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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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Monday - February 26, 2007

From: Conroe, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Obtaining information about non-native Maurandella antiffhiniflora seeds
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Mr. Smarty Plants: My Mother and I love to see all the beautiful Snapdragons blooming each year. We never know when to actually plant the seeds in order to have the Snapdragons come up and bloom by this time of year. Can you tell me when to plant the seeds? Thank you so much.

ANSWER:

Although there are some attractive North American native snapdragons, e.g., Coulter's Snapdragon (Sairocarpus coulterianus) and Climbing snapdragon (Maurandella antirrhiniflora), I suspect that you are talking about the snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) which is native to the Mediterranean. Although our focus and expertise is with plants native to North America, we can point you to information from Floridata.com and the BackyardGardener.com on the care of this beautiful non-native snapdragon.
 

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