Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Ask Mr. Smarty 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.

Support NPINHelp grow the Native Plant Information Network by giving to the Plant Database Fund or subcribing to Wildflower magazine.

Subscribe online now
Mr. Smarty Plants would give Wildflower magazine two thumbs up...if he had two thumbs.
Share

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.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

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

Baton Rouge, LA, LA
Thorny vines for a shady Louisiana fence
Do you know of a fast growing, non-invasive, thorny vine that I can grow along a shady fence row in Baton Rouge, Louisiana?
view the full question and answer

Baton Rouge, LA
How to have Mimosa and Yucca identified.
Hello, I have recently come across what I believe to be Mimosa microphylla in a very southwest corner of Mississippi. The only thing different about this patch is its brilliant white blooms! I can no...
view the full question and answer

Baton Rouge, LA
Carex as a shady turf alternative in Austin
I just read your answer to Barbara Medford's question about what multi-species native grasses would work to create a shady lawn. While you had some wonderful suggestions you mention a homeowner's as...
view the full question and answer

Baton Rouge, LA
White evening primrose from Baton Rouge LA
My husband and I have a disagreement about Mexican Primroses. I believe I have seen patches of them which are pure white. He believes they must be faded pink ones. Do white ones occasionally grow? ...
view the full question and answer

Baton Rouge, LA
Native and non-native Wandering Jew and Four o Clocks
I am looking for information on 2 separate plants in my yard. The names that people have given me on what they are is as follows: Wondering Jew Four O'Clock
view the full question and answer

Baton Rouge, LA
Where can white prickly poppy be viewed en mass from Baton Rouge LA?
Does the center feature the native White Prickly Poppy? When is prime blooming season? Can you give me some specific locations in the area where the plant can be seen en mass and photographed? Thank...
view the full question and answer

Baton Rouge, LA
Smarty Plants on Iris native to Louisiana
A friend of mine has discovered white iris growing alongside of a swampy habitat in southeast Louisiana where there are blue, yellow and copper/red irises. We presume it is wild because it is in a na...
view the full question and answer

Baton Rouge, LA
Plant identification
Hi from Baton Rouge, I was out in Livingston Parish a week ago and saw a small tree that I had never seen before. I can't paste a picture here. It's sort of like an Osage Orange but the flowers a...
view the full question and answer

Baton Rouge, LA
Transplanting Ilex x attenuata (Savannah holly)
Is it hard to take a savannah holly out of my front yard? Do the roots grow down deep or are they more shallow? I can only take a 36-40 rootball circumference because of surrounding established shru...
view the full question and answer

Port Allen, LA
Pool-side ornamentals for south Louisiana
We live in south Louisiana and are re-doing the plants around our pool. What are some low maintenance, small shrubs (flowering) or other ornamentals that would be good in this area?
view the full question and answer

Denham Springs, LA
Identification of vine in Louisiana
I have two vines in my backyard. I've looked at pictures of each and they both keep coming up "virginia creeper." However, both are different. Neither causes an allergic reaction. One has leaflets ...
view the full question and answer

Denham Springs, LA
Plant ID from Boise ID
I have a plant growing in my bed which resembles a dandelion.. the problem is that it is really tall. Would you be able to take a look at a picture to identify it?
view the full question and answer

Denham Springs, LA
Trees failing to prosper from Denham Spring LA
I live in Louisiana. Out of all of the native trees that we grow, there are two in particular that always struggle no matter what the conditions are in which they grow. The first one, sassafras, is ...
view the full question and answer

Denham Springs, LA
Tree with stilt roots for Louisiana bog garden
Does Louisiana have any native trees with stilt roots? I would like one to go with my cypress and tupelo bog garden. I have several native plants such as spider lilies and blue flag irises, but I'm...
view the full question and answer

Denham Springs, LA
Does the tip of the agave contain poison from Denham Spring LA
I bent over to pick something up and got stabbed in the head with the point of a agave plant. It is about 15 years old and I measured the point-it is right at an inch long. My head did bleed and it bu...
view the full question and answer

Denham Springs, LA
Can Joshua Tree yucca be grown in Denham Springs LA
If planted in a patch of raised and well-drained soil and covered during heavy rains, would it be possible to grow a Joshua Tree yucca in eastern Louisiana?
view the full question and answer

Greenwell Springs, LA
Thorns on non-native orange trees in Greenwell Springs, LA
Navel orange tree has thorns, why is this?
view the full question and answer

Prairieville, LA
Toxicity of Lupinus ssp. (bluebonnets)
Are bluebonnets toxic to cattle?
view the full question and answer

Prairieville, LA
Viability of Texas Mountain Laurel in Louisiana
I just returned from a visit to Austin and I saw the Texas Mountain Laurel everywhere. I live in the Baton Rouge, LA area and would like to know if performing some soil amendments would allow me to gr...
view the full question and answer

Prairieville, LA
Removal of pups from Century Plant after blooming in Prairieville LA
Will the main part of the century plant always die after it grows a stalk? I have babies coming off the base and need to know if I should separate them to keep them alive.
view the full question and answer

Walker, LA
Timing for transplanting a yaupon in Louisiana
I found a female yaupon growing wild at the back of my property and would like to move it to the front. When should I do this?
view the full question and answer