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 - February 01, 2008
From: New City, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Suggestion for plants to replace grass in semi-shade in NY
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have an area that is in semi-shade but gets about 4-5 hours of sunlight in the summer. Instead of grass I would like to perhaps use wild flowers or even prairie type grasses. Any suggestions??ANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants can recommend several ornamental prairie-type grasses that should do well in your partial shade. These can grow to 3 feet tall or more.Andropogon virginicus (broomsedge bluestem)
Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye)
Muhlenbergia capillaris (hairawn muhly)
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)
You might also consider one of the sedges. The following sedges are found in New York.
Carex blanda (eastern woodland sedge)
Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge)
Another possibility is to use ferns.
Dryopteris marginalis (marginal woodfern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)
Osmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern)
Finally, here are some flowering plants that should do well in the area.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnick)
Geranium maculatum (spotted geranium)
Mitchella repens (partridgeberry)
Tiarella cordifolia (heartleaf foamflower)
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England aster)
Rudbeckia hirta (blackeyed Susan)
Phlox divaricata (wild blue phlox)
Aquilegia canadensis (red columbine)
You can also find a list of New York Recommended plants on our web page for more possibilities.
More Shade Tolerant Questions
Native shade plants around fountain in California
March 18, 2009 - Hi, we just put a fountain in our front yard. It is in a mostly shady area. I need to know what plants would go best around the fountain and survive in the shade.
view the full question and answer
Looking for a shrub to provide shade to the west side of a home in Ft. Worth, TX
February 07, 2011 - We are on a corner lot and are looking for a tall tree or shrub to block the west side of our house. There is only a 5 foot area space between the sidewalk and side driveway where we want to plant th...
view the full question and answer
Groundcover for foot traffic in dry shade from Prineville OR
May 12, 2013 - I live in central Oregon. I have an area under a large elm tree that slopes on all sides and has lots of foot traffic and no sun. (my kids have a swing in the tree and play around it a lot.) It's a v...
view the full question and answer
Plants for a Austin thicket underlayer
July 25, 2014 - We live in Austin, west of 183. We are planning to put a thicket in our backyard, where there is no threat of deer. Anchoring the thicket are a clump of live oaks, a Texas persimmon, an Eve's Necklac...
view the full question and answer
Tree and vine for shade and privacy
June 03, 2008 - We recently added a deck in our backyard which faces west, we live in Circle C (southwest Austin). The afternoon sun is intense so we're looking to plant something along our fence line to provide sh...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |