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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.

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Sarahsville, OH
Plant identification for West Virginia
Looking for the name of a wild flower in West Virginia, small golden colored petals..resembles a daisy.
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Sarahsville, OH
Identity of tall plant with blooms similar to squash in Ohio
Trying to identify a mystery plant. Have found nothing similar on the internet. Can I send a picture and if so, how? The plant is over 5 feet tall with many branches and has blooms similar to squas...
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Summerfield, OH
Plants for steep clay bank in Summerfield OH
Hello, We have a steep 15-20 foot high bank behind our house here in southern Ohio. Probably 50 ft.long. What could we plant for beauty and erosion control. It is nasty clay soil with lots of shale an...
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Stockport, OH
Cuttings from beautyberry from Stockport OH
My beauty berry is starting a new growth about 2ft from main plant, can I dig this and part of the root without hurting the main part, if so, when?
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Tippecanoe, OH
Invasive native mint in Tippecanoe OH
I have a problem with Mentha Arvensis, I raise sheep and goats and they will not eat this. The mint is starting to take over my 65 acre farm,Q.What is best way to rid this plant so I do not lose my gr...
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Jacksonville, OH
Plant identification
I bought a double knock-out rose bush and planted it in my yard. A year later a weed-like plant started growing beside it. It has very thorny leaves, stems and stalk. Little purple flowers are grow...
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Hopedale, OH
Getting rid of skunk cabbage in Hopedale OH
How can someone get rid of skunk cabbage?
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Geneva, OH
Plants for a wet area in Ohio
I have a lot of water in my front yard are there any kind of plants that I can plant to drink up some of the water? I live in North East Ohio
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New Milton, WV
Fruit trees for West Virginia
What kinds of fruit trees would grow best in West Virginia? I assume apple trees would, but what kind of apple tree and are there any others that would grow well?
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Oak Hill, OH
Replacing firs with smaller plants
I want to pull out old fir bushes and plant smaller plants in their place. What could I buy that would take little care in my area?
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Granville, OH
Native Plants for Shaded North Slope in Ohio
I have a shaded north hillside which needs erosion control plants. Mostly moss and very thin grass grows there now. Please help!
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Lancaster, OH
Propagation of Baptisia from Lancaster OH
My Baptisia has gone to seed. When can I plant these seeds? Do they need strat? (zone 5)
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Lancaster, OH
Bringing Non-native Cannas out of Winter Storage
Mr. Smarty Plants - Is it possible to force canna tubers? Would placing them on a heating pad help? I am in Ohio - zone 5. Thank you
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Mannington, WV
Plants for dry shade in West Virginia
I live in Mannington, WV and I am wanting to do some landscaping. The area that I would like to plant in is very dry and gets little to no sunlight. I would like to plant something that will come back...
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Weirton, WV
Plant around Pittsburg from Weirton WV
I have seen this plant outside of the Pittsburgh,PA area and was told it is called Midnight Cowboy. It has bright yellow flowers and long green leaves that only comes out at night(so I am told). Ca...
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New Cumberland, WV
Plants for a slope in WV
I live in the northern panhandle of WV. We have a hill side in front of our home and are getting too old to cut it. What would be the best ground cover for it. We want something that looks good and wi...
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Pickerington, OH
Trimming iris leaves in Pickerington OH
I recently trimmed the stems and leaves of my iris plants in late May - I realize now this was a bit early. The leaves are still about 3-4" out of the ground. I would like to half them and move som...
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Burgettstown, PA
Removal of non-native zoysia grass from Burgettstown PA
What is the most effective method of killing zoysia grass? We bought a house that sits in the center of four acres of mature zoysia. It looks beautiful, however, despite our best efforts at "weeding...
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Burgettstown, PA
Yellow and purple wildflowers for a wedding in Burgettstown PA
I'm not sure exactly what I am looking for and I'm sorry if its too much to ask but....I want to have a fun relaxed wedding next June or July time. I can't find wildflowers that would bloom during...
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Washington, PA
Swarming insects on non-native willow in Washington PA
I have had a very large, beautiful pillow willow bush/tree growing next to our garage for about 8 years. Last year at the end of August, it began to attract white-faced hornets and yellow jackets by t...
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Canal Winchester, OH
Growing Plumeria in Ohio
Can I grow plumeria in Ohio? We were in Hawaii this past week and I brought two plants home to try to grow. Thanks a bunch.
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