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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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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

Saxonburg , PA
Planting a meadow garden in Pennsylvania
I live in Saxonburg PA near Pittsburgh PA. I want to put a meadow garden in my back yard. We are building a home so there is no established yard yet just trees and weeds. Where do I start . What...
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Freeport, PA
When the bluebonnets bloom
Can you tell me when the bluebonnets are in bloom?
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Freeport, PA
Non-toxic plants for dog yard from Freeport PA
I'm looking for wildlife-friendly native plants that aren't toxic to dogs. I have a place for some small shrubs and/or flowers. And a climbing vine that I could train on a trellis would work espec...
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Butler, PA
Non-toxic, non-invasive native flowers for horses
Hi I have a couple areas in and bordering horse pastures that I would like to plant with native flowers. I can find lists of toxic flowers but not non toxic native ones. Id like non -toxic non-invas...
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Butler, PA
First to Bloom in Western PA
What spring wildflower is consistently among the first to bloom in Butler, PA?
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Butler, PA
Privacy screen shrubs for Butler PA
Here is what I want in a bush: native to Western Pa.(Southern Butler County), appropriate for a horse pasture,fast growing, not too aggressive (I will mow around it regularly and can prune occasionall...
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Butler, PA
Low Groundcovers for Pennsylvania
Hi Mr Smarty Plants, I'm looking for a low growing grass or ground cover for an area that is between my neighbors horse fence and mine it is about 2 feet wide 30 ft long. It is impossible to mow and ...
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Tarentum , PA
Indoor lantana tree dropping leaves
I purchased a lantana tree,a lantana hybrid that is only tolerant to 32 degrees. We are zone 5 so I brought it indoors and it only gets the morning sun, and 85%of the leaves have fallen off. The leav...
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Mars, PA
Identification of a vine with thorns and blue berries.
> Hello, > We have acreage in Butler County, PA. I recently discovered a vine that I can't identify. It's has many small spines all over the stem, then very large and stiff thorns. It has dark gr...
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Ford City, PA
Conservation status of Lathyrus venosus (Veiny pea)
The Wild Pea (Lathyrus Venosus Muhl) 1) What's being done to preserve them 2) When were they placed on the endangered species list 3) How many are left
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Allison Park, PA
Deer-resistant plants for a steep hillside in Allison Park PA
What do you recommend for a steep hillside, mostly shade and acidic? The deer have eaten everything except the weeds.
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Kittanning, PA
Native flowers for September wedding in Kittanning PA
I am planting flowers for a wedding on September 17th 2010. What flowers bloom best. Looking for blues,whites and pinks.
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Pittsburgh , PA
Plants for steep slope in Pittsburgh PA
I have a similar question to one from SC. I live in Pittsburgh, PA. We have a steep slope behind a newly built in pool. What type of plants can I put on the hillside to hold the soil. It gets a ...
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Monroeville, , PA
Plants to cover rock wall in Pennsylvania
Please recommend plants that I could use to plant on the (full sun) slightly sloped ground space above a 3 foot high, 20 foot long unattractive stone wall that would grow over and down to cover the wa...
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Pittsburgh, PA
Plant identification
I love around Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, and I saw a strange plant. It has a soft green outer shell, a harder thinner shell inside, points, but aren't pointy, and a white substance out of the stem when...
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Pittsburgh, PA
Deer-resistant groundcover under pine trees
what kind of ground covering can be planted under pine trees (acid soil) that the deer will not eat and will not attract bees?
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Pittsburgh, PA
Deer resistant plants for campground in West Virginia
We spend the summers at a campground as permanent campers. We fix up our sites to be a pleasure to spend our time smelling and see the wild life come and perch around the area. We would like to know...
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Pittsburgh, PA
Non-floweriing vines not poisonous to dogs from Pittsburgh PA
Are there any vines or crawlers (nothing that flowers) that are non poisonous to dogs? Everything I am finding is poisonous, I want to plant some vines up a chain link fence around a swimming pool.
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Pittsburgh, PA
Plants for the Shade of a Pine Tree in Pittsburg
I live in Pittsburgh, PA. My neighbor has a huge pine tree. Last year everything I planted on that side near the tree died. That part of the yard only gets morning sun, as the tree overshadows it. Wha...
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pittsburgh, PA
Planting for parrots
I have 2 parrots, a sun conure and a nanday conure, and I would like to find some plants to put in their aviary room that are safe for parrots. Can you help me with this question?
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Pittsburgh, PA
Leaves on maple turning red in June in Pittsburgh PA
We live in PA and have a medium sized maple tree in our back yard. It is not a red maple. This year, in June, the very top of the tree's foliage turned bright red. This bright red started at the t...
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