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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Friday - August 14, 2009
From: Atlanta, GA
Region: Southeast
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Butterfly garden plants for partial shade in Georgia
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have a patio that is brick with 2 small areas for planting. The area has partial shade and soil is moist and looks dense. Currently there is an Ivy Bush in the back left corner which I like and has started to climb the fence, several Hosta's and some Monkey Grass lining the space. I want to add some color and make the plant area more colorful. I was wondering if I could have a butterfly garden of some type with the partial shade that I have?? Also what other types of flowers would work? nothing tall though. Thanks!!!ANSWER:
Absolutely! You can have a very colorful butterfly garden and you can choose the plants yourself by going to our Recommended Species page and selecting Georgia from the map or pull-down menu. You can then use the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option to select criteria for your plants. For instance, under GENERAL APPEARANCE, select 'Herb'; under LIGHT REQUIREMENT select 'Part shade' and under SOIL MOISTURE select 'Moist'. When you scroll down the page for each plant you will see a section called BENEFIT which will tell you if the plant is a larval food or nectar host for butterflies.Here are a few recommendations from Mr. Smarty Plants, but there are many more possibilities:
Aquilegia canadensis (red columbine)
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed)
Coreopsis auriculata (lobed tickseed)
Conoclinium coelestinum (blue mistflower)
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot)
Phlox divaricata (wild blue phlox)
Stokesia laevis (Stokes' aster)
More Shade Tolerant Questions
Shade tree for El Paso, Texas
May 18, 2010 - hi there, I am looking to plant a shade tree in front of my house, about 10ft away from my house and about 6ft away from the sidewalk. I live in El Paso TX and I am afraid that the tree roots will int...
view the full question and answer
Colorful native plants for oak tree shade in Houston
August 26, 2009 - I live in Houston Tx - our subdivision entrance has many oak trees. We cannot find anything that will "stay alive" around these trees. It is mostly shady, but gets a slight bit of sunlight. we wo...
view the full question and answer
Evergreen groundcover under pine tree in NY
May 23, 2008 - Hello! I live in upstate NY. I'm trying to find an evergreen ground cover to plant under a pine tree. I believe it's a white spruce (but I'm not postive). I've read conflicting information reg...
view the full question and answer
Plants for border garden in shade in Austin
March 15, 2009 - Need suggestion for what to plant in a border garden. We live in northwest Austin and the garden is north-facing and shaded. Currently are oleanders but they don't get enough sun. Also growing are...
view the full question and answer
Trees for shade east windows from sun in Abilene, TX
October 25, 2008 - We need a tree(s) to plant in front of four east windows (20 feet space) to shade our breakfast room from the early morning sun. We have shades but need a bit more protection. I do not wish to shade...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |