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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

Seguin, TX
Cold Hardy Hibiscus for Central Texas
What variety of Hibiscus is cold hardy for Central Texas?
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Seguin, TX
Advice for Texas Mountain Laurel in shady, narrow bed.
My house faces N/NE and gets a lot of shade. I would like to plant a Texas Mountain Laurel in my narrow front bed, but what is the best way to amend my clay soil since it prefers rocky soil? What woul...
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Seguin, TX
Cutting back plants after frost from Seguin TX
When is best time to cut back native plants after frost kill? Thanks
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Seguin, TX
Need advice for planting Bur Oak saplings in Comal County
We will be planting several bur oak saplings this fall in deeper soils in Comal County. How close should we plant them? What mortality should we expect? Thanks in advance for your assistance.
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Seguin, TX
Jimsonweed and its toxic nature
I purchased a Jimson weed plant at a local plant sale at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center this spring and was quite surprised at how quickly & large it grew. After the first round of flowers fa...
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Seguin, TX
Transplanting Seedling Texas Mountain Laurels
I have two mountain laurels that I grew from seed. They are in pots, but the roots have grown through the bottom and into my flower bed. The trees are about 6 feet tall. They have already bloomed. So ...
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Seguin, TX
Does the Wildflower Center plant sale include plants or only seeds?
Does the list of plants for your Fall Plant Sale imply that they are availble to be transplanted or only as seed? Thanks
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Seguin, TX
Cow-itch vine name from Seguin TX
How did Cow-Itch Vine (Cissus incisa / Cissus trifoliata) get its name?
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Seguin, TX
Growing Avocados in South Texas
What types of avocados can be grown in South Texas?
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Seguin, TX
Need Native Cover Crop in Seguin, TX
Is there a native winter cover crop that would control erosion until spring vegetation takes over?
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Seguin, TX
Elimination of dirt dauber insects
Hello - I live in the southeast part of Guadalupe Co. in the post oak savanna area. Do you have any suggestions on how to control dirt dauber dirt/mud nests. I know these critters are beneficial, bu...
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Seguin, TX
Book for identifying Texas plants by dichotomous key from Seguin TX
What is the best book(s) for identifying Texas plants using a dichotomous key?
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Seguin, TX
Resource for identifying winter rosettes or seedlings
Do you know of a good resource for identifying winter rosettes before bloom? I am interested primarily in hill country and blackland prairie.
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Seguin, TX
Looking for Sideroxylon celastrinum (Coma saffron plum) seeds or seedlings
Hi. I'm trying to find a good commercial source for la coma (Bumelia celastrina) seedlings/seeds. Can you help? Thanks.
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Seguin, TX
Growing non-native aloe in Seguin TX
I would love to grow aloe plants; both because I like the look of them and for their medicinal properties. Here in Texas people grow them both indoors and out. For some reason, I have not had any l...
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Seguin, TX
Need plants to fill in spaces where wooden expansion joints were removed in a patio in Seguin, TX
I have removed the rotted wood in the expansion joints in my patio. I would prefer replacing them with some sort of plant. The patio gets partial sunlight.
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Seguin, TX
Few seeds from turkscap in Seguin, TX
I have several Turk's cap plants but most do not produce seed. Any ideas? They have been in place 5 plus years.
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Kingsbury, TX
Genetically altered bluebonnets?
I am trying to locate where I can purchase what I consider real bluebonnets not the genetic altered ones. The ones I am talking about are completely blue without the white tip on top. Do you have an...
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Marion, TX
Plants poisonous to dogs from Marion TX
Is the desert willow poisonous to dogs?
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Marion, TX
Butterfly/hummingbird garden in Texas
I am coordinating a butterfly/hummingbird garden on 100 acres that our religious organization has. We want to use native Texas plants as much as possible. Are these two types of gardens compatible an...
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New Braunfels, TX
Native shrubs to plant after Ashe Juniper removal
I live on 7 acres of beautiful Texas Hill Country land just north of New Braunfels. Live oak, Cedar elm, and Ashe juniper dominate the landscape. I have cleared some of the Ashe juniper and would li...
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