Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

There are some wonderful Texas native plants that will provide color in your shady space. Because of the size constraints of your space, Mr. Smarty Plants assumes that container plants are the way to go. First, we recommend you take advantage of three of our How-To Articles, Using Native Plants, A Guide to Native Plant Gardening, and then Container Gardening with Native Plants. These will help you understand why at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, we recommend only plants native to North America and to the area in which they are being grown, because since they are already adapted to conditions, they will need less water, fertilizer and maintenance. 

We are going to recommend some plants for your use, and you can make your own selections by going to Recommended Species, clicking on East Texas on the US map, clicking on NARROW YOUR SEARCH, and on the dropdown for "Habit", click on Herbs (herbaceous plants.) Since you say your area is shady, click on either "Shade" (less than 2 hours of sun a day), or "Part Shade" (2 to 6 hours of sun a day) or both, under "Light Requirements", and then click on the "Narrow Your Search" box at the bottom of the page. When we did this, we got 30 suggestions for herbaceous plants, both annual and perennial.

Below is a list of plants Mr. Smarty Plants suggests for a shady but showy container garden. A couple of shrubs are included and all the plants tolerate full or part shade. Follow the plant links to read the webpage on each plant, see how big it will get, how much water it requires, etc. so you'll know which ones will work best for you. When you have made a selection, go to our Native Plant Suppliers list, type in your town and state in the "Enter Search Location" box, and this will give you a list of native plant nurseries, seed companies and landscape consultants in your general area. All of these plants are commercially available. Good luck!

Glandularia bipinnatifida (Dakota mock vervain) - annual, purple, violet, blooms March to October

Melampodium leucanthum (plains blackfoot) - perennial, white, yellow, March to November

Phacelia congesta (caterpillars) - annual or biennial, yellow, purple, March to May

Phlox drummondii (annual phlox) - annual, white, pink, red, purple, March to June

Salvia coccinea (blood sage) - annual, white, red, pink, February to October

Tradescantia gigantea (giant spiderwort) - perennial, white, pink, blue, purple, violet, March to April

Nolina texana (Texas sacahuista) -perennial, evergreen, white, green, March to July

Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (wax mallow) - perennial, deciduous, red, May to November

Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea) - perennial, shrub, white, green, purple, June, July

Iris brevicaulis (zigzag iris) - perennial, white, yellow, blue, purple, March to October

Lobelia cardinalis (cardinalflower) - perennial, red, May to October

Phlox divaricata (wild blue phlox) - perennial, white, red, pink, purple, March to May

Glandularia bipinnatifida

Melampodium leucanthum

Phacelia congesta

Phlox drummondii

Salvia coccinea

Tradescantia gigantea

Nolina texana

Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii

Hydrangea quercifolia

Iris brevicaulis

Lobelia cardinalis

Phlox divaricata