Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

We get a lot of questions from people looking for privacy barriers, living fences, etc. We feel we need to put a Warning Label on our answers. We can certainly try to find some plants, probably shrubs, that will grow in your area in North Central Texas. What we cannot do is guarantee they will do what you are hoping for. The biggest factor is the shade. We consider "sun" to be 6 or more hours of sun a day, "part shade" 2 to 6 hours of sun, and "shade" less than 2 hours. There is also the issue of allelopathy, in which some mature trees exude substances to discourage competition beneath them. And you certainly need to consider the tree roots when you are digging holes for your plants. Furthermore, even a drought-resistant plant is going to need some extra care, especially water, during the initial year or so you have it in the ground, just to survive.  When you mention "year-round coverage," we assume that means you are looking for evergreen shrubs, which narrows the choices down even more.

We make these warnings because we would hate for you to spend the money and effort putting in shrubs (200 feet is a lot of shrubs), and then find they would not flourish and fit your purpose. We would suggest you visit some nurseries, price what it would cost just to buy the shrubs, plus hiring labor (if you are not going to do it yourself) to put them in, and installing hoses or waterlines to keep them irrigated. The larger the shrub, the higher the cost, and the more difficult the transplanting. Small shrubs will take that much longer to achieve the effect you're looking for. Compare that cost with fencing of some sort that will serve the same purpose and doesn't have to be watered. Frankly, we don't know which would be better, every situation is different, but much to our chagrin, native plants are not the perfect solution to every problem. You might even consider waiting to make your decision, as it is getting a little late in the season to plant woody plants. They really do much better, especially in the Southwest, if they are planted during their semi-dormant season of early winter. Easier on the planters, too. 

We went to our Recommended Species section, and did Narrow Your Search, selecting on "shrub" for Habit, and "shade" and "part shade" for Light Requirements. We only came up with 3 possibilities, and none of those is a perfect fit. You might take a look at our Native Plant Database, using Combination Search, select on "Texas" and "shrub" and see what other plants might present possibilities. If you are willing to consider something other than a shrub, or a non-evergreen plant, there are other choices, too. 

Ilex vomitoria (yaupon) - evergreen, 12 to 15 ft. tall, blooms whie April and May, part shade, low water use

Mahonia trifoliolata (agarita) - evergreen, 3 to 6 ft., blooms yellow February to April, sun to part shade, low water use

Morella cerifera (wax myrtle) - evergreen, 6 to 12 feet, blooms green March and April, sun to part shade, high water use

Ilex vomitoria

Mahonia trifoliolata

Morella cerifera