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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!

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

Questions From Near You

Republic, WA
Revegetating a hillside in western Washington state
Removing several downed trees across my dock demolished the native plants growing on the hillside and the contractor pulled out their remains. The area faces east on an open freshwater bay. Close to...
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Kettle Falls, WA
Encouraging Daisies to Reappear
Having moved into our home in the early spring of the year we hadn't seen any of the flowering plants around the place until we were living here and we were not given any info on care for them. So ...
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Ione, WA
Plants that animals won't eat from Ione WA
In Ione Washington and need to know what types of plants and flowers I can plant that animals in that area wont eat?
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Castlegar, BC
Care for non-native Easter Lily (Lilium longiflorum)
How do you care for an Easter Lily once the flowers have fallen off?
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Coulee City, WA
Native trees for horse pasture in eastern Washington
Hi. I live in Washington State (eastern)What type of trees can I grow in a pasture for horses? Best Regards,
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Spokane, WA
Problems with non-native tomatoes from Spokane WA
I have 2 tomato plants in 1 whiskey barrel, they are in abundance with tomatoes. My problem is when the tomatoes start to ripen, half green & half light red within 1 day the tomatoes are really soft ...
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Spokane, WA
Albinism in plants.
Greetings, I was wondering what you know of albinism in plants? I know I've found a few articles about it online. I discovered my only albino plant last summer. It was an albino dogbane plant grow...
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Four Lakes, WA
Problems in non- native weeping willow in Spokane WA
My wife and I have a weeping willow tree that has done well for two years. This year some of the branches are loosing their leaves in late spring in Spokane, WA. I though it was from the wind but ha...
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HAUSER LAKE, ID
Plant Identification
I have a plant that shoots seeds out of pods in late summer and grows like crazy. The stem looks like a rhubarb plant. It has multiple leaves, and beautiful flowers that look like orchids. I was wo...
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Hauser Lake, ID
How to introduce a new columbine?
Hello Mr. Smarty Pants, I have a new plant in my yard and need to know how to get it named and who do I send the seeds to. It's a white columbine double double like a miniature mum. It must have c...
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Post Falls, ID
Deer resistant plants for area under grand fir (Abies grandis) in Idaho
What can I plant on a slope under Grand Fir trees in North Idaho, zone 4 - anything deer resistant?
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Hayden, ID
Will deer eat lemon cypress trees from Hayden ID
Do deer eat lemon cypress trees? We do not think so since they are so spiny, but wanted a clarification.
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East Wenatchee, WA
Dog and kid barrier in East Wenatchee WA
I have about a 8 foot section between my driveway and the neighbor's yard, and their kids and dogs like to run through it! I would like to plant a non-invasive 4-6 foot growing shrub/bush of some s...
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Vernon, BC
Are blue spruce (Picea pungens) poisonous?
Are blue spruce trees poisonous at all? Thank you.
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Vernon, BC
Can lantana be grown in British Columbia from Vernon BC
Can I grow lantana in Vernon B.C. Canada?
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Vernon, BC
Alternatives to non-native heather (Calluna vulgaris)
I live in Vernon, BC, Canada. I plan to put a heather plant in my garden, but my space is limited. I know that it will grow approx. 2 ft. high and that it likes well drained and acidic soil, but how...
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Leavenworth, WA
Indoor non-native palm tree turning yellow from Leavenworth WA
Why are my indoor palm plant leaves turning yellow. It's about 4 feet bought at local Home Depot store, and it was beautiful when I brought it home. It gets plenty of light. I have only had it for ...
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Colfax, WA
Plant identification
Bought a plant don't know what it is or how to care for it. It looks like it's dying. Description: light to dark green, long, skinny, rounded trunk, surrounded and topped with grass like blades(top ...
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Cle Elum, WA
Recommended distance between blueberry plants
How far apart do I need to plant blueberry bushes?
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Glacier, WA
Plant identification
We are trying to identify a plant that looks a lot like elephant ear, but has round leaves not heart shaped. It is growing in a wet area that gets good morning sun. It is not a native. It returns e...
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Pullman, WA
Native plant lists for eastern Washington and trace element absorption by plants
I'm a graduate student at Washington State University in Pullman. I'm currently working out a method (in my head) of utilizing neutron activation analysis of prehistoric animal bone to figure out h...
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