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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Sunday - February 21, 2016
From: Cathedral City, CA
Region: California
Topic: Plant Laws, Groundcovers, Vines
Title: Flowering Shade Plant for California
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
I have a house north facing that has a "flower bed" in front that unfortunately is shaded 100% of the time. There are roses in the bed currently (they came with the house) but they do poorly. We are looking to put something in that might be a bit more tolerant of the shading conditions and produce some flowers to have a more inviting home to enter. I was thinking star jasmine, would that work well?ANSWER:
Star jasmine (also called confederate jasmine or Chinese star jasmine) is not a native North American plant so it is not in the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Database. It is scientifically called Trachelospermum jasminoides and according to wikipedia is a woody evergreen vine growing to about 10 feet high. It will flower in full sun, partial shade, or total shade, and requires well-drained soil (if constantly kept damp it may succumb to fungal infection), moderate water, moderate fertilizer, and a climbing structure (whether a trellis or another plant is secondary). It is widely planted in California and also particularly in the Southeastern United States, where its hardiness, confined to USDA Zones 8-10.
I have seen this plant used successfully as a groundcover in the Austin, Texas area and just occasionally trimmed to keep it neat and dense.
If you would like to try a native plant for your shady front garden, False lily of the valley (Maianthemum dilatatum) is an aggressive groundcover with small clusters of white flowers in early summer. It is a tough plant that grows well in shady moist locations.
Also Sweet After Death (Achlys triphyla) is a spreading groundcover that has white flower clusters in early summer on a narrow spike with large leaves. It also likes moist shade sites.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Laws Questions
Are wildflowers in Missouri patented?
September 20, 2013 - Are wildflowers in Missouri patented? If so where would I find a list of them?
view the full question and answer
Transferring a palm tree from Florida to Pennsylvania from Reading PA
April 06, 2012 - Is it legal to transport a small palm tree (12" high) from FL to PA?
view the full question and answer
Patenting Flower Mixes
July 12, 2012 - Can a new, more beautiful combination/mix of certain wild flowers or the new use of some particular wild flowers for a particular style of gardening, e.g. for deer resistance or for alternative lawn o...
view the full question and answer
Legal to mow wildflowers in HOA in Royse City, TX
April 21, 2012 - We live out in the country in Rockwall County, Texas. Is it legal to mow the wildflowers on our 2 acre lots? The HOA documents we committed to require the homesites to be maintained, but there is di...
view the full question and answer
Regulations on picking native plants and flowers on Government or National Park lands
November 18, 2005 - I was wondering what the laws and regulations on picking native plants and flowers on BLM land and NPS land are, and where I can find this information.
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |