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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Smarty Plants Question Topics
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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| Weed identification February 27, 2012 Weeds / Wildflower. I dream of a photo identification for weeds / wildflowers that pop up in my garden here in Austin, Texas. Maybe I don't want to pull them up. How do I know? Do you know of a b... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Information about pre-1920s biodiversity near San Antonio February 12, 2012 Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: I am transforming my .3 acre urban yard three miles north of downtown San Antonio into a native wildscape. I am planting all native plants using your website, books, and nea... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of strange dark green blobs February 03, 2012 In my back yard I have a type of plant with no roots only around in the summer and when it rains. It looks like a person took a piece lettuce and put way too much water into it and wadded it up. It ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of bushes with red berries in Tennessee January 31, 2012 I was recently traveling thru Clarksville, TN and saw these bushes (at the shopping mall) that had clusters of small red berries on them. They were not a Holly that I know of. The leaves were not th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Instructions for pictures from Red Bud IL January 29, 2012 Mr. Smarty Plants, I followed your instructions on how to submit pictures for you to identify "If you would like to know what the plant is that came up, Mr. Smarty Plants loves to identify plan... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant ID from Woodcreek TX January 27, 2012 I would like to attach a photo of a weed in my lawn and have you identify it. How do I send a photo? I have been told it may be ground ivy. Please tell me how to kill it without damaging the lawn. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of shrub with red berries in Kentucky January 14, 2012 I live in Laurel CO, KY. I am trying to identify a shrub/tree. The leaves are green and may turn reddish orange. There are huge pods of red berries hanging. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Questions about lilies from Trussville AL January 10, 2012 How can I tell what kind of lily I have? Or better yet,what is the difference between Asiatic lily and a daylily? I also noticed someone asked about Cahaba lily. Just want to let you know I grow Caha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant identification January 08, 2012 When we moved in to this house, we planted many plants in the front landscaping. After they grew, it became too crowded. We had to move some plants to the backyard. The problem is, we have a plant tha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Will Butterfly Plant Survive in Mansfield, Texas January 06, 2012 I have a butterfly plant that was very successful (about 4 feet tall) right up until the cold snap three weeks ago. I've read they have a tap root, so I'm hoping it will come back next spring. Mea... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant identification of vine in Tennessee January 06, 2012 I have this vine that grows in my backyard and on the vine there are green balls about half the size of a hedge apple and inside balls are a bunch of seeds. The deer love to eat these. Do you know wha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of stem from a bouquet January 02, 2012 I have a stem with leaves that came in a bouquet May 2011. They are still healthy in a vase of water tho they have no roots, just stem. On the back center of each leaf are protrusions half an inch lon... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plant identification December 20, 2011 I am new to Florida and can't find the identification of one of my plants anywhere. It's an unattractive plant that is stick-like, very rubbery - it reminds me of a stick-bug. I have a small one i... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover plant that tastes like cucumbers December 18, 2011 It is a native ground cover plant that is edible and tastes like cucumbers. Found in the Edwards Plateau. What is the name? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of shrub in South Carolina December 12, 2011 First, I'm in Iraq but trying to write a book and have a question on a plant that grows in South Carolina. All I can do is describe it. The bush is normally green but turns red, has large leaves, kin... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Sending a picture of an oak from Yorktown TX December 02, 2011 How I can I send a pic of my oak in Yorktown near Cuero? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Florida hanging vine with occasional red tongue-like leaves December 01, 2011 I live in south Florida and I used to grow a hanging vine that had green slender leaves and an occasional red leaf that looked like a tongue that protruded horizontally from the plant. do you know wha... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| What are the pines growing at South Padre Island, Texas November 20, 2011 Hi, On a recent trip to South Padre Island, we noticed a large number of beautiful long leaf pines. I asked several residents what the name was but no one knew. I have searched and googled trying... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Difference between Styrax platanifolius and Styrax patanifolius ssp. texanus November 18, 2011 What is the difference between a Styrax platanifolius and a Styrax platanifolius texanus? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plant identification request from Wales, United Kingdom November 17, 2011 I have a plant that has green and pink leaves and the flowers are dry but are like fingers on a hand. The leaves drop down when it needs watering, which is every other day, and the finger shaped clust... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of perennial with dark red/purple flowers November 17, 2011 Need to identify a lovely perennial here in Norfolk, Virginia. It reseeds itself, spreads, and lingers into the late fall. It has rather thick, dark green, alternate spatulate leaves at the base wit... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identification of a cucumber-like vine with fruit November 16, 2011 We found tiny, grape-size white melon-like fruit on a vine, with tomato-like/cucumber-like seeds. The leaves on the vine were similar to grape or cucumber leaves, but not spiny. They were behind our... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of a plant that appears to be a pink Merremia. November 14, 2011 I recently discovered a plant growing locally that was not blooming, but based on the leaves and seed pods I thought it might be Merremia quinquefolia. This week I was able to catch it blooming and th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Identity of large, sunflower-like plant November 13, 2011 We are trying to figure out the identity of a large, sunflower-like plant. It is a perennial that sends out approximately 10-12 stalks about 10 feet high. It then starts to bloom with small sunflowe... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Identification of yellow blooming plants near Temple, Texas November 07, 2011 This question may be a challenge. We noticed fields of yellow blooming plants in the fields east of Temple. They appear to be about 4 inches tall. (we were on a bus and could not stop to look cl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
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