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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

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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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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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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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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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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Cle Elum, WA
Recommended distance between blueberry plants
How far apart do I need to plant blueberry bushes?
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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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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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Yakima, WA
Care for a Campsis radicans in Yakima, WA
I have a Campsis radicans it is in a 7" pot and the plant is 20" tall. It was a clipping given to me by a lady that is now out of town. My question is: I live in zone 6a so do I leave it in the p...
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Yakima, WA
Container plants for Yakima WA
My condo complex has purchased large, pottery pots for around our pool. I need to choose low maintenance plants. hopefully something that takes limited water, etc.
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Yakima , WA
Getting USDA Hardiness Zones on our website from Yakima WA
Since the Internet brings people from all over the United States, why don't you include the zone in which each plant can grow and survive. Or, is that too difficult to do?
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Richland, WA
Preventing weeds in kinnikinnick in Richland WA
We planted our kinnickinick last Nov. and we live in Richland, WA, where it gets hot in the summer. We planted almost 500 of them on a hillside. Weeding is taking over our lives, to say the least. ...
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Richland, WA
Problems with non-native weeping willow
My weeping willow has black holish cracks in it. It is a yearling. Any suggestions? ...
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Benton City, WA
Plant for eastern facing side of house in Washington
I was considering putting some Lily of the Nile in front of the eastern facing side of my home. Is this plant a suitable choice for planting here in Eastern Washington?
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Benton City, WA
Protecting hibiscus from cold in Eastern Washington State
I recently purchased a Hibiscus Brilliant Red. I planted it in an area of my garden that will give it full sun for most of the day. In the Pacific Northwest where I live (Eastern Washington) it can ge...
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Kennewick, WA
Spacing for Dogwoods and Cotoneasters
How close should Dogwoods and Cotoneasters be to bricks?
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Kennewick, WA
Creating a garden based on fragrance
I would like to know which Fragrant Flowers are easy to grow and hearty for the climate i live in. Eastern part of washington state. Desert like in summer, warm summers.
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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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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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