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
oxford, MS
Rain Garden plant for N. Mississippi
Rain Garden Plants for North Mississippi/Mid-South Region.
I wish the search parameters included plants which tolerate seasonal flooding and droughts, so that each state might search for its own r...
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Ackerman, MS
Non-native Indian Hawthorn and Abelia resistance to deer from Ackerman MS
I recently landscaped my yard. I have a large variety of bushes and trees. They have been planted for about a month. Yesterday, while out in the yard, I noticed that about half of my Indian hawthorn...
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Cleveland, MS
How to care for non-native gardenia
My gardenia is about 20 years old about 5 feet tall and for the first time is leggy looking this year, not too many leaves and they don't look real healthy. Do I need to cut it back some. Last year...
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Sturgis, MS
Blocking dust from a road in Sturgis MS
Please let me know what Trees/shrubs will help block dust from dirt road.
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Starkville, MS
Native plants for cutting garden in Starkville MS
I would like to know the native plants to put in a cutting garden.
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Starkville, MS
Non-native Moth Mullein as a garden plant from Starksville MS
I collected seeds from a beautiful Moth Mullein growing in a lot which will soon be bulldozed. Would I regret sowing them in the back of a sunny perennial bed this fall. These are from the white-pin...
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Starkville, MS
How Do Persimmons Breed - Starkville, MS
Thank you for your earlier response about the genders of native persimmon trees. We have two, a much larger one that has borne fruit for years and years and a smaller one that I'd just assumed was m...
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Tupelo, MS
Grasses for moist, steep hillside in Tupelo MS
I have a very steep bank that I have pampas grass planted in spots. It must be a natural spring in the bank because it stays very wet and runs into the street below. Can you suggest something to pla...
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Tupelo, MS
Will desert willow (Chlopsis linearis) grow in N. E. Mississippi
I am located in N.E. Mississippi. A friend of mine sent me a few desert willow seeds. I have about 5 plants growing now that are about 6 inches tall. I was wanting to know first of all, is it possi...
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Amory , MS
Failure to thrive of closet plant
I have a closet plant that is old and was doing fine and then started having droopy leaves. It needed to be in a larger pot so I transplanted into a larger pot with new potting soil. It continues to...
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Collierville, TN
Planting horsetail indoors from Collierville TN
I would like to plant horsetail indoors. Can it handle the inside? Will it try to go dormant or it that a temperature trigger which means it will not go dormant?
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Germantown, TN
Native wildflowers for Tennessee
Can you suggest some native wildflowers for west Tennessee and a source for seeds?
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Flora, MS
Lists of native plants in Rome, Italy area
Do you know anywhere that I can find a list of native plants in Italy, especially in the Rome area.
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Moscow, TN
Problems with morning glory in Tennessee.
I recently moved to Tennessee from Michigan. On my property I have a perennial morning glory. This year the leaves are all bubbly, the stems have white hard stuff on them and there is a brown hard t...
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Madison, MS
Non-blooming parsley hawthorn in Madison MS
I have a parsley hawthorn that has never bloomed. It is thriving in a low area under tall pines. It gets filtered sun most of the day with more direct sun in late afternoon. I don't know the age but...
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Madison, MS
Edibility of peppervine berries from Madison MS
I am following up on a question I've posed to many well experienced foragers and naturalists regarding the pepper vine plant or Ampelopsis arbor. There are many conflicting stories regarding the edib...
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Grand Junction, TN
Control of non-native invasive ground ivy in Grand Junction TN
Dear Mr. Smarty Pants,
I live in the Southwest portion of TN about 50 miles east of Memphis. We have an invasive plant, called Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea L in our yard and pasture now which is ta...
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Memphis, TN
Low-growing plants for steep bank to prevent erosion
We recently bought a house (6 months ago) in Memphis, TN that backs up to a concrete drainage ditch. There is a fairly steep, mostly shaded bank that leads from the flat section of the back yard to th...
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Memphis, TN
Redoing garden in Memphis TN
Please help. I don't know much about landscaping and plants and I am re-doing my flower bed. I recently had everything pulled out and I want to start fresh. The area that I will be working with is ap...
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Memphis, TN
An evergreen, deer-resistant shrub for Memphis
I need an evergreen, deep to partial shade, deer resistant shrub or tree. Does such a plant exist?
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Memphis, TN
Bermuda, not the only option in Memphis
I'm building an energy efficient home in Memphis and want to extend that strategy to the landscaping. I'd like to plant native grasses, but this lot is surrounded by lots sodded with Bermuda grass....
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