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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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Questions From Near You

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Greenville, SC
Will Mexican Buckeye Survive in SC?
I have grown a Mexican Buckeye indoors from seed in Greenville, SC. Will it survive the colder climates here if transplanted out of doors? Thanks for your advice!
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Greenville, SC
Fasciation on brown eyed Susan
I have a flower in my garden that blooms every year. This year I have a very strange breed--there is a double flower. I do not know the name of the flower or what kind it is. I only know we nickname...
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GREENVILLE, SC
Plant identfication
While visiting a lake near Dallas, Texas this past summer, I found a flower floating in the lake. It was small, only about an inch or so across, had three petals, was a deep magenta shade, and had th...
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Greenville, SC
Indiangrass by seed or plugs in Greenville SC
Mr Smarty Plants, is it better to establish Indiangrass by plugs or seed? Seems you would get much quicker coverage by seed, tending to choke out "strangers". I'm establishing a small native mea...
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Greenville, SC
Number of plant species existing in South Carolina
Where can I find the number of known or estimated number of plant species existing in South Carolina? I have tried several search engines, but perhaps I am not wording my query properly. Thank you f...
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Greenville, SC
Retention ponds for states in southeast, from Greenville SC
We provide maintenance for Stormwater detention ponds and are looking for native grasses to plant in the bottom and sides of typically dry detention basins. Prefer low growing grasses that spread to...
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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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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
Problems with Eastern hemlock in Greenville SC
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a beautiful, young, 5 and a half foot tall Eastern Hemlock. I purchased and planted it two years ago in the fall. It has been doing very well all this spring. And ne...
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Greenville, SC
Planting grass seed in Greenville SC
What type of grass seed is best to use in a sunny/ shady area where some grass is already growing? And how is the best way to prep the area for seed and fertilizer or what should I do before and after...
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Simpsonville, SC
Shade and Rain Garden in South Carolina
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I have two seperate but important questions for your mastery of native plant knowledge. First, I live in a thick, 112 ft. tall white oak forest. Therefore, there is lot...
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