Explore Plants
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.
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
rate this answer
Wednesday - August 20, 2008
From: Anson, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Plants for xeriscape and shade
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I live in Jones county, Texas. I would like to xeriscape portions of my lawn. The soil is sandy, I have a lot of shaded lawn area. What plants do you recommend that would be low maintenace, low water yet grow in the shade and sandy soil?ANSWER:
You can find a list of Texas High Plains Recommended native plants that are commercially available for landscaping by choosing that area of Texas from the map on our Recommended Species page. When the list of species appears you can then narrow the list by choosing the Narrow Your Search option and selecting 'Shade' and 'Part shade' under "Light Requirement" and 'Dry' under "Soil Moisture".Here are a few of Mr. Smarty Plants choices from the list:
Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac)
Rudbeckia hirta (blackeyed Susan)
Acacia greggii var. wrightii (catclaw acacia)
Atriplex canescens (fourwing saltbush)
Ephedra antisyphilitica (clapweed)
Glossopetalon planitierum (plains greasebush)
Mahonia trifoliolata (agarita)
Melampodium leucanthum (plains blackfoot)
Rhus microphylla (littleleaf sumac)
Yucca glauca var. glauca (soapweed yucca)
Zinnia grandiflora (Rocky Mountain zinnia)
More Shade Tolerant Questions
Part sun and part shade
October 19, 2004 - What is the difference between part sun and part shade?
view the full question and answer
Groundcover for shade under oaks in San Antonio
May 04, 2013 - I have been modifying my landscape to reduce grass and the need for frequent watering. Have turned half the backyard into native plants garden with hardscape and sitting areas. Have 2 mature Monterey ...
view the full question and answer
Want salt, shade, drought tolerant plant for Rochester, New York
September 21, 2010 - I am looking for a ground cover plant for western NY to grow on a strip alongside a road that gets very little sun in summer (lots of tree branches shading it). It gets a lot of road salt in winter a...
view the full question and answer
Suggestion for plants to replace grass in semi-shade in NY
February 01, 2008 - I have an area that is in semi-shade but gets about 4-5 hours of sunlight in the summer. Instead of grass I would like to perhaps use wild flowers or even prairie type grasses. Any suggestions??
view the full question and answer
Shade trees for NC
March 22, 2011 - What fast growing non invasive tree would be good to plant in a sub-division that could possibly shade my 2 story house? I would like it to have a tap root system so that it is strong in windy condit...
view the full question and answer
 |
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends. |
