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
Murphy, NC
Wildflowers for Murphy NC Clay
I live on a ridge in Murphy NC. The property has trees so most of the land is in partial shade. The soil is good 'ole mountain red clay. I have some steep bankings in front of the house that I wou...
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Blairsville, GA
Groundcover for steep hill in Georgia
We have a large steep hill with only clay and rocks on it in the North Georgia Mountain area. What is a good Native ground covering to put on this for erosion? Something that grows fast preferably. ...
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Morganton, GA
Planting ornamental cherries in GA
What is the correct way to plant ornamental cherry trees in N. Georgia Mountain clay soil? Which is the hardiest variety?
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McCaysville, GA
Edible Plants for North Georgia
We are planning a forest food garden in the hollers of the N GA Mountains.
Which edible fruit, nut, berry, herb and creepers would be best for this reddish, clay-like soil? The food garden is in...
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Blue Ridge, GA
Identification of groundcover plant in north Georgia mountains
Was trail riding in N GA mountains - saw pretty ground cover plant ? vine - small green leaves with whitish borders almost look like clover leaves and has small bright red red berries - this was Aug 2...
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Cherry Log, GA
Native Azaleas for Southeast USA
Where can I purchase wild azaleas?
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Delano, TN
Can I make my large pecan trees produce larger nuts?
I have 2 older large pecan trees about 40' tall but the nuts are very small, only about 1 1/2". What can I do to get larger nuts?
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Ellijay, GA
Removal of Invasive Mint
The herb Mint is taking over my flower garden. How can I kill this out?
Thank you,
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Bryson City, NC
Smoky Mountains Shaded Slope Plant Suggestions
We live in a very shady spot in Great Smoky Mountains in Western North Carolina. We would like to plant vegetation on a sloped area behind our cottage to stop erosion after building an addition. Our h...
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Clermont, GA
Growing Mountain Laurel in Georgia
While in Texas a few months ago I saw your beautiful Sophora Secundiflora blooming and decided to bring one home to Gainesville, GA and try my luck. I have not planted it yet and it is doing well in ...
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Maryville, TN
Are dogwood trees poisonous to horses?
Are dogwood trees poisonous to horses?
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Cleveland, TN
Peak times for viewing wildflowers in Texas
We are planning a trip to Texas to see wildflowers this spring. I have time off March 17-25. Would you expect to see much in bloom then? What area might be the best to visit? Does anyone put reports o...
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Cleveland, TN
Pollinating Pawpaws
We have many good sized pawpaw trees in our area but they never bear any fruit. I've checked them at different times in the fall over the years but no fruit. Someone told me that the flowers were po...
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Loudon, TN
Lifespan of non-native weeping cherry tree
What is the lifespan of a weeping cherry tree? Thanks.
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Loudon, TN
Native Plants for a Steep Slope in TN
Hello, I live in Knoxville, TN and have a very steep slope in our backyard. There is a lot of water erosion causing our grass to be covered with red dirt. I would love to try to plant something on thi...
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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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Gatlinburg, TN
List of North American plants grown in other countries
I am working on a childrens story and would like to let the teachers who read this book know where some of the native plants in my book grow throughout the world, or if they grow outside of the USA. p...
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Gatlinburg, TN
Need some information about wild native grapes in Gatlinburg, TN.
We have some wild grapevines growing on a southern exposure eroded bank. They are providing assistance in reducing erosion with rapid growth. Do these plants develop ground contact as they grow? In...
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Ooltewah, TN
20 years to bloom
My girlfriend and i have come up with an interesting question, we were wondering if there is a plant in existance that takes over 20 years to bloom, and how many different kinds (if any) there are? We...
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Waleska, GA
Evergreen shrubs native to North Georgia
I am looking for native plants (shrubs) that will stay green during the winter in North Georgia. We are completing a xeriscape landscape plan as a demonstration site and have many native plants donate...
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Knoxville, TN
Need plants for steep slope in Knoxville, TN.
I have several steep banks that have to be weed-eated each year every week. Do you know if there are any kinds of ground cover that would take over the weeds on these steep dangerous banks. I live in ...
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