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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

Garland, TX
Removing spent flowers from passion flower in Garland TX
To encourage more blooms, should I remove spent flowers on my passion flower vine?
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Garland, TX
Planting begonias in the Dallas area
What month is it time to plant begonias in the Dallas, Texas area?
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Garland, TX
Climbing native roses for Garland TX
I live in Garland, Dallas County, TX and would like climbing roses on the trellis situated against my brick home. What kind would you recommend for the area and any that would be easy to care for. T...
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Garland, TX
Pros and cons of Hydrocotyl bonariensis as lawn replacement
Want to convert lawn TO dollar weed! My Garland TX yard has become so shady over the years that I have a hard time with grass. A few years ago I noticed dollar weed in the grass which seemed to cre...
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Garland, TX
Keeping squirrels out of pecan tree from Garland TX
My yard is covered in green pecans with one bite eaten by squirrels. How do I keep squirrels out of my pecan tree?
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Garland, TX
Propagation of Gay Feather
Can I transplant the flower Gay Feather any time or should I wait until the plant dies this winter?
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Garland, TX
Sources of Starleaf Mexican Orange (Choisya dumosa)
Where can we find Choisya dumosa (plant recommended for southwest area) for sale?
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Garland, TX
Want to Amend Soil Without Harming Earthworms in Dallas Area
I have a totally odd question. I live in the Dallas area in the blackland soil. I am removing sod from part of my back yard and will replant with nectar and host plants for butterflies. The soil is...
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Garland, TX
Plant identification, possibly chile pequin
Found in my back yard a plant about 18 inches tall. it has tiny white 5 petal flowers and small (smaller than a pea) fuits. The fruits smell just like bell pepper. My nose itched after smelling it. ...
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Garland, TX
Recommendations for native plants for Dallas Co., TX
Looking for a Recommendation: Can you suggest a plant that meets the following requirements? ENVIRONMENT -- - I live in Garland, in Dallas County, TX. - The soil is primarily clay. - Full sun...
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Garland, TX
Native plants for water garden in Garland, TX
Hello, I was interested in creating a water garden-koi pond in the landscaping and was interested to know what plants you would suggest for this usage that would be perennial? Furthermore I was intere...
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Garland, TX
Are Desert Willow Leaves Fragrant?
I have a pink Desert Willow and have noticed that the leaves are fragrant; no flowers are yet present. I cannot find any sites that agree with this finding? Is this unusual?
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Rowlett, TX
Native plants for moist and shady yard in Rowlett, TX
I have an area of my yard that has drainage issues. It stays quite moist most of the time and is shady a large part of the day. I would like to plant some native plants in that area. Maybe something t...
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Rowlett, TX
Landscaping north facing wall
We live in the Dallas area and have a north facing home with a large, bare wall. I would like to plant a tall, flowering shrub that will look nice all year round. Or are there flowering vines that a...
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Rowlett, TX
Root rot and transplant shock in Texas betony
Texas betony is supposed to be drought resistant but also likes to be kept moist, but I have had trouble getting it established. These seem to be undemanding plants I have had entire stems dry up and...
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Sachse, TX
Fast growing native hedges for Sachse, TX
I just bought a house in Sachse, Tx and want to plant a privacy hedge. It will be about 220' long and I want it to grow to at least 10'-12' high. I also want it to be fast growing and be evergree...
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Sachse, TX
Proper watering of cedar elm trees in Sachse, TX
I've just planted two Cedar elm trees in clay soil, each about four inches in diameter, and I want to water them correctly. I'm aware that too much water can be bad as well as too little water. I ...
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Richardson, TX
Horseherb planting in Richardson, TX
What is the best time to plant 4" pots of Horseherb?
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Rchardson, TX
Smarty Plants on Jewel of the Nile
My husband and I just returned from a short trip to San Francisco. While on a bus tour that took us to the Twin Peaks area, we saw some beautiful purple flowers growing on the hillside. Our tour guid...
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Richardson, TX
Earliest spring wildflower from Richardson TX
What spring wildflower is consistently among the first to bloom in North Texas?"
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Richardson, TX
Collection dates for Charles Wright in Texas on Flame acanthus page.
Mr. SP- there is a date error for Charles Wright's collection time period in Texas, at least on the Flame Acanthus page of wildflower.org. It states, "The species name of this plant is for Charles Wri...
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