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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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Saturday - August 28, 2010

From: London, England
Region: Other
Topic: Edible Plants, Poisonous Plants
Title: Petals of flowers on cake from London
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Hi could you please confirm whether it is safe to position an amaryllis on top of a fresh cream cake (it will not be eaten, nor will the stem touch the cream, it will be positioned in a non toxic vial stuck into the cake), however the petals will come into contact with the cream. Thank you

ANSWER:

This sounds like a lovely design, but is out of our expertise. We are committed to the growth, protection and propagation of plants native to North America. All of the plants you mentioned in your two questions are non-native to North America. Just on a guess, we would not recommend it. You have no way of knowing what pesticides or preservatives might have been sprayed on those flowers, or whether some tiny insects might still be hiding in them.
 

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