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 - November 08, 2011
From: austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Container Gardens, Shrubs
Title: A 3-6 ft. high overwintering container plant
Answered by: Guy Thompson
QUESTION:
I live in Austin, Tx. and am looking for a plant/shrub that I can keep in a ceramic pot through out the winter. It can grow to from 3 feet to six feel.ANSWER:
Your choice of plants will depend upon the size of your pot and the exposure of the plant to the elements. Assuming that you have a pot of diameter about two feet and placed in at least partial direct sun, I will recommend the following cold-hardy native plants:
For the standard conifer: Juniperus virginiana (Eastern red cedar) or Juniperus pinchotii (Pinchot's juniper). These species can grow much larger than six feet, but you can control their size by occasional trimming.
For evergreen broadleaf plants: Ilex vomitoria (Yaupon), Sophora secundiflora (Texas mountain laurel), Leucophyllum frutescens (Cenizo), Morella cerifera (Wax myrtle) or Rhus virens (Evergreen sumac). These are relatively slow-growing and have attractive flowers and/or fruit.
Deciduous: Ilex decidua (Possumhaw) loses its leaves in winter but has colorful red berries that persist until spring.
Some other possibilities that grow only 2-5 ft in height: Muhlenbergia lindheimeri (Lindheimer's muhly), Sabal minor (Dwarf palmetto), Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats) and rosemary (not native to this area).
You might consider an evergreen vine climbing on a small trellis: Bignonia capreolata (Crossvine), Gelsemium sempervirens (Carolina jessamine) or Lonicera sempervirens (Coral honeysuckle).
Before making your choice, check out the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center article on Container Gardening for tips. Remember the hot, dry summers that may lie ahead and plan a system to keep the container soil watered appropriately. All of the suggested plants are fairly drought-resistant, but some moreso than others.
Below find some images from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Image Gallery.
From the Image Gallery
More Shrubs Questions
Fast-growing trees for privacy in East Texas
September 02, 2013 - Fast growing tree seeds for my area to create a tree grove for privacy.
view the full question and answer
Plants to prevent creekside erosion in Nacogdoches County, Texas
December 09, 2014 - I am looking for some advice on plants native to Texas that can help prevent erosion. I own a wooded lot with a creek and would like to consolidate the sides of the creek against potential erosion. I...
view the full question and answer
Replanting yaupon in Blanco TX
January 16, 2013 - How do I replant Yaupon in its native area Blanco TX?
view the full question and answer
Evergreen groundcovers for NE NC
April 20, 2015 - Can you please provide a list of evergreen native groundcovers for Northeastern NC?
view the full question and answer
Evergreen shrub/tree for British Columbia.
May 28, 2008 - What kind of hedge or trees might work to provide privacy in our lower mainland British Columbia yard/garden? We need something evergreen that is perhaps,fast growing. Our yard is not deep and our k...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |