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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

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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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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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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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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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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Hamden, OH
Transplanting butterfly weed in Hamden OH
I have tried transplanting butterfly weed from it's native location to my yard and each time the plant wilts and dies. Any suggestions?
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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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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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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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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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Kenna, WV
Plants for bridge foundation erosion control in WV .
There is a stream on my property that I must cross to get to my house from the road (stream is about 6 - 8 feet wide, with 5 to 6 foot banks). I've recently had to have the bridge repaired, and the ...
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Reynoldsburg, OH
Can Texas bluebonnets grow in Reynoldsburg Ohio?
I am a transplanted Texan now living in Central Ohio. I am tired of having to accept only pictures of the bluebonnets growing along the highways in Texas now and want to know if the weather is suitab...
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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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Lockbourne, OH
Will a cut back yucca grow back in Lockbourne OH?
I live in Ohio and recently I cut back all my plants to prepare for winter. I am wondering if my Yuccas will grow back. I cut them to ground level so only a little bit of the leaf is showing. I was...
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Columbus, OH
Native plants for flowers in rocky area in Ohio
We have just built 4 raised beds on a slope in our backyard on Scioto River. The site is an old quarry so rocky soil below our raised beds & gets full sun majority of day from about 11am-7pm summer ti...
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Columbus, OH
Plant identification
I have a random flower growing out of my rabbit's grave and I can not identify it. Nothing like it grows around us and I didn't plant anything there. The petals are white. There are five of them. Th...
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Columbus, OH
Shrubs for privacy in wet area in Ohio
I am looking for flowering shrubs for Ohio that reach 8-10 feet and can handle wet feet. I am trying to avoid building a wall for privacy and would like to use flowering shrubs instead.
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