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
Saturday - February 07, 2009
From: Dunn, NC
Region: Southeast
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Native plants for part shade in North Carolina
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I'm thinking about planting a border in front of my house. It's on the north side, so it's fairly shady. One of the main problems with this is that I don't like many common shade plants, so it's hard to find anything good. I haven't firmly decided on a color scheme, but I'm leaning toward blue and yellow. Are there any shade flowers in an indigo color? Actually, are there any shade flowers in any bright color? Color is good! Oh, and low- to no-maintenance would be a plus.ANSWER:
We went into our Recommended Species section, clicked on North Carolina on the map, did NARROW YOUR SEARCH, selecting on "Herbs" (flowering herbaceous plants), part shade (2 to 6 hours of sun a day), and shade (less than 2 hours of sun a day) and got a list of 31 plants that fulfilled those requirements. From those, we selected several that satisfied your color preferences, but threw in some other tints of pink and red, just for variety. You can follow the same procedure and make your own selections. Follow the plant links to our webpage on each plant to find out more about propagation, height, etc.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center recommends only plants native not just to North America but to the area in which they grow naturally. Native plants already habituated to a climate and rainfall will require less fertilizer, water and maintenance. These plants are all commercially available, and if you have difficulty locating them, go to our Native Plant Supplier section, type in your town and state in the "Enter Search Location" box and you will get a list of native plant nurseries, seed companies and landscape and environmental consultants in your general area. All have contact information so you can check availability before you go shopping.
SHADE TOLERANT PLANTS FOR NORTH CAROLINA
Achillea millefolium (common yarrow) - perennial, blooms white, pink April to September
Amsonia tabernaemontana (eastern bluestar) - perennial, blooms blue, purple March to May
Conoclinium coelestinum (blue mistflower) - perennial, blooms blue, purple July to November
Coreopsis lanceolata (lanceleaf tickseed) - perennial, blooms yellow April to June
Echinacea purpurea (eastern purple coneflower) - perennial, blooms pink, purple April to September
Gaillardia pulchella (firewheel) - annual, blooms red, yellow, brown May to August
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinalflower) - perennial, blooms red May to October
Lobelia siphilitica (great blue lobelia) - perennial, blooms blue July to October
Lupinus perennis (sundial lupine) - perennial, blooms May and June
Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells) - perennial, blooms pink, blue, purple March to June
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) - perennial, blooms white, pink, purple May to September
Phlox divaricata (wild blue phlox) - perennial, blooms white, red, pink, purple March to May
More Shade Tolerant Questions
Native turkscap failing to thrive in Shiro TX
March 19, 2013 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
Two years ago I transplanted several native (not cultivars) Drummond's turkscaps in the proximity of water oaks in the front yard. All get shade and some sun. They seemed to ...
view the full question and answer
Native plants for small pots in sun in Austin
January 24, 2011 - Hello Mr. Smarty Plants! We are renting our house, so while we have a yard, the landlord would prefer us to only add plants to his landscaping in pots. I have filled some large ones, but have been una...
view the full question and answer
Shade loving plants with color for Irving, Texas
July 01, 2010 - Looking for shade loving perennials or annuals with color - native and low water. Live in Irving, Texas.
view the full question and answer
Ground cover for a dry slope in PA
May 23, 2013 - My side yard is a slope with rocky (a lot of small serpentine rocks) soil under white and black pine trees. I can grow lots of weeds :-) but would like to plant a low (0-3in) evergreen ground cover th...
view the full question and answer
Grasses for shady acreage in Paige, TX
February 10, 2009 - My family recently bought property in Paige, TX. We thinned out the dense vegetation leaving pines and some oak and juniper. The ground is now bare sand throughout much of the property, except for th...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |