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

Thursday - April 03, 2014
From: Montgomery, AL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Shade Tolerant, Herbs/Forbs, Shrubs, Wildflowers
Title: Plant Suggestions for Shady Site under Trees in Alabama
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
I live in Montgomery, AL and have a bare area (20' x 5’) that's shady and soil erosion is a problem. Grass stops growing at the drip line of the trees here. Do you have any suggestions for growing something that is fast growing and evergreen? Also, we have a woodland area behind the above bare spot that opens to a lake. This area is shady with some moss but no grass. What can we plant under these trees (sweetgum and oaks) that's low growing? We love the view of the lake.ANSWER:
It's quite a challenge to find shade-loving, fast-growing, evergreen, native plants for your bare area. This search criteria only resulted in 2 possible plants. So, to give you more of a selection, I have expanded the search to include deciduous shrubs too.
The first place to go to find a list of potential plants is our Native Plants Database. Use the Combination Search feature instead of Recommended Species. This will provide a bigger selection with much more choice to narrow down. The volunteers and staff at the Wildflower Center who maintain the database have partners in different regions to help with these recommended species lists based on what is easy to access in local nurseries.
Under Combination Search, select the following categories: State – Alabama, Habit – Shrub, Duration – Perennial, Leaf Retention – Evergreen & Deciduous, Light Requirement – Shade, Soil Moisture – Dry (it’s usually very dry under trees), Size – 0-12 ft. These search criteria will give you some evergreen shrubs of varying heights to consider. Follow each plant link to our webpage for that plant to learn its growing conditions, bloom time, etc. At the bottom of each plant webpage, under Additional Resources, there is a link to the USDA webpage for that plant. Take a look there for more specific details about suitability before you put them on your final planting list.
The results have been put into height groupings below to make them easier for reviewing.
0-3 ft
Gaulteria procumbens (eastern teaberry or wintergreen), about 1 foot tall, evergreen, white blooms in the summer and showy red fruits in the winter.
Diervilla lonicera (Northern bush honeysuckle), yellow blooms in summer, red fall leaf color.
Gaylussacia baccata (black huckleberry), white flowers in early summer followed by purplish, edible berries.
Hypericum prolificum (shrubby St. John’s wort), showy yellow blooms in summer.
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (Turk’s cap), bright red, pendant blooms late spring through early
3-6 ft
Amelanchier stolonifera (running serviceberry), deciduous, white flowers, edible fruit.
Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea), clusters of white blooms in spring.
Dirca palustris (Eastern leatherwood), small yellow flowers in spring, yellow fall foliage color.
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus (coralberry), non-showy greenish white blooms are followed by clusters of coral-pink berries that remain through winter.
Viburnum acerifolium (mapleleaf viburnum), flat-topped cluster of white flowers followed by red to blue-black berries.
Viburnum rafinesqueanum (downy arrowwood), white flat-topped clusters of flowers followed by dark blue berries. Colorful fall foliage.
6-12 ft
Corylus americana (American hazelnut), edible nut, fall color from bright yellow to wine-red.
Lindera benzoin (Northern spicebush), pale yellow blooms before the leaves emerge, followed by bright red fruit. Golden yellow fall color.
Physocarpus opulifolius (Atlantic ninebark), clusters of white flowers in early summer, yellow fall foliage color.
Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac), orange, red, purple and yellow fall color. Dark red berries that persist through winter.
Sabal minor (dwarf palmetto), evergreen.
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry), pinkish-white flowers are followed by edible, blue fruit.
From the Image Gallery
More Shade Tolerant Questions
Native Perennials for Dry Shade in NM
July 06, 2016 - I live in Edgewood, NM at an elevation of about 7,200 ft. It is very dry here and it can get below zero (rarely) in the winter. I have some areas under cedar trees where I have had difficulty gettin...
view the full question and answer
Groundcover for rock garden under large oak
October 02, 2012 - I am planning a small rock garden under a large oak tree. I would like a spreading evergreen ground cover that will grow in the shade. Drought-tolerant would be preferred as I live in the high plains...
view the full question and answer
Plants to grow under pine trees in Riverside, CA
October 15, 2014 - Please tell me what plants would do well under pine trees in somewhat moist soil in Riverside, Ca. Also, I would prefer perennials that are easy to weed. (I currently have violets which are overrun wi...
view the full question and answer
Plants to grow in shady sand in Florida
March 31, 2013 - We live in central Florida (directly between Orlando and Tampa). Our yard is mostly sand for soil and difficult parts in shade almost all day from large trees. What ground cover (grass) and hedges can...
view the full question and answer
Recovering neglected garden space from Grapevine TX
March 22, 2014 - I live in Grapevine TX (Dallas). I just moved into a house where almost the entire large backyard is covered by oak trees that shed tons of leaves throughout our mild falls/winters. The yard has not...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |