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
Castleton, VA
Plants for swan food
Dear Mr Smarty Pants, I have a farm in VA with a large pond or lake fenced in. I am rescuing a pair of swan and want to grow plants around the fence and pond that they can eat. Could you suggest an...
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Rochelle, VA
Bulk seed purchases for naturalizing area in Rochelle VA
I am planning on naturalizing an area, ~ 7 acres, with wildflowers. I am spending quite a bit preparing the acreage and find I am falling short on funds for the bulk purchase of wildflower seeds. Ca...
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Woodstock, VA
Stabilizing a shale slope in Virginia
I have family members who recently built a new home in Virginia. The site required extensive excavation resulting in a large 30 foot, nearly vertical, shale wall behind the house. They now want to r...
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Prince William, VA
Deer and rabbit resistant plants for Virginia
I am trying to find deer and rabbit resistant plants/ornamental grasses and flowers to create a year round garden (garden with interest all year) in two large and one small flowerbed in the front of o...
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Manassas, VA
Non-native daylilies for steep hill in Manassas VA
Would like to plant steep hill w perennial flowering plants like daylily. The daylily farm said this would work great but not sure if we should lay landscaping fabric and poke through holes to plant ...
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Earlysville, VA
Identification of small mint-like plant in Virginia
I am looking for a mint plant my mother use to have but we didn't plant. It grew in Earlysville, Virginia in red clay soil. The cat loved it but it was neither catnip nor catmint. It was under six in...
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Bluemont, VA
Deer Resistance Input from Northern VA
Hello. I live in the deer infested woods of Northern VA. I am always looking for plants that deer have little interest in to cover other plants. The deer generally have little interest in mints (Py...
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Centerville, VA
Garden problems from Centreville VA
Plants die, trees won't grow. I've replaced the soil (6") twice. Replaced grass twice and planted new plants and tree. After two yrs, the tree is still the same size and the flowering bushes nea...
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Centreville, VA
Percentage of flowers that close up at night
Percentage-wise, approximately how many species of flowers close up at night? Is there a list anywhere?
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Centreville, VA
Will Hellebores planted in the soil near vegetables transfer poisons to them?
I just planted helleborus in my garden and have now read that they are toxic. They are planted near vegetable plants, will they affect the vegetables and leave them inedible? Also, are they toxic to d...
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Spotsylvania, VA
Care for non-native ice plant in Virginia
Regarding the ice plant in Virginia - do you cut it back or just trim or just leave it alone before winter?
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Stafford, VA
Thicken clumps of Panicum virgatum in Stafford VA
I am growing Panicum Virgatum varieties that will be transplanted in September to form a Native American maze project. I have given the quart size starts a root fertilizer when I planted them to try ...
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Stafford, VA
Information about ice plant (Carpobrotus edulis)
I recently planted some Carpobrotus edulis, Ice plant, and wanted to know if I can mulch or put stones around the entire garden and plants. They are a ground cover plant.
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Fredericksburg, VA
Blackeyed Susans becoming invasive in Fredericksburg VA
Are the roots of the Blackeyed Susan (BES) invasive enough to actually destroy bulbs. BES have moved into a bed exactly where my oriental lilies were..this year the whole row of red lilies (which had...
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Fredericksburg, VA
Low cost landscaping in Federicksburg VA
Hello, I live in Fredericksburg Va and I rent a townhome with a small yard. My back yard is almost completely mud and my front yard has a hideous square shrub. So my question is do you have any plant ...
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Fredericksburg, VA
Plants for pots outdoors in winter in Virginia
Hi Mr. Smarty Plants,
I was wondering what plants would be best to grow outdoors, in pots, in Virginia, in the winter? This is a lot of restrictions but we just need 2-3 plants for our office pati...
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Fredericksburg, VA
Deer resistance of peonies in Virginia
Are peony's deer resistant - I'm in Virginia
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Fredericksburg, VA
Bluebonnets and paintbrush for Fredericksburg VA
Can I broadcast Texas bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush seeds, in Virginia, during early Spring and get germination; or, do I need to winterize and plant next spring.
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Louisa, VA
Plant identification from Virginia
We found lots of asparagus like stalks growing randomly in our field here in central Virginia. But, instead of an asparagus head it has a tight cluster of leaves that are small and roundish. Any idea...
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Dumfries, VA
Smarty Plants on wildflower identification
Can you recommend a good CD-ROM on wildflower identification? I live in Virginia and am constantly frustrated trying to identify the myriad wildflowers I encounter as I move around the state.
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Dumfries, VA
Grow bluebonnets in Virginia
I want to ATTEMPT to grow some Texas Bluebonnets in VA because I am homesick and both our kids are back in Austin. That said, the site says " it may be necessary to inoculate the soil with a rhizobiu...
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