Native Plants

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Wednesday - September 16, 2009

From: Denton, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Small shrubs for flower bed in Denton, Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I have a small flowerbed that faces south on the front of my house. What small shrubs would be best in that situation?

ANSWER:

Visit our Texas-North Central Recommended list for commercially available native plants for landscapes in North Central Texas. You can use the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option to limit the list by choosing 'Shrub' from the General Appearance category. You can also choose other characteristics that match your site (e.g., from Light Requirement and/or Soil Moisture). Here are a few choices from that list:

Lantana urticoides (West Indian shrubverbena)

Salvia greggii (autumn sage)

Symphoricarpos orbiculatus (coralberry)

Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac) can be pruned to maintain a smaller shrub.

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii (Wright's desert honeysuckle)

Here is another possibility recommended in the Wasowskis' book Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region:

Dalea frutescens (black prairie clover)