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
Orange, CT
Fast-growing evergreen tree to hide power lines
Live in Orange Connecticut and need a tree that grows fast and tall to cover the power lines which are quite tall. I'm thinking evergreen type trees so that the during the winter it provides the cov...
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West Haven, CT
Diseased cypress trees in Connecticut
Cypress trees in Connecticut browning on interior. Tips of longer limbs completely brown, single limbs dying one at a time, sap oozing out of mainstem underneath dying limb. I do not see any canker...
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Derby, CT
Looking for copper beach (Fagus sylvatica)
I would like to purchase a copper beech tree to plant in CT as a gift. Where can I find one to purchase?
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Milford, CT
Is it illegal to pick the state flower (Mountain laurel) in Connecticut?
Is it illegal to pick the state flower (mountain laurel) in CT?
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Milford, CT
The most common wildflower in North America
Hi Mr. Smartyplants,
What the most common wildflower in North America? My friend thinks it's the oxeye daisy. Is this correct? I work for a puzzle publishing company, and am doing research for a them...
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Milford, CT
Identity of red raspberry-like berries in Connecticut
I found some edible berries today in the woods that look like raspberries, are red like raspberries, but don't taste like them at all. They're very shiny red, remove easily from the bush. The flavor...
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Woodbridge, CT
Deer-resistant evergreens for southern CT.
We live on a deer path in southern Connecticut. What native evergreen tree can we plant which will not be eaten to death by the deer?
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New Haven, CT
Could lilacs grow in Georgia?
Hi Mr Smarty Pants,
First off, I want to commend you on your promotion of native plants. I am passionately anti-invasive plants (in fact, it was the subject of my master's thesis). That being said...
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Seymour, CT
Privacy Screen options for Seymour CT
Hi Mr. Smarty Pants:
Looking for a quick growing privacy hedge for a home in Seymour CT.
Thank you very much, I appreciate your help.
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Trumbull, CT
Holly attacked by deer in Connecticut
My holly bush was eaten by deer. Will the leaves come back or is it done?
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Branford, CT
Repotting of lemon cypress for drainage
Hi, I bought a lemon cypress tree in a nice tin,
It is in Plastic and the bottom has about 1.5" of water with no drainage in the plastic or tin.
It will be kept inside. Does the plant need to be in...
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Oxford, CT
Effective plant cover for utility boxes
In Connecticut, we have utility boxes for underground electricity and cable located in front of our house. The builder has landscaped around them: first with rhododendrons and then azaleas and both ...
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Naugatuck, CT
Native Asclepias spp. for Monarchs in Connecticut
Dear Mr. Smarty Pants, I live in Naugatuck Connecticut and I want to hatch my own monarch butterflies. I know that Monarchs like to hatch eggs on Milkweed plants. There are many types of milkweed p...
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Fairfield, CT
Shade Tolerant, Deer Resistant, Evergreen Hedge Suggestions for CT
I think I am asking for a lot, but here we go… Is there a deer tolerant evergreen that can grow in the shade and create a hedge of 5 feet tall here in CT? I am not opposed to ivy covering a fence if t...
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Fairfield, CT
How to protect roses from deer browsing
I would like to plant knock out roses but I am concerned the deer will eat them? Advice?
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Fairfield, CT
Non-allergenic landscape in Fairfield, CT
I live in Fairfield, CT and need to have a non-allergenic landscape. Can you please list plants, ground covers, and trees/shrubs that would be beautiful, and help in this critical situation? The lan...
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Fairfield, CT
Pruning of non-native New Dawn rose in Fairfield CT
Hi! Can you help me with blind shoots on a climbing rose, New Dawn? The sun is planted in the south side of the house and gets plenty of light. I have only lightly fertilized it twice a year last yea...
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Wallingford, CT
Non-blossoming trumpet vine
About 9 years ago I started a trumpet vine, from seeds that I got from plants that were invading an empty home. I saw how invasive it was. It had worked its way into the windows and front porch and ...
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Wallingford, CT
Will catalpa roots damage a nearby swimming pool?
Will a catalpa tree cause problems to my swimming pool? It is 8 feet away and I cut all the branches off every fall. It then grows back to about 6 feet in diameter an makes a great garden feature but ...
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Sandy Hook, CT
Dwarf golden cypress outgrowing their space
I planted two dwarf golden cypress on opposite sides of a dwarf alberta spruce in a small bed by the front door. After 4 years I have to severely prune back the dwarf cypress in spring as they will sp...
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Sandy Hook, CT
Stabilizing a sand bank in VT
We have a summer cottage in Burlington, Vt. and need to stabilize a mound of sand. The "bank" we are trying to stabilize has partial sun and faces south. It measures approx 4' high and is 30' long...
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