Native Plants
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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.
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Wednesday - February 25, 2009
From: Peoria, AZ
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Shrubs for shade in Peoria, Arizona
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
My six-foot block wall is on the west side of my yard. There are two large shade trees in front of the wall. What kind of shrubs can I plant near this wall that only gets sun for about 2 hours in the morning?ANSWER:
It turns out there are a a number of shrubs native to Arizona that can survive on that much sun a day. We went to our Recommended Species section, clicked on Arizona on the map, and did NARROW YOUR SEARCH, selecting on "Shrub" under Habit, and "Shade" (less than 2 hours a day of sun) and "Part Shade" (2-6 hours a day of sun) under Light Requirements. Follow the plant links to the individual webpage on each plant to find out what height the shrub is expected to be, whether it is evergreen or deciduous and color and time for flowers. The shrubs you select should be planted as soon as possible, since the heat of Arizona will make it difficult for them to survive if they are planted later.
SHRUBS FOR PART SHADE IN ARIZONA
Acacia angustissima (prairie acacia)
Juniperus monosperma (oneseed juniper)
Larrea tridentata (creosote bush)
Mahonia haematocarpa (red barberry)
Tecoma stans (yellow trumpetbush)
Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea (blue elder)
Bouvardia ternifolia (firecrackerbush)
More Shade Tolerant Questions
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June 21, 2009 - Hello,
I am trying to plant wildflowers in my tree-shaded backyard that will not only kill the existing grass, but will also withstand the winter freezes in central Florida.
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March 26, 2010 - I recently purchased acreage in Henly (Dripping Springs area). The property has a large stand of big Live Oaks, Black Jack Oaks and Cedar Elm trees. The area has not been grazed for several years an...
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