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 - October 08, 2014
From: Nederland, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Lists, Shade Tolerant, Ferns, Herbs/Forbs, Wildflowers
Title: Native Texas Plants for a Terrarium
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
I have a 55-gallon aquarium that I would like to make into a terrarium. Are there any Texas native plants that would do well in the limited artificial light of the tank? The plants should be of varying heights no greater than about 18 inches.ANSWER:
What a great idea to make your aquarium into a terrarium. There are several low-growing native Texas plants that like moist, shady conditions that should be great terrarium plants.
To find them take a look at the Native Plant Database on the www.wildflower.org website. Select Texas, fern (then herb), perennial, shade, moist & wet, 0-1 feet to select the appropriate search criteria. Some of these plants may need some small trials to see how they react to growing in a terrarium setting.
First, some ferns from this search…
Adiantum capillus-veneris (Southern maidenhair fern)
Argyrochosma dealbata (false cloak fern)
Asplenium trichomanes (maidenhair spleenwort)
Marsilea macropoda (bigfoot water clover)
And some herbaceous plants…
Calyptocarpus vialis (straggler daisy)
Galium triflorum (fragrant bedstraw)
Hydrocotyle umbellata (manyflower marshpennywort)
Mitchella repens (partridgeberry)
Viola missouriensis (Missouri violet)
From the Image Gallery
More Wildflowers Questions
Propagation of Gay Feather
September 22, 2005 - Can I transplant the flower Gay Feather any time or should I wait until the plant dies this winter?
view the full question and answer
Perennials for Sandy Shade in California
December 17, 2015 - Are there any native perennials that would do well in sandy shade? I have a difficult corner in my garden that does not get much sun. The soil is sandy though I have added some amount of compost to en...
view the full question and answer
Establishing a wildflower meadow in Madison GA
January 21, 2010 - Can a wildflower meadow be established by seeding in a sunny pasture without removing all existing vegetation, just mowing low and slightly loosening soil with the teeth on a front end loader?
view the full question and answer
Wildflowers for flood plain in Minnesota
December 05, 2008 - Hi- Our home sits on 2 acres with about 1 of the acres in a flood plain area. That 1 acre has water running through it when the snow melts off and it generally dries up in 2 days. It is currently plan...
view the full question and answer
Evergreen privacy hedge and drought-resistant garden
July 21, 2008 - I am looking for a hardy evergreen hedge for privacy in Northern Michigan. I have sandy soil. Also am interested in planting a drought garden with mostly sun in same sandy soil.
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |