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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!

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Questions From Near You

Navasota, TX
Is there a variety of bluebonnet called black gumbo
I live in Grimes County, Texas on the eastern edge of the Blackland Prairie. A few years ago my hillside of Bluebonnet seed was harvested. I was told it was a rare 'black gumbo' variety of bluebon...
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Washington, TX
Rattan vine for deer in Washington County, TX
My property in Washington County has a lot of very old rattan vine, much of which is 3" in diameter. All of the leaf and berry production on these vines is well over 50' above the ground. I manage...
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Washington, TX
Privacy screen for barn from Washington TX
We live on a large ranch and have someone now next to us that built a barn on our fence line that we want to make a tree barrier to hide it, so we need to plant trees that will grow at least 15-29 fee...
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Irwin, TX
Information about plant called Josephs tears, possibly Jobs tears (Coix lacryma-jobi)
I recently received a plant and was told it was a succulent called Joseph's Tears. According to the individual who gave it to me, during the month of September it develops a little growth at the tip...
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Plantersville, TX

I have an Ehretia anacua in the way of possible development of a new building and I have a few questions.\r\nWhat is the typical life span of that tree and are the roots sensitive to compaction and ...
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Plantersville, TX
Definition of "Weed Laws"
What are weed laws?
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Cedar Creek, TX
Possible sawflies on loblolly pine (Pinus taeda)
My pine trees looked great a week ago, now one from top to bottom is almost without needles. It is covered with greenish caterpillars. They have several stripes down their back . Could these be saw fl...
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Cedar Creek, TX
What happens to wildflower seeds planted before a heavy rain in Cedar Creek TX
I planted tx wildflower seeds yesterday--November 19th. It has rained all day with water standing in the places that I planted. Do you think that they will take? Am I going to have to plant more seeds...
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Cedar Creek, TX
Need plants to provide a privacy screen in Cedar Creek, TX
We need to screen out neighbor's house. What can we plant (fast growing tree or hedge) in partial shade? Area is dry in summer, but does get soggy during heavy rain. We live east of Austin in Cedar C...
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Cedar Creek, TX
Evergreen Trees for Cedar Creek, TX
Hello I am wanting to plant some evergreen trees on my property out in Cedar Creek Texas. We have a lot of cedar trees but I really would like some live oaks. Is it possible to grow live oaks or somet...
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Cedar Creek, TX
Short native turf grass for Texas lawn
I would like a native grass mix that doesn't get too tall. It is mostly sun with afternoon shade. Mowing wouldn't be a problem, but not necessary. The soil is pretty good but shallow.I hate the ber...
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Cedar Creek, TX
New low maintenance grass similar to Turffalo
While touring the Wildlife Center, our group was told about about a new low maintenance grass similar to Turffalo. It only grows several inches tall, drought resistant and crowds out other grasses an...
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Cedar Creek, TX
Nutgrass
Hey Hi Barbara, I just read the information you gave about nut grass. I had wished for other options. Back to digging them out. Thanks for the information What about substituting cud zoo. S...
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Cedar Creek, TX
Propagation of evergreen sumac by cuttings from Cedar Creek TX
I seek an ”Evergreen Sumac” propagation method by cuttings.
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Richards, TX
When should a redbud start blooming?
Does it take a couple or more years for a redbud tree to bloom? I had some in Houston when I lived there and it seems like it took a long time for them to bloom. I now live in Richards (Near Huntsvill...
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Shiro, TX
Groundcover Planting in Shiro TX
I have been collecting seeds from White Avens and Texas Sedge to use as ground covers. What is the optimal time to plant these seeds? We have been experiencing heavy rains in our area lately, so I am ...
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Shiro, TX
How to determine the gender of wax myrtles from the WFC?
Mr.Smarty Plants, have the wax myrtles that are up for sale at the Center's Spring Plant sale been sexed? I need a male plant. How can the sex be determined when the plant is young? Or can it?
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Shiro, TX
Native turkscap failing to thrive in Shiro TX
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, Two years ago I transplanted several native (not cultivars) Drummond's turkscaps in the proximity of water oaks in the front yard. All get shade and some sun. They seemed to ...
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Shiro, TX
Need help with a Coreopsis eating beetle in Shiro, TX
Mr.Smarty Plants,(Sorry, I kept messing up with my emails) Anyway, here goes: I usually have a beautiful meadow full of lanceleaf coreopsis blooming by now. Not this year. I found to my horror every s...
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Shiro, TX
Food for wild rabbits in Shiro TX
There are usually 1-2 cottontail rabbits sharing our 4 acre habitat that are suffering due to the lack of new growth caused by drought. Is there anything I can plant after this summer that would provi...
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Shiro, TX
Planting wildflower seeds in a drought in Grimes Co. TX
I have a dilemma, shared by others I'm sure. My place, which is in Oakland prairie, has seen no real rainfall since sometime in August, and the soil (sand, loam, and blackland clays)is extremely dry....
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