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
Wednesday - September 30, 2009
From: Norborne, MO
Region: Midwest
Topic: Herbs/Forbs
Title: Plants for the north side of the house in Norborne MO
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
What perennials, plants, flowers, are best suited for north side of house?ANSWER:
In questions about the orientation of a garden, the important consideration is the sun exposure to the area. If the plantings are out in the open, away from where they would be shaded by the house, other structures or trees, it really wouldn't matter, as long as the plants were native to the area and therefore accustomed to the climate, soils and rainfall. In the Northern Hemisphere, in the winter, the sun has dropped down toward the southern horizon, which means that plants close to the house will be in shade a good part of the year. The best way to make a decision on the amount of sun in an area is to keep records on what parts of the garden are in sun, how much sun and what times of the year. You likely don't want to wait to get such a thing done, so you need to make a judgment based on how close your plants would be to something that makes shade in the winter. In the summer, when the sun is more nearly overhead, a building will not cast much shade, although a wing, fence or garage could cause shade, even then. If you have been on the property for a while, you probably already have a good idea. Our definition of "sun" is 6 hours or more of sun a day, "part shade" is 2 to 6 hours a day, and "shade" is less than 2 hours a day.
Once you have defined for yourself which are your sun, part shade and shade areas, you can select plants native to your area of Carroll County, knowing that they will already be adapted to the environment, as long as their light requirements are met. We will demonstrate how to do this by going to our Native Plant Database, Recommended Species, click on Missouri on the map. From there we will make separate searches on General Appearance, "herb" (herbaceous flowering plants,) with Light Requirements successively of sun, part shade and shade. Following the same procedure, we will select shrubs, trees and grasses. You can repeat this process, inserting indications of your Soil Moisture as well. We will check that each plant we select is native to your area. It probably will help you, when you are selecting plants, to make a rough sketch of the area, indicating sun, part shade and shade areas. When you read the list we are making, follow the links to the page on each individual plant to learn expected size, whether it is annual or perennial, evergreen or deciduous, growing conditions and propagation instructions.
Plants for shade (less than 2 hours of sun a day) for Carroll County MO
Aquilegia canadensis (red columbine)
Coreopsis lanceolata (lanceleaf tickseed)
Cephalanthus occidentalis (common buttonbush)
Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood)
Cercis canadensis (eastern redbud)
Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore)
Calamagrostis canadensis (bluejoint)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)
Plants for part shade (2 to 6 hours of sun a day) for Carroll County MO
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed)
Echinacea purpurea (eastern purple coneflower)
Amorpha fruticosa (desert false indigo)
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus (coralberry)
Prunus americana (American plum)
Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama)
Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats)
Plants for sun (6 hours or more of sun a day for Carroll County MO
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinalflower)
Lobelia siphilitica (great blue lobelia)
Amelanchier arborea (common serviceberry)
Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash)
Panicum virgatum (switchgrass)
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)
Pictures from our Native Plant Image Gallery
More Herbs/Forbs Questions
Trimming native salvias in January
January 17, 2008 - I have heard you can trim Hot Lips, Raspberry and other salvias back severely in January, to about six inches from the ground. Is this correct?
view the full question and answer
Pruning practices from Austin
May 16, 2013 - I need to do some pruning in my front beds and I know nothing about plants. From what I have been able to identify I have bicolor irises, plumbago, Japanese Aralia. I don't even know where to begin o...
view the full question and answer
Gaura dying from Townsville, Australia
September 14, 2012 - My passionate pink Gaura appears to be dying. It had a beautiful blooming period & now is going backwards. What is happening? I have pruned it, but don't know how to save it.
view the full question and answer
Red poppies to bloom in November from Round Rock TX
June 08, 2014 - Hi, I want to plant poppy seed so that they bloom in November for Veterans and Remembrance Day. Can you offer any guidance? Thanks!
view the full question and answer
Trimming of Pineapple Sage and Salvia Greggii
October 07, 2007 - I live in Central Austin. My question is: When is the
best time to trim back Pineapple Sage and Salvia Gregii? How far back should these plants be trimmed?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |