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

Wednesday - August 20, 2014
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Container Gardens, Shade Tolerant, Grasses or Grass-like, Shrubs
Title: Shady Container Plant for Austin
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
I am looking for a tall plant/small shrub/ornamental grass for a very large pot that is placed against the north wall of our Austin home. That spot gets some morning sun in the summer, but virtually none in the winter. What do you recommend?ANSWER:
Without knowing the exact size of your container, it is difficult to suggest an appropriate plant, but the Native Plant Database is a great resource to give you some possibilities to further investigate.
The first place to go to find a list of potential plants for your shady container is our Native Plant Database. Use the Combination Search feature instead of Recommended Species. This will provide a bigger selection with much more choice to narrow down.
Under Combination Search, select the following categories: TX, Habit – Shrub, Duration – Perennial, Light Requirement – Shade, Soil Moisture – Dry, and Size – 3-12 feet. Once you have looked over the shrubs from this list, change the category to grasses and then trees.
Some of the plants to consider from this search are:
Grasses
Setaria scheelei (Southwestern bristlegrass)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)
Shrubs for dry soils
Elaeagnus commutata (Silverberry)
Forestiera pubsescens (Stretchbery)
Lindera benzoin (Northern spicebush)
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (Turk’s cap)
Rhus aromatic (Fragrant sumac)
Rhus glabra (Smooth sumac)
Sabal minor (Dwarf palmetto)
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus (Coralberry)
Viburnum acerifolium (Mapleleaf viburnum)
Viburnum rafinesquianum (Downy arrowwood)
Shrubs for wet soils
Cephalanthus occidentalis (Common buttonbush)
Clethra alnifolia (Coastal sweet pepperbush)
Viburnum dentatum (Southern arrowwood)
Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides (Withe-rod)
Trees
Hamamelis virginiana (Witch hazel)
Ilex verticillata (Common winterberry)
From the Image Gallery
More Shade Tolerant Questions
Shade tree for El Paso, Texas
May 18, 2010 - hi there, I am looking to plant a shade tree in front of my house, about 10ft away from my house and about 6ft away from the sidewalk. I live in El Paso TX and I am afraid that the tree roots will int...
view the full question and answer
Ornamental shade grasses for Dover AR
April 16, 2011 - Ornamental shade grasses for sandy soil or silt, part shade, or even vines.
view the full question and answer
Stream Bank Erosion Control for Bryan/College Station
August 16, 2012 - I live in the Bryan/College Station area and need a ground cover to abate erosion on the bank of an intermittent stream. The bank is shaded. Do you have any suggestions?
view the full question and answer
Disagreement with HOA on raised beds placed beneath mature oak from Tequesta FL
April 05, 2014 - I have mature 30 year old oak trees on my property and I put a raised bed under each with very good soil and I used pavers for retaining the soil about about 1.5 ft high. I planted a perennial begonia...
view the full question and answer
A privacy hedge for a shady spot in Austin, TX
July 02, 2012 - What is a good choice for a privacy hedge in west Austin in a predominantly shady area? I'd like it to be 8-12 feet, along the fence, so as to obstruct the view of the neighbor's yard.
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |