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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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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!

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Monday - October 05, 2009

From: Inverness, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Care for non-native plumeria in Inverness FL
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have several plumeria plants that I planted in the ground this spring. I will soon need to dig them up and store them in the garage for the winter, as I left some last year that died with the frost, even covered. Can I trim the roots before storing them in smaller post for the winter.

ANSWER:

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is dedicated to the care, use and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the areas in which they are grown. Plumeria rubra is native to Central and South America and therefore falls out of our range of expertise. However, if you Google on "plumeria care" you will get dozens of websites that can help you much more than we could.
 

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