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
Tuesday - February 23, 2010
From: Smithville, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Screen plants for part shade in Smithville, TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Thank you very much for your reply to my question about planting bamboo. I had no idea it was so invasive. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have for me. My goal is to provide a soft and informal screen to enhance a sense of an outdoor room.(There is a 6 foot black privacy fence, but I want to soften the lines). My light is different all over the yard, but I have two large pecan trees that provide mostly shade. I do have sun during the day but it is intermittent. I am looking for a background for future plantings. I prefer less formal to formal. (I do not care for conifers) Our soil here in Smithville is amazing as you probably know already. I would love to "go native" and plant something that is from our area. Suggestions? Thanks in advance.ANSWER:
It's always nice when our advice is heeded, and we can feel we prevented one stand of invasive bamboo from ever existing. It would appear that what you need are some shrubs native to Central Texas that can thrive in what we call "part shade," which we consider to be 2 to 6 hours a day of sun. Some may not bloom as profusely without full sun, which is 6 or more hours of sun a day, but you are probably not looking for showy blooming from background shrubs. We will go to our Recommended Species section, click on Central Texas on the map, and search for shrubs could suit your purpose as a loose background screen. By following each link to the page on that plant, you will be able to learn how big they can be expected to grow, what level of water use they have, and what soil they prefer.
Background shrubs for Central Texas:
Callicarpa americana (American beautyberry) -deciduous, 3-5 ft. tall, blooms white, pink May to July, rose or lavender fruit, berrylike, persists after leaves fall
Ilex vomitoria (yaupon) - evergreen, 12+ ft., blooms white April and May, low water use
Leucophyllum frutescens (Texas barometer bush) - evergreen with gray-blue leaves, 2 to 8 ft., gorgeous pinky-lavender blooms intermittently year-round, low water use
Rhus virens (evergreen sumac) - 8 to 12 ft., semi-evergreen, blooms white, yellow July and August, low water use
Senna lindheimeriana (velvet leaf senna) - 3 to 6 ft., deciduous, blooms yellow August to October, low water use
Morella cerifera (wax myrtle) - evergreen, 6 to 12 ft., blooms green March and April, high water use
Sophora secundiflora (Texas mountain-laurel) - evergreen, 1-15 ft., blooms blue, purple February and March, low water use
From our Native Plant Image Gallery:
More Shade Tolerant Questions
Need help with stabilizing a partial shaded slope in Prince George's County, MD.
September 08, 2009 - I have a partial shade sloped area about 40 ft. x 100ft; that is at the top of a natural drainage. Slope is maybe 10%. There is a thin layer of topsoil on top of a heavier clay layer (it was pasture...
view the full question and answer
North-central Texas shrubs for part-shade
March 30, 2011 - I need a shrub that will be OK in shade (2-3 hrs a day max.), in fairly well-drained soil, will grow to around 8 ft. tall and 4-6 wide, for the region between Denton and Gainesville. If it flowers, al...
view the full question and answer
Ground cover for shady area in north Texas
July 29, 2013 - I'm looking for a ground cover for a mostly shady area where St. Augustine won't grow. I don't want the ground cover to overtake my established St. Augustine in the rest of the yard. The area is un...
view the full question and answer
Groundcover for foot traffic in dry shade from Prineville OR
May 12, 2013 - I live in central Oregon. I have an area under a large elm tree that slopes on all sides and has lots of foot traffic and no sun. (my kids have a swing in the tree and play around it a lot.) It's a v...
view the full question and answer
Replacing mature Arizona Ash trees in Austin
August 26, 2011 - Mr. Smarty Plants,
I have 2 very large, very old Arizona Ash trees in my yard. I want to remove them and replace them with something like Cedar Elm or Chinquapin Oak. The problem is that they are t...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |