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.

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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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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Thursday - July 01, 2010

From: Irving, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Drought Tolerant, Shade Tolerant, Herbs/Forbs, Shrubs
Title: Shade loving plants with color for Irving, Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Looking for shade loving perennials or annuals with color - native and low water. Live in Irving, Texas.

ANSWER:

Please visit our Texas-North Central Recommended list to find commercially available plants suitable for landscaping in the Irving, Texas area. You can use the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option to select your criteria ('Herb' or 'Shrub' from GENERAL APPEARANCE, 'Shade...' from LIGHT REQUIREMENT and 'Dry...' from SOIL MOISTURE). Depending on how much sunlight the area receives, you might be able to select 'Part shade - 2 to 6 hrs' (of sun per day) as well as 'Shade - 2 hrs or less' (of sun per day). Here are a few possibilities, but you can search for more:

Aquilegia canadensis (red columbine)

Rudbeckia hirta (blackeyed Susan)

Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed)

Echinacea purpurea (eastern purple coneflower)

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

Salvia regla (mountain sage)

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