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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

Hartwell, GA
Identity of plant that resembles rosemary in Georgia
Hi, I am an herbalist, but have been unable to identify this plant and it's driving me nuts since I cannot find any information on it. I live in NE Ga and have a plant that grows here that looks li...
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Anderson, SC
Deer-resistant plants for Anderson SC
I usually plant pansies in the fall & impatiens in the spring under a large oak tree which gets afternoon sun. My impatiens were beautiful early on, but then were annihilated by something. I think i...
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Anderson, SC
Is Lycopodium digitatum native to South Carolina?
Is Lycopodium digitatum native to SC; do you know if it's available in SC nurseries?
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Pendleton, SC
Landscaping with water garden from Pendleton SC
Searching for native plants in SC. Your results miss some plants listed on your site. I noticed this reading the Mr. Smarty Plants response to "Edible Plants for North GA" We aren't far apart. ...
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Seneca, SC
Wildflowers blooming in upstate South Carolina from Seneca SC
When do most wildflowers bloom in upstate South Carolina?
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Seneca, SC
Plants to trail down wall in South Carolina
Good day, I am putting in a stacked mortarless concrete block retaining wall which will rise to the forest floor along a cut bank - about 4 feet high. Each course steps back about one inch from th...
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Seneca, SC
Will non-native hostas do well in South Carolina from Seneca SC
I am moving to SC from CT and want to bring some of the hostas I grow in CT. If I plant them in the shade in SC, will they do well down there?
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Belton, SC
Care for non-native Kalanchoe from Belton SC
The leaves on a Kalanchoe that we bought from Logee's has leaves starting to curl. It has been this way since I bought it. It is in a south window, it's cold out so I put the plant inside. Besides c...
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Williamston, SC
Identification of a white beebalm
I have a photo of what looks like Bee Balm but it is white in color. What is the name of this wildflower?
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Williamston, SC
Planning a park along a railroad track in Williamston, SC
We have a railroad track in Williamston, and we are cleaning up the park. Removing trees, planting flowers,shrubs. The track is on high ground and the Fire Dept. has burnt off the weeds. What kind of...
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Liberty, SC
Identity of plant in South Carolina with tiny purple flowers
I found a plant while walking my dogs. I live in South Carolina. The plant gets maybe a foot tall, has a square stem and the top of plant is a candelabra with timy purple flowers in it. What is this...
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Arnoldsville, GA
Plants for xeriscaping in Georgia
Please send info regarding plants for xeriscaping in middle Georgia zone 7b. Where to get booklets, etc. Thanks.
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Piedmont, SC
Winter plants for windowbox in Piedmont SC
What kind of outdoor window box spruss can grow in upstate South Carolina in the winter months?
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Athens, GA
Plants for bees in GA
Hi, I'm in Georgia and I am starting beekeeping this spring and I am also hoping to plant a mostly evergreen hedge around my yard to add privacy from neighbors. There are already some well establis...
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Mountain Rest, SC
Lupines for attracting deer in South Carolina
I live in SC and was watching a TV show called "Making it Grow" and they did a segment on Lupine. The lady on the show said that the plant attracted whitetail deer and I was wondering if that was t...
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Hodges, SC
Can beautyberries be used to make jelly from Hodges SC
Since the beautyberry bush berries were used for tea to help with colic, can the berries be used for making jelly?
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Watkinsville, GA
Edibility of fruit of Passiflora incarnata
We have Passion flower vines growing, blooming and producing fruit all over our property and the land nearby. They are growing wild. We are near Greensboro, Georgia which is barely in the Northeast pa...
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Watkinsville, GA
Instructions for sending photos for identifying plants
I purchased a plant in Athens, GA at the trial garden at UGA. I have two pictures that I can email. It's growing really tall (over 6"). It has big, dark green leaves that are rough to the touch. It ...
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Bogart, GA
Pink flower in South Carolina, perhaps poisonous
I saw a beautiful plant while touring Charleston, SC. I do not remember the name - the tour guide talked about a long time ago women giving it to their husband's in tea (maybe?) to kill them. Of co...
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Greenville, SC
Native plants for a garden in Greenville SC
Beebalm, Threadleaf Coreopsis, a Yaupon Holly, a Southern Magnolia, and a Highbush Blueberry. And as a ground cover in some areas, we have Cinquefoil (which helped me choke out Indian strawberry!) But...
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Greenville, SC
Attracting birds in Greenville, SC
Hi, I live in Northeastern South Carolina near the mountains and I am making a shade garden in my back yard. I also want to attract birds to my yard. There are 100 ft tall and even some 125 ft tal...
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