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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

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

Eastsound, WA
Plants for slope on Orcas Island, WA
Hi! What a great site! Okay, I have a home on Orcas Island, WA. We live here from about June through September, but only visit once a month or so the other times of the year. We are looking for somet...
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Olga, WA
Wildflower field for sewage leach field from Olga Washington
I am interested in planting a large native wildflower field at a resort in the San Juan Islands in Washington State. It would be over a sewage leach field for many cabins and bathrooms. Are there any ...
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Friday Harbor, WA
Is Carolina laurel (Prunus caroliniana) a good choice for San Juan Islands, Washington?
What are the prospects for Carolina laurel here on San Juan Island, mixed in with thin stand of douglas fir, about 50 feet from shore, eastern exposure? Water is available but little sun because of l...
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friday harbor, WA
Thank you Mr. Smarty Plants
Hi, this is a note of thanks, powerful thanks, for your answer to my question about carolina laurel. Our disappointment was more than made up for by your recommendation to check out OSU's wonderful ...
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98250, WA
Propagation on bamboo in Washington State
I have been trying for some time to grow bamboo in my garden. They rooted very well in the house but as soon as I put them in a large planter under the fir trees they turned yellow.They have a large h...
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Anacortes, WA
Wildflower seed planting time in Northwest US
What is the best time to plant wildflower seeds in the northwest United States?
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Bellingham , WA
Fruiting times of native trees and shrubs in the Pacific Norhwest
I am looking for information on fruiting/seeds/nuts times of native trees and shrubs in the Pacific Northwest. Obviously they fruit after they bloom but all I can find is very general information such...
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Bellingham, WA
Plants for a mixed hedgerow for privacy and for the birds
What are the best native plants for a mixed hedgerow in a small backyard? I want privacy (heights 5'-10') and bird friendly. Thank you for your information.
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Blaine, WA
Evergreen hedge for constant rain
We live in Washington State up north by Canadian border. We need a hedge that will survive the constant rain. We have tried cedar. They seem to turn brown and die,one at a time so we keep replacing th...
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Langley, BC
Plant Identification
Hi there. I have a plant in my garden I'm trying to identify. It started out looking like a cabbage but now is huge, It has a large stalk going up the middle with purple bell looking flowers coming...
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Burlington, WA
Plant identification
I have this shrub looking type plant with leaves that smell like lemons. The plant has a very small white flower on it. This shrub shows up in my yard every year in the summer. We are curious as to we...
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Delta , BC
Evergreen shrub/tree for British Columbia.
What kind of hedge or trees might work to provide privacy in our lower mainland British Columbia yard/garden? We need something evergreen that is perhaps,fast growing. Our yard is not deep and our k...
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Mount Vernon, WA
Problems with azaleas
Last summer I planted 10 evergreen Azaleas "Hino Crimson" I sprinkled a little rhody fertilizer in their holes before planting and gave them plenty of water all summer. They are all doing fine excep...
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Sedro Woolley, WA
Controlling slugs in a Pacific Northwest strawberry patch
Would love to plant various varieties of strawberries on a bank for erosion control and ground cover. How can we keep the slugs at bay? We are in the the Pacific Northwest
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Surrey, BC
Pacific dogwood not fruiting
We have a beautiful Pacific Dogwood in front of our balcony. In some years it has fruit (berries) but has not for the past two years. When it does, it becomes a magnet for Northern Flickers. Is the pr...
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Burnaby, BC
Controlling Pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata) in British Columbia
Hello, I am emailing from the west coast of Canada, Vancouver, and I have a plant question regarding a species you have listed on your website. We have recently discovered Pontederia cordata L. Pi...
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Abbotsford, BC
Controlling pumpkin vine in British Columbia
I have never grown pumpkins before but decided to try one plant this year. It seems to be taking over my small garden space. Can I prune it back? I only want one or two pumpkins for my grandchildre...
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Camano Island, WA
Treatment of leaf curl on non-native peach in Camano Island, WA
How to treat peach leaf curl?
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Camano Island, WA
Books and other resources to identify plants in Washington state
We live just north of Seattle, WA on Camano Island and want to do a plant survey of our two acres. Any suggestions of books or other resources, particularly for the grasses and low growing plants? A...
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Vancouver, BC
How was salal (Gaultheria shallon) used by the troops in WWII?
We live in Vancouver BC. My mother says that during WW2 all the kids in her school were sent out to pick salal. They picked sacks of salal which were then sent to the troops. We are trying to find ...
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Vancouver, BC
Problem with acanthus in Vancouver BC
My girlfriend's Mom just planted an Acanthus in her garden. In the morning, it apparently stands up tall, but in the evening it bends over until the the leaves are lying in the dirt. She's concerned...
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