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.
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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.
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Sunday - September 14, 2008
From: Plum Grove, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Plants for shade in Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I am looking for shade tolerant shrubs to plant near our carport. We live in Plum Grove, near Splendora, Texas. I don't want anything with thorns that will scratch the paint or me while getting in and out of the car. We have a lot of shade but need something to soften the hardscape.ANSWER:
You can search for plants yourself by choosing the East Texas section of the map on our Recommended Species page. This will give you a list of more than 130 native species that are commercially available for landscaping in East Texas. You can then pick the Narrow Your Search option and choose 'Shade - Less than 2 hours of sun per day' and/or 'Part shade - 2-6 hours of sun per day' from the Light requirement option. You can also choose 'Shrub' from the Habit (general appearance) option. Here are a few recommendations from the 'Shade - ...' option. If you have more than 2 hours of sun per day ('Part shade' option), there are many more recommended species to choose from.Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea)
Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea)
Rhododendron oblongifolium (Texas azalea)
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