Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members 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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Native orchids in Bowie and Harris Counties July 02, 2015 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I was wondering what types of orchids are native to Bowie County and Harris County. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Horsemint for Connecticut July 01, 2015 Will horsemint grow in Connecticut? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Difference between Oxalis debilis and Oxalis violacea June 22, 2015 There are two species of pink oxalis reported to grow here in Jefferson County, Oxalis debilis (introduced) and O. violacea (native). How can I positively identify which one I have growing in my yard? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Vine with 5 pointed deep lobed leaves and small white flowers June 21, 2015 I recently happened upon a very peculiar vine. It has 5 pointed very deep lobed leaves, that are semi hairy on both the top and bottom with small white flowers that emerge from the same part of the st... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Invasive vine with yellow flowers in Austin June 21, 2015 What is the invasive vine in Austin that has wire like stems and small leaves. It just blossomed huge yellow flowers this spring. It climbs cliff, trees, bldgs., etc. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identification of plant with speckled green leaf June 21, 2015 I have a purple (or brown) speckled green leaf plant with tiny yellow daisy-like flowers. The leaf is fuzzy looking on the edge. Self seeds freely in my shady garden. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identity of plant friend bought at plant sale June 20, 2015 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 ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identity of fleshy three-leaved vine in Central Texas June 20, 2015 I have a 3 leaved evergreen vine, that I assume is a central Texas native, growing in my yard in a non irrigated mostly shady spot. It has a strong odor when touched and looks and feels like a succule... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
A blue-eyed grass with salmon-colored blooms? June 16, 2015 Has anyone heard of a blue-eyed grass variety that has salmon-colored blooms? I have a photo if needed. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identity of cinnamon-scented bush from Pennsylvania May 23, 2015 I had a "bush" in PA that the woman who sold it to me called a cinnamon bush. It had long branches with large (approx 5" long and 3" wide) dark green leaves attached evenly along each side of the... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identification of white flowering bush with lovely scent May 17, 2015 Please identify the sweet smelling white flowering bush/tree blooming now,May, in western Massachusetts. The flowers are tiny 4(?) petals in small clusters. The scent is wonderful. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identity of grass-like plant with white or cream flowers in The Woodlands, TX? May 16, 2015 What is the name of the tall grass-like plant with small white or cream flowers that is planted in most esplanades in The Woodlands, TX.? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Bleeding Heart-Like Plant Identification in PA May 09, 2015 Hi Mr. Smarty Plants. We have a plant that looks almost like the bleeding heart, as in the way the bell shaped (not heart) white flowers hang downward on the stem. However, the leaves are broader and... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identity of vining plants in yard in Texas May 08, 2015 I have vining plants in my back-yard, here when I bought the house, that, from what I have been able to find on-line, look like poison sumac, however, I know they are not. Leaf shape, color, and appe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Orange-flowered bush on Wildflower Center grounds April 19, 2015 What is the orange colored bush like Sphaeralcea blooming right now. It is in one of the planted gardens. I could find no name plate. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identification of ivy-like plant with large purplish leaves. March 27, 2015 Can you ID this ivy-like growing plant with a big purplish elephant ear type leaf and a big green stem pouch? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identification of mystery tree in Huntington Beach, CA March 25, 2015 Have a "tree" that has grown from about 18" tall to about 10' tall in a little over a years time. It has a central trunk that is about 3/4" in diameter at it's largest. It has short thin branch... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identification of mystery plant in yard in El Paso, Texas March 24, 2015 I have a plant bed in my yard with mostly shade, in the winter it looked like 10-15 sticks about 2-3 ft tall coming from the ground. Now early March there are green and maroon leaves only growing at t... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Trees with white blossoms in Crockett, Texas March 21, 2015 What are the trees that are blooming just East of Crockett Texas (off of Hwy 21) right now - fairly large trees - multitude of white blooms - almost like a wild plum or pear, but tree seems too large?... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Inquiry about the Arizona Cypress trees in the Family Garden March 20, 2015 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, I recently visited The Wildflower Center and enjoyed seeing several features that were new since my last visit two years ago. In the Family Garden areas I saw several beautifu... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Observation of Kalmia angustifolia in George Washington National Forest in Virginia March 19, 2015 On Feb. 7th, 2015 I observed a variety Kalmia on the crest of a ridge, recently burned off, in the George Washington National Forest. I think it may be sheep laurel (Kalmia angustiflora), which coloni... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identity of wild plum in Childress County, Texas March 16, 2015 I have a Wild Plum follow up question. My wife grew up around the Childress TX area. She remembers going around the creeks and gathering Wild Plums for her mother as a child. Would you have any ide... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Indentification of yellow four-petaled plant in Sonoma County CA March 09, 2015 Yellow four-petaled plant - low to the ground. Along the coast of CA in Sonoma County (near Bodega Bay) Might be Frying Pan but I can't find a decent description or the botanical name to look it up... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identiication of a flower in Valentine's Day Bouquet March 05, 2015 I bought a Valentine's Day bouquet for my wife and one of the flowers just won't quit (with some TLC, the lillies lasted 10 days). May I send a photo of the flower in question? I'd love to grow i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
Identification of thorny bush February 26, 2015 We found a small thorny like bush in our hay field near the fence line yesterday. It has thorns and each thorn has new nodes along the thorn. it is a frosted like white at this time. It is early febru... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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