Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

There are several things we don't know about your question. Is the area to be in sun or shade? Is it a low-growing border or a ground cover? Or perhaps just something to fill an empty bed or as background for blooming annuals? Liriope muscari is sometimes called "monkey grass" but is not a grass, instead is a member of the lily family. It is a native to shady forest floors in China, Taiwan, and Japan.

We are going to go to Recommended Species for North Central Texas and select several perennials of various types. You can then follow our links to the Native Plant Database and read the information on that specific plant to see if it serves your purposes. Our selections are not going to look like liriope, and some may be semi-evergreen in Dallas. The evergreen requirement is probably the hardest to achieve. Especially the herbaceous perennials, blooming plants, will die back close to the ground and dead material will need to be cleaned up. The grasses will hold their spot and be attractive during most of the Winter, but will also need to be trimmed as new growth appears. You can use the same technique to make your own selections.

HERBS (HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS)

Callirhoe involucrata (purple poppymallow) - evergreen to semi-evergreen, to 12" tall, sun to part shade, blooms March to June

Oenothera speciosa (pinkladies) - to 18" tall, bloom March to July, sun

Ruellia caroliniensis (Carolina wild petunia) - 1 to 3' tall, bloom June to August, part shade

Viola missouriensis (Missouri violet) - part shade to shade, low growing

SHRUBS

Lantana urticoides (West Indian shrubverbena) - poisonous berries, sun, sprawling, blooms April to October

GRASSES

Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama) - 2 - 3' tall, sun to shade, blooms June to November

Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats) - 2 to 4' tall, part shade to shade

VINE

Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper) - creeping groundcover or climbing vine, sun to shade

Callirhoe involucrata

Oenothera speciosa

Ruellia caroliniensis

Viola missouriensis

Lantana urticoides

Bouteloua curtipendula

Chasmanthium latifolium

Parthenocissus quinquefolia