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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Tuesday - March 30, 2010
From: Lathrop , CA
Region: California
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Plants for shade in Northern California
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
What are good plants that grow and live in shade only?ANSWER:
You can find these for yourself by going to our Recommended Species page and choosing Northern California from the map or the pulldown menu. This will give you a list of almost 300 commercially available plants recommended for landscaping in California. You can limit those results to shade plants by using the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option and selecting "Shade – 2 hrs or less" from the LIGHT REQUIREMENT area. You could also make selections in GENERAL APPEARANCE, LIFESPAN, SOIL MOISTURE, BLOOM TIME and BLOOM COLOR. Limiting your choice to "Shade – 2 hrs or less" will give you close to 50 plants to choose from. Here are some examples from that list:
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnick)
Athyrium filix-femina (common ladyfern)
Claytonia sibirica (Siberian springbeauty)
Dicentra formosa (Pacific bleeding heart)
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinalflower)
Rhododendron macrophyllum (Pacific rhododendron)
Rudbeckia hirta (blackeyed Susan)
Solidago altissima (late goldenrod)
Here are some photos of the above plants from our Image Gallery:
More Shade Tolerant Questions
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June 23, 2010 - Will the Thunder Turf do well in shady areas or is there a better blend of native grasses that would thrive better?
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April 24, 2011 - I have a 4x4 area surrounded by cement patio but would like a tree for shade that does not have roots that will mess up the slab.
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September 12, 2013 - Can you please recommend dense shade tolerant shrubs for Annapolis, Maryland.
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January 21, 2008 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
I am looking for Texas native plants that are shade tolerant....specifically agaves (How about the Century Agave and the Queen Victoria Agave?) and something to add a splash ...
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Texas native shade plants for metal troughs in Austin
December 22, 2012 - Interested in finding Texas natives that would do well in metal troughs in the shade.
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