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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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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

Licking, MO
Wildflowers for September wedding from Licking MO
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I am getting married this September in Licking Missouri back in the woods on my dads land. I would like to have wildflowers for the bouquets and reception decor. Can I get some...
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Falcon, MO
Are Tannins in Persimmons the same in Fruit and Leaf?
I was wanting to know if tannins in persimmons have the same properties in both the fruit and leaves.
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Waynvesville, MO
Shade tolerant plants for Waynesville MO
We moved to Waynesville, MO (gardening region 6) and when we bought our house there was a nice looking gardening area in front of the house. It is shaded moderately by a Redwood Tree and was "occupie...
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Waynesville, MO
Wildflowers for a pond in MO
I have a spring fed pond in Missouri and would like to plant perennial wildflowers in the area around it. Are there any that would do better or others that are not recommended? Thank you.
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Willow Springs, MO
Best time for wildflower planting in the Ozarks
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I live in the Ozarks, and have an open bottomland valley area I want to transform into more natives for many reasons. I am starting a 2 acre field of NATIVE grasses (warm sea...
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Richland, MO
Will maroon and Texas Bluebonnets prosper in Richland MO?
I live in Richland, MO and have obtained both Maroon and Texas Bluebonnet seeds from Fredricksburg, TX. Will they prosper in this area and when is the best time to plant? I have read how and what type...
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Pomona, MO
Plant identification
I found a flower about 5 inches tall and it is Pinkish White the head of it hangs down and looks like a rose that hasn't bloomed yet. It reminds me of an Orchid like Fairy . Its Mystic like! what is ...
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Cuba, MO
Removing poison ivy in Cuba MO
I bought a home with a huge bed of hybrid iris but the bed is thick with poison ivy. If I cover myself head to toe to prevent getting it is there a way to clean the tubers so they will not be poison? ...
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Iberia, MO
Propagation of Agave suckers
I'm trying to transplant Dragon Toes Agave suckers. Is this similar to other agave pup transplants?
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Redford, MO
Osage orange thorn in foot in Redford MO
I ran an osage orange thorn through my foot,it is very sore and very red around it. Is that something I might need to see a dr about, or it is just going to be sore for a couple days. It only happened...
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St. Louis , MO
Phytoremediation Plant List for St. Louis MO
My goal is to transform urban blight plots (some up to 1/4 acre) into viable community gardens having healthy, living soil as their foundation. To this end I am researching phytoremediation (thanks...
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Stanton, MO
Plant identification, possibly Phytolacca americana (American pokeweed)
What wild growing plant has dark purple berries with a pinkish stem? The purple berries grow on their own stem and not in among the leaves, the leaves are green.
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Thayer, MO
Perennials non-toxic to horses in Thayer MO
I live in South Central Missouri. I am looking for a plant/shrub to plant in pots (our soil is clay and very rocky)to landscape the front of our barn. This plant can't be harmful to horses and must b...
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Clarkridge, AR
Will corn fall victim to allelopathy from hackberry in Clarkridge AR
Will my corn be inhibited by a nearby hackberry and if so would it help to cut it down? I understand that sometimes the soil is full of the chemicals the tree produces.
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Union, MO
Groundcover for wet area in Missouri
Hello, I live in Missouri and our neighborhood is built over a natural spring. Half of my yard remains wet/moist for weeks to months and we can't mow it. I'm looking for a ground cover and plants...
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Springfield, MO
Wildflowers for September wedding in Missouri
I am interested in having wildflowers in my wedding in late September. Although the wedding is in the early fall I wanted to have dandelions but I was informed that they are not long lasting enough fo...
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Springfield, MT
Wintering Purple Coneflowers in pots in Springfield MO
I have some 8 month old purple cone flowers in containers on my porch. They did not bloom this summer because they were seedlings when given to me. I can not put them in the ground. How can I keep the...
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Versailles, MO
Plants for edge of a field pond in Missouri
I have a 25ft x 50ft field pond in Versailles, MO. What do you suggest for the water's edge plantings so that we might fish over them. Weed eating is eating ME up!
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Washington, MO
Further explanation of retaining walls and trees from Washington MO
I had a question previously about putting retaining walls across the root system of a 40' tall bald cypress tree(not like spokes on a wheel, but concentric to tree trunk). How wide can the walls be? ...
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Washington, MO
Rain garden for Washington MO
I have a 40' tall bald cypress at the bottom right corner of my sloped yard (slopes from 2 sides, has 3 gutter runoffs directed towards it from 50-70' away). Can I put a series of retaining walls up...
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Willard, MO
Name of the rough-barked mimosa (Albizia kalkora)
I read two years ago that there was two different mimosa trees one that is common and has the smooth bark and the other one had a rough bark. I am Interested in the one who has the rough bark and the ...
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