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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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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Wednesday - September 01, 2010

From: Ridgefield, CT
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Need help identifying a deciduous weedy shrub in Ridgefield, CT.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

My overgrown property is blanketed in a deciduous weedy shrub. Its not Autumn Olive. The stems have large thorns and the shrub is comprised of many thick woody stems that, when cut have a distinctive yellow color. The shrubs grow everywhere.. from a single new stem that popping up alone to large masses of thick bark-like stems that are difficult to cut. The leaves are small. The branches tend to arch. I've noticed that a new sprout will even emerge from an exposed root. What is this? I need to get rid of them.

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants has found that it is difficult, if not impossible, to identify a plant from a written description even if its well done. Do you happen to have a picture of the plant? If so, go to the Plant Identification Page and follow the instructions for submitting a photo. Plant identification is usually done using the characteristics of the flower, so if you send a photo of the flower it would be a boon.