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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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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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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

N LITTLE ROCK, AR
Identification of cattail look-alike, except red
I would like help identify the wildflowers growing beside the highways in my area so I can plant some at my house. We live in Sherwood Arkansas which is just north of Little Rock.The Highway where ...
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Sherwood, AR
Identification of a plant that looks like a watermelon.
A wild plant came up in my bed that looked like a watermelon plant. It had small yellow blooms and then marble balls formed with prickly thorns. The balls were in clusters. What kind of plant is i...
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LITTLE ROCK, AR
Little birds for Little Rock
I would like to plant flowers that hummingbirds and butterflies like. I live in Little Rock, Arkansas. What do you suggest?
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Little Rock, AR
Native subarctic plants
I'm doing a project on subarctic things and I have to have subarctic plants in it. I need to know a few and about them. Can you help?
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Little Rock, AR
Problems for non-native St. Augustine grass from Little Rock AR
We sodded St. Augustine grass four weeks ago. For the first three weeks we had no rain and temperatures over 100 degrees. We have watered 20 minutes twice a day since installation. There are brown pat...
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Little Rock, AR
No acorns on mature live oak in Little Rock AR
Why does my very large mature live oak have no acorns?
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Little Rock, AR
Native plants and sources for Little Rock, Ark.
I live in Little Rock, Arkansas. What Type of native plants will grow here? Do you know a on-line store I can purchase them?
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Little Rock, AR
Wildflower planting times for Little Rock, AR
When is the best time to plant wildflowers in Little Rock,Ar
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Little Rock, AR
Need care instructions for Cardiosperma halicacabum in Little Rock, AR>
I'd like to find out how to cultivate & care for a balloon vine/heart seed vine/love in a puff vine which I found growing wild in my yard (in Little Rock, Arkansas). There seems to be very little in...
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Vilonia, AR
Illegal to pick roadside wildflowers from Vilonia AR
Is it illegal to pick roadside wildflowers in Arkansas?
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Bryant, AR
Native replacement for middle school lawn in AR.
I'm doing a project to help out our green middle school replace the grass in front of the school with something that stays short but is also native to the region. Can you recommend one that I can use...
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Conway, AR
Plant identification
Please help identify a flower I saw growing in the woods in central Arkansas last week.It had a light yellow flower growing out of a very flat basal rosette made up of grey-green spade-shaped leaves. ...
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Conway, AR
Hardiness of Acerola bush for Conway AR
How far north can you grow an Acerola bush? I live in Conway, AR, which is north of Little Rock.We used to be Zone 7, but now we are on the edge of Zone 8, I believe.
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Conway, AR
Are American Hazelnuts Self-Fertile?
I planted an American Hazelnut a couple of years ago that I ordered from a catalog. Is this plant self-fertile or do I need to plant another one? I have seen conflicting information on this subject.
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Conway, AR
Alternatives to Lily of the Valley in Arkansas
I saw the question from the person who was looking for a native equivalent to Lily of the Valley and immediately thought of Solomon's Seal, which has similar bells on a stalk and grows in similar loc...
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Redfield, AR
Wildflower meadow for Arkansas
We want to create a 1/2-1 acre wildflower style "meadow" using native plants that we can naturalize. I found information for our area (Central Arkansas) on this website that is helpful, but I am als...
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Redfield, AR
Source for Abutilon fruticosum (Indian mallow) seeds
Do you know anyone who has Abutilon Fruticosum (Indian Mallow) seeds for sale? I would love to grow the Indian Mallow, but can't locate a source. Thanks!
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Paron, AR
Identity of plant friend bought at plant sale
Can you Please Identify this plant? A friend had bought it at a plant sale and she thinks it was called a money tree. I am curios as to what it really is because it has jagged edges on the leaves and ...
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Solgohachia, AR
Raised beds over lateral lines in Solgohachia AR
I would like to build raised flower beds over my lateral lines. They would be planted with strawberries and perennials. Will this cause any problems with the absorption into the ground or not lettin...
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Searcy, AR
Bluebonnet trip planning from Searcy AR
We are planning a Spring Bluebonnet trip to east, central and south Texas. Is there an average timetable for Blubonnet blooming in the areas of San Antonio, Hill Country, Austin and east, and Northea...
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Heber Springs, AR
Tree roots vs. leach field in Heber Springs AR
We need shade in front of our west facing house; however, our septic system and leach field are there also. What kind of fast growing trees can we plant that won't ruin our septic system?
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