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
Branson, MO
Plants for water park
Hi,
I usually have no problem locating the right species for a given situation, but I may need some advice for this. I am looking for plants -- from annual & perennial flowers to shrubs and small t...
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Harrison, AR
Infrequently blooming yucca in Harrison AR
My Yuccas have only bloomed once in 8 years. Looking at the Internet I think mine is Elephantis variety - I did buy them at a nursery; they are in full sun.
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Eureka Springs, AR
Cause of trees losing bark in Arkansas
I live in very rural Arkansas and we did have extreme heat this past summer and since then I have noticed several trees in the woods that have lost huge strips of their bark and I was wondering if it ...
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Eureka Springs, AR
Pond Plants for Eureka Springs AR
I have a 1 acre pond that we are cleaning up. This area will be used for recreation and fishing. We plan to put native rock around some of the edges and need perennial plants that do well in rocky are...
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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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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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Yellville, AR
Non-poisonous, fragrant flowering plant and vine for Arkansas
I would like to find a non poisonous flowering plant that smells good, that has small to moderate plant growth, that will do well in sandy soil area, shade to full sun either way. Also would like to f...
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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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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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Rogers, AR
Grass for erosion control
I have a very shaded sloped back yard. I have not been able to get grass to grow due to the shade. There are approximately twenty 30-40 ft. Oaks in the yard. The yard slopes toward the house. I wo...
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Rogers, AR
Plants for a septic field in Rogers AR
I live in Rogers Arkansas (northwest corner of the state). My home sits in a holler. My back and side yard is almost totally lateral lines for a septic system. One section of my yard (it's fenced an...
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Rogers, AR
Will a gift yucca survive in Northwest Arkansas?
Had received a yucca tree as a gift and wondering if it will survive in the ground here in northwest Arkansas. It has a complete tropical look compared to my regular yucca plants. I believe it's actu...
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Lowell, AR
Smarty Plants on Plant Identification
We bought our house last October and there were beautiful pink flowers blooming along our sidewalk. They bloomed until past Thanksgiving. They resembled Azaleas but we don't know what they were. Th...
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Bentonville, AR
Vines for fence in Bentonville, Arkansas
I have about 600 LF of 8ft high chain link fence I would like to grow vines on in Northwest Arkansas for screening. I would like some to cover quickly but be maintenance friendly. I heard alternating ...
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Bentonville, AR
Is any part of flowering peach (Prunus persica) toxic to dogs
I know that peach pits and wilting leaves are poisonous to dogs, but can you tell me if any part of the Red Flowering Peach Tree (no fruit) is toxic?
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Springdale, AR
Finding climate zone before puchasing plants in Springdale AR
I should be allowed to select my climate zone, my state has at least 3 zones. Then this would be a terrific help in identifying which plants I should buy.
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Springdale, AR
Yellowing leaves on weeping willow
We have a 4 year old Weeping Willow, 12+/- ft. tall and this week the leaves are starting to become yellow.
This willow is full and robust in appearance, best it's ever looked.
We have 2 other Wee...
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Fayetteville, AR
Non-native Alocasia in Fayetteville, AR
I am trying to find out information on a plant that I received as a gift called an Alocaiso Plant, It a green, large, shiny green leaf plant with cream colored veins. Very beautiful and I would think...
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Fayetteville, AR
Advice about buffalo grass lawn in NW Arkansas
I am determined to grow a native buffalo grass (bouteloua) lawn in Northwest Arkansas. My question is this: I am considering mixing an annual rye into the bouteloua seed mix for the purpose of quick, ...
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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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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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