Native Plants

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Wednesday - June 24, 2009

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: General Botany
Title: Question about booklet, Native and Adapted Landscape Plants
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

In the booklet"Native and Adapted Landscape Plants for Central Texas", the light requirements for some plants are written in a way that I do not understand. Is Sun/Part Shade different from Part Shade/Sun or Sun/Shade?

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants assumes you are talking about the booklet, Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, published by the City of Austin Water Protection Development Review in conjunction with Texas A&M System's Agrilife Extension for their Grow Green initiative. I have searched my paper copy as well as the online version and I can't find their definition of the terms. I can tell you what we mean by those terms at the Wildflower Center and I would guess that it doesn't differ significantly from their definition.

Sun = 6 or more hours of sun per day

Part shade = 2 to 6 hours of sun per day

Shade = Less than 2 hours of sun per day