Questions From Near You
Ridgecrest, CA
Is the Texas mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa, toxic to cats?
Hi Mr. Smarty Pants!
Regarding Texas mesquite tree, I know that rabbits and deer etc eat the seed pods, but my cat every time he goes outside starts munching on the pods, and I can't find any info o...
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California City, CA
Non-native smoketree for California City, CA
I was wondering if you could tell me if it would be a good or bad idea to plant a Smoke Tree (most likely European) in the vicinity of a septic tank. We are looking for something which will provide a...
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Tehachapi, CA
Smarty Plants on Jimsonweed
White flowers that are seen a lot along hwy 58 east towards Tehachapi; they look like "angel's trumpet" but not sure... they are big, white and have dark green leaves and cluster in a bush..any ideas?
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Palmdale, CA
Plum trees (Prunus spp.) poisonous to horses
Are fruitless plum trees poisonous to horses
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Palmdale, CA
Non-Toxic Flowering Vine for Sunny Trellis in California
I am looking for a flowering trellis plant that is non-toxic to my dog, will grow in the California area that I live in, and will be in full sun.
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Palmdale, CA
Goat damage to Arizona Cypress from Palmdale CA
My goats stripped the bottom branches of my Arizona Cypress. Will they come back and how can I prevent future damage?
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Bakersfield, CA
Non-native vines poisonous from Bakersfield CA
Are pink bower vines and stars and stripes mandevilla
toxic to dogs?
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Bakersfield, CA
Containing Japanese Wisteria Roots
I have some Japanese wisteria plants that I would like to plant inside root barriers but I cannot find any info on how deep the roots go. Do you know if a 2 ft deep root barrier for trees can contain ...
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Bakersfield , CA
Low sedge for lawn in Bakersfield, CA
We have a small area for a lawn, but would like to get away from a traditional "lawn". Can you recommend a sedge grass that would act like a lawn (not much foot traffic)that can be mowed once in a w...
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Victorville, CA
Identification of stem from a bouquet
I have a stem with leaves that came in a bouquet May 2011. They are still healthy in a vase of water tho they have no roots, just stem. On the back center of each leaf are protrusions half an inch lon...
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Acton, CA
Plant in Las Vegas with fern-like foliage and yellow/orange/red flowers
We were in North Las Vegas and saw a beautiful plant, I would love to find it. It had a fern like foliage at the bottom with long thin stems and a flower clump at the top with yellow/orange/red flower...
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Agua Dulce, CA
Sickly non-native plumerias in California
I have 5 plumeria plants in pots, between 2-3 years old. The beginning of the summer they all looked great and now were looking pretty sick, pale/yellowing leaves, burned areas & spots. I have a long ...
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Wasco, CA
Altering the flowering time of Phacelia tanacetifolia
I have been using Phacelia tanacetifolia as a forage plant in a 1 acre and 6 acre enclosure to mass rear the Blue Orchard Bee,(BOB), Osmia lignaria for use as a managed pollinator of almonds in Califo...
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EXETER, CA
Plants to keep children out of yard
I WANT TO PLANT SOMETHING ALONG A FENCE LINE TO KEEP CHILDREN OUT OF OUR YARD. NEEDS TO GROW FAST BUT NOT POISONOUS
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Amargosa Valley, NV
Lifespan of Screwbean mesquite from Amargosa Valley NV
I see the lifespan of the honey mesquite but not the screwbean (especially in the southern Nevada area - Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge area). What is their normal lifespan?
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Newhall , CA
Trees with non-invasive roots or tops in Newhall CA
We would like to plant a tree with noninvasive roots near our garden wall and concrete driveway in a grassy area in the front yard facing west. This spot is very sunny in the afternoon with automatic ...
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Valencia, CA
Can I move my Dwarf Orange tree from California to Florida?
I am moving from California to Florida and have a small dwarf orange tree. Can I bring it with me to Florida? Thanks!
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Pahrump, NV
What is the plant called wingspan?
I have a lot of environmental allergies and saw a positive result for "wingspan" yet I cannot find ANY information online about that particular plant. I was told it's "tumbleweed" by the medical ...
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pahrump, NV
Browning of leaf tops on Iris plants
My Iris plants bloomed beautifully, now some of the leaves are turning brown from the top down, about half way. Is this normal? What can I do about it and should I cut off the brown leaves? Also, what...
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Pahrump, NV
Problems with Fantex ash in Pahrump NV
We planted a Fantex Ash tree over 3 years ago and it was thriving until recently. This year when the temperature began to warm up, it blossomed and then suddenly stopped growing. All the other trees...
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pahrump, NV
Trimming bloom stalks of iris
Mr. Smarty: I live in Nevada, and have some very beautiful Iris plants. They have all blossomed and now I am left with stems. Is there any way I can cut them back so they blossom again? If so how shou...
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