Native Plants
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
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Questions From Near You
Rushsylvania, OH
Are non-native Cleveland pear trees poisonous to dogs in Rushsylvania, OH
Are Cleveland pear trees poisonous to dogs?
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Ada, OH
Aging non-native weeping willow in Ohio
We had a weeping willow now for about 15 years and it was doing fine until this summer. It has new branches sort of but a lot of the older ones are dying. There are leaves of course and they are sti...
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Elida, OH
Tulip trees losing bark in OH
We have two tulip trees in our yard that are losing their bark at the base of the trunk. I am careful with the mower keeping away from the tree when I mow. What could the problem be and what can I d...
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Powell,, OH
Horse-friendly plants for Powell OH
I am looking for horse friendly plants, i.e., shrubs, trees, bushes, etc. that can be planted in wet area in Ohio. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
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Dublin, OH
Black bugs on Autumn Joy sedum in Dublin OH
How to get rid of tiny black bugs on Autumn Joy sedum?
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Troy, OH
Late leafing and early leaf-drop of Ohio buckeye tree
We recently bought a house which has an ohio buckeye tree in the back yard. It stands about 40 feet from a large creek in Troy, Ohio. The tree is about 30 feet tall. A strip of the bark is missing....
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Hilliard, OH
Poison ivy in Hilliard OH?
I found a plant with five jagged leaves growing close to the ground in the trees of Ohio. Is this poison ivy or a similar plant?
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Hilliard, OH
Eliminating suckers from roots of Moraine locust in Hilliard, OH
We removed a large Moraine Locust tree and also the stump. Now little trees from the roots are coming up. How do we get rid of these so something else can be planted?
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Bucyrus, OH
Fragrant night blooming plant
My Grandmother use to have a night fragrant night blooming plant that she referred to as "baby Jesus being born" when it bloomed.
Are you familiar with anything of this nature?
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Mount Gilead, OH
Fungus type problem on native blackeyed susans in Ohio
I have black eyed susans that have recently developed a black fungus type problem in the bottom and on the leaves. The flowers are now wilting and dying. What is this and how can I stop it from possib...
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Westerville, OH
Tree to replace non-native Japanese maple in Westerville, OH
I am wanting to plant a Japanese maple in an area of my yard that probably gets too much sun for this plant. I am trying to figure out what kind of plant I could plant instead to get an Asian feel I a...
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Westerville, OH
Care of Northern honeysuckle bush
I have a honeysuckle bush, I have had it for about year to two years. I would like to know if I should cut the brown parts off. There are some vines that do not look good, but some of the branches ha...
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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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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
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
Deadheadidng of gaillardia
How do I maintain gaillardias? Specially, do I deadhead them?
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Grove City, OH
Plants to compliment pine trees in Ohio
We just moved into a new home, the backyard has a above ground island with 5 pine trees (fairly young ones, not big) between the trees are some piney looking shrubs, there is a lot of open space on th...
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Tiffin, OH
Resourses that are being taken away - Tiffin OH
What are resources that are being taken away from humans and organisms?
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Dayton, OH
Failure to bloom of non-native viburnum in Dayton, Ohio
I have a 3 year old Marie's Doublefire Viburnum that has healthy, abundant foliage but never blooms. I do not prune it. What am I doing wrong? Thanks
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Beavercreek, OH
Identification of fast-growing weeds with orange flowers
I have fast growing plants (weeds?) in my heavily wooded backyard. They reach heights of over 6 ft and have orange flowers. I have spent hours searching the web today with no success -the closest thin...
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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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