Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

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!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Tuesday - February 19, 2008

From: Brenham, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Plants for shady area in Brenham, TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have an area which receives shade all day, but gets a lot of sun just before sunset. What sorts of plants would do well?

ANSWER:

Since it gets the sunlight in late afternoon, it is no doubt at an angle, and not as drying as sun at high noon. Therefore, you would probably be looking for plants that succeed on 2 hours or less sunlight every day. There are other factors, too, of course, including soil moisture. In our Native Plant Database, we selected some possibilities. All these are natives of North America, which is the focus of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and all are either native to Texas or naturally distributed in Texas. The lists were selected on Texas (location), habit (herb, shrub or tree), perennial (duration), 2 hours or less sun a day and dry soil. You can go to the Native Plant Database page and, using the "Combination Search," change the conditions and select choices of your own.

Herb

Coreopsis lanceolata (lanceleaf tickseed)

Ionactis linariifolius (flaxleaf whitetop aster)

Penstemon digitalis (talus slope penstemon)

Ruellia nudiflora (violet wild petunia)

Shrub

Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)

Salvia regla (mountain sage)

Rosa setigera (climbing rose)

Symphoricarpos orbiculatus (coralberry)

Tree

Cornus drummondii (roughleaf dogwood)

Juniperus virginiana (eastern redcedar)

Prunus serotina (black cherry)

Ptelea trifoliata (common hoptree)


Coreopsis lanceolata

Ionactis linariifolius

Penstemon digitalis

Ruellia nudiflora

Rhus glabra

Salvia regla

Rosa setigera

Symphoricarpos orbiculatus

Cornus drummondii

Juniperus virginiana

Prunus serotina

Ptelea trifoliata

 

 

More Shade Tolerant Questions

Oak leaf hydrangeas from Edwardsville IL
August 13, 2012 - Hello, I live in West Central Illinois (across the river from St. Louis) and I am considering planting several Oak leaf Hydrangea's in my yard. The location where I would like to plant them is und...
view the full question and answer

Arborvitae thinning in Bucks County, PA
April 09, 2010 - My arborvitae trees are about 11 ft. tall. I had them put in about 3 years ago. They were 8 to 10 ft. when planted. After the first year, I have noticed they are thinning to the point where you can se...
view the full question and answer

Watering newly planted woodland plants in VA
June 12, 2011 - How frequently should newly planted, native plants, growing in wooded areas be watered? Is it better to not water at all than to use sprinklers in which case the water rarely saturates the leaf...
view the full question and answer

Privacy hedge for shady area
March 27, 2009 - We are looking to plant a privacy hedge around the perimeter of our yard that will grow to 6 or 8 feet tall - some of the perimeter is exposed to sun and we will likely go with evergreen sumac - howev...
view the full question and answer

Deer Resistant part shade plants for Austin:
March 28, 2010 - What evergreen shrubs would you recommend for a partly-shaded area, next to a wall, which can be trimmed to keep their shape and height (for symmetry)..this is for a front gate to a community, so we n...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.