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
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 - October 19, 2012
From: Shamrock, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Lists, Herbs/Forbs, Shrubs
Title: Perennials for flowerbed in Texas Panhandle
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have a flowerbed in a partially shaded area and want some perennials. I live in the Texas Panhandle, soil is sandy, loamy. Hardiness zone is 6-B.ANSWER:
We have a Texas–High Plains Recommended list with commercially available native plants suitable for landscaping in your area. You can use the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option and choose "Perennial" from LIFESPAN and "Part shade - 2 to 6 hrs" from LIGHT REQUIREMENT. This will give about 55 choices of all types of plants—trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses. You can narrow down the results even more by choosing the type of plant you want from GENERAL APPEARANCE. Here are some possibilities from the list:
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterflyweed)
Echinacea angustifolia (Black sampson)
Ephedra antisyphilitica (Mormon tea)
Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida (Prairie verbena)
Melampodium leucanthum (Blackfoot daisy)
Mimosa borealis (Fragrant mimosa)
Oenothera macrocarpa ssp. macrocarpa (Bigfruit evening-primrose)
Salvia azurea var. grandiflora (Pitcher sage)
Zinnia grandiflora (Rocky mountain zinnia)
There are other possibilities that you can find for yourself on this list. If you want to find out more about each species, scroll to the bottom of the species page to the ADDITIONAL RESOURCES area and click on the Google link. You can visit our National Suppliers Directory to search for nurseries in your area that specialize in native plants.
From the Image Gallery
More Herbs/Forbs Questions
Fertilizer producing leaves over flower production in Austin
June 27, 2010 - Can you please list which Central Texas perennials' will favor leaf growth over flower production when fertilized? I have many in the "Grown Green" booklet and need to know which flowering plants s...
view the full question and answer
Removal of thistles from Columbus TX
May 20, 2014 - I am sorry if you have an answer in FAQs but I could not find it.
We recently cleared property near Columbus Texas of many cedars (ash junipers). This spring we experienced a profusion of thistle -...
view the full question and answer
Project on natives in Connecticut from Chino CA
April 13, 2010 - Hi Mr. Smarty Plants,
My 10 yr. old daughter is doing a project on Ct., and would like to know what the most common plants, trees and flowers are found in this state. A few of each would be a great ...
view the full question and answer
Plantings for beneath a red oak in Lubbock TX
February 23, 2012 - What would you recommend to plant in a two tiered raised bed facing west, totally blocked from the east, thus receiving only the afternoon sun? A 21 year old red oak sits in the middle of the upper ra...
view the full question and answer
Plantings for a slope from New Carrollton MD
June 27, 2012 - My house (Maryland, near DC) sits at the bottom of a south facing slope. The soil is very heavy clay. The grade is about 1:20 for about 100 feet (with a steeper part at the top). Part of the hill is i...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |