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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

Sanderson, FL
Blazing stars plants in Sanderson, FL
I planted some blazing stars & they did not come up.What is the best way to start them out?
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Bryceville, FL
Information about Lady Lupine (Lupinus villosus)
Dear Mr.Smarty Plants, Lady Lupine grows in our yard in northeast Florida, and I would like to learn more about it, especially the stages it goes through, like now the purple petals themselves are c...
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Lake City, FL
Shade tree with no roots to interfere with patio in Lake City FL
I have a 4x4 area surrounded by cement patio but would like a tree for shade that does not have roots that will mess up the slab.
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Lake City, FL
Are there drug cartels on the bluebonnet trails from Lake City FL
We plan to fly to TX to see bluebonnets but do not know if the weather and forest fires have destroyed them. If not, can you estimate the peak bloom time? We are 75 and 81 and move around rather s...
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Lake City, FL
Is Loropetalum poisonous to horses in Lake City FL?
Is loropetalum poisonous to horses? I know it is a member of the witch hazel family but cannot find a definitive answer about loropetalum itself. Thank you!
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Bandera, TX
Mountain laurels with insect problems in Bandera, TX..
I have 3 mountain laurels about 8 yrs old. Suddenly about 3 yrs ago worms started decimating them. This yr I got dipel dust which works great but only for two weeks. I now have small red flies and ...
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Middleburg, FL
Weird growth on oaks in Middleburg FL
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants; I have this plant/fungus that grows on my trees here in northeast Florida & nobody has been able to identify it for me. It looks like a clump of pine needles growing on the ba...
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Middleburg, FL
Plant identification
Dear Mr. Smarty Pants, Hopefully you can help identify the following plant. I've had a bush type of weed growing near my hay feeder for the cows this year that's about 2' tall has massive spikes o...
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Jacksonville, FL
Trying to find a plant called sheepshire
Hey there Mr. Smarty Plants, just one question. As a child in east Tennessee, we picked plants called sheepshire that looked like small clover leafs and had small yellow blooms. One could chew these...
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Jacksonville, FL
Identification of plant with bell-shaped flowers
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I am in need of a plant name to purchase. It is absolutely beautiful. The plant has light green leaves, the flowers that bloom look like bells (of course they hang upside down...
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Jacksonville, FL
Native Groundcover Suggestions for Under Florida Oak Trees
I am looking for native plants that will do well under several oak trees in Northeast Florida. My yard doesn't get much sun and I'm told I have acidic soil. Are the any plants that would do well wit...
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Jacksonville, FL
Thorny vine growing through hedge
In my hedge, a vine grows that has a bulbous root. It has large thorns up and down the vine. The leaves are shiny and grow all along the vine that is exposed to the sun. the vine grows up thru hedg...
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Jacksonville, FL
Groundcover for shade in Duval County, Florida
What low growing ground cover would be good for a lake edge area. This area is shaded with overlying woodland type trees. I planted some autumn ferns but they have getting overrun with poison ivy. I a...
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Jacksonville, FL
Hedge shrub for shade in Jacksonville FL
Looking for shrub or hedge ( no Azaleas please )to line front of house that is full time shade in Jacksonville Florida ( something different, on the lines of tropical if possible).
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Jacksonville, FL
Identification of tree with strawberry-like fruit in North Carolina
While visiting Boone, North Carolina we walked the Greenway in town. There were a few trees with a round red fruit similar to a strawberry. They were about the size of a penny and a dull red color dot...
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Jacksonville, FL
Stopping erosion on bank of a Florida retention pond
I live on a retention pond, which has had all vegetation killed by the lake doctor. As a result the bank has eroded so there is a drop off directly to the water rather than a sloping bank. What plan...
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Jacksonville, FL
Problem with non-native gerbera daisies
My gerber daiseys leaf but they don't want to bloom. They come back. What am I doing wrong?
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Jacksonville, FL
Effects or insecticide on Monarch butterflies
Thank you for fielding questions about plants!! Our nursery just informed us that their milkweed grower was using imidacloprid in their milkweed production. As a follow up to the question already in...
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Jacksonville, FL
Century Plant
I have a century plant that has just begun to bloom. I have a transplanted a few pups, successfully. I am wondering how I am to go about removing the mother plant once it blooms and dies. I'm reading...
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Jacksonville, FL
What would replace non-native orange tree leaves in butterfly hatchery?
I have a very small orange tree that currently has dozens of caterpillars on it that look like bird droppings. I think I have narrowed them down to a swallowtail butterfly. I would love to let them ma...
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Jacksonville, FL
Drought-tolerant plants for deep shade in Florida
I am looking for indigenous, drought tolerant, leafy dense plants (kind of hosta like) that will grow in deep shade (under a tree that gets little sun) in Jacksonville, Florida.
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