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 is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Monday - March 22, 2010
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Shrubs and other plants for shady area in Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I am looking for what kind of shrubs, plants that I can plant under my very shady oak trees in South Austin. Soil is good, I want to have some lushness under my trees instead of dirt, I have a small area, about a 30' x 15' area i want to make into a nice cozy area to sit. I love leafy plants, not worried about color, just fullness up to 5 ft high maybe? Any suggestion what grows under Spanish Oak trees?ANSWER:
Before we select some plants, we want to warn you that most oaks are allelopathic, in that they emit substances to discourage competition from other plants beneath them. The first thing we need to do is to try and identify which oak tree species we are talking about. When we searched on "Spanish Oak" in our Native Plant Database, we got three separate species of oaks, all of which include the name "Spanish Oak" as one of their common names. These three are: Quercus buckleyi (Buckley oak), which the USDA Plant Profile indicates is native to the Austin area; Quercus falcata (southern red oak), mostly native to East Texas, and Quercus texana (Texas red oak), which only grows in a few counties in Texas, again according to the USDA Plant Profile. All three, of course, are related in terms of being members of the Quercus genus, and all three are considered red oaks. No doubt the retailer who originally sold the tree called it a "Spanish Oak" because that sounded more romantic or perhaps was a better seller.
We will choose to deal with the Quercus buckleyi (Buckley oak), since it is native to the Austin area. We would just like to mention that the red oak is very susceptible to Oak Wilt, which has decimated many valuable trees in Central Texas, and urge you to read this page from the Texas Oak Wilt Partnership (of which the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is a member) on How to Identify and Manage Oak Wilt in Texas. This includes not pruning unless absolutely necessary from January to June when the nitulidid beetle, which spreads the fungus, is active and avoiding damage to bark and branches year-round.
We are going to look at shrubs and possibly some ferns that are native to the Austin area and tolerate shade. Hopefully, these will prove able to survive in spite of the allelopathic abilities of the oak trees, but we make no guarantee. If you find that nothing will flourish there, perhaps you would be happier with a nice area of mulch for your sitting area.
Shrubs for Shade in Austin:
Callicarpa americana (American beautyberry) - 3-5 ft. tall, deciduous, blooms white, pink May to July, purplish pink berries in Fall and Winter, low water use, part shade
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (wax mallow) - 3-6 ft., deciduous, blooms white, red May to November, medium water use, part shade or shade
Salvia regla (mountain sage) - 3-5 ft., deciduous, blooms red July to October, low water use, part shade or shade
Senna lindheimeriana (velvet leaf senna) - 3-6 ft., deciduous, blooms yellow August to October, low water use, sun or part shade
Ferns for Shade in Austin:
Adiantum capillus-veneris (common maidenhair) - 6" to 1 ft., evergreen, medium water use, part shade or shade
Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides (asplenium ladyfern) - 3 to 6 ft., deciduous, medium water use, part shade
Dryopteris ludoviciana (southern woodfern) - 4 ft., part shade or shade
Osmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern) - 1 to 3 ft., deciduous, sun, part shade or shade
From our Native Plant Image Gallery:
More Shade Tolerant Questions
Evergreen shrub for East Texas
October 31, 2012 - I am looking for a small to medium evergreen shrub (native to east Texas) for a location that receives some sun in the morning but mostly shade. Something that blooms & attracts butterflys & hummingbi...
view the full question and answer
Want salt, shade, drought tolerant plant for Rochester, New York
September 21, 2010 - I am looking for a ground cover plant for western NY to grow on a strip alongside a road that gets very little sun in summer (lots of tree branches shading it). It gets a lot of road salt in winter a...
view the full question and answer
Wax myrtle or cherry laurel in Austin?
November 15, 2009 - For a very shady area under a large old oak tree with oak toxic soil, would a Wax Myrtle or a Cherry Laurel (caroliniana) be better? Looking for an evergreen screening tree up to 20ft, but it only get...
view the full question and answer
Plants for under Oak Trees in LA.
March 05, 2013 - What type of plants and grass can be planted under and around oak trees
view the full question and answer
Deer resistant, shade tolerant foundation plants for Kerrville TX
March 30, 2013 - I'm looking for foundation plants for shade that are deer resistant. Tall as well as medium height.
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |