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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Sunday - July 18, 2010
From: Grand Blanc, MI
Region: Midwest
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Screen and shade for pool in Michigan
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
We recently moved to a new home that has a pool. There is no shade nor privacy. What types of trees, plants would you recommend for our small backyard?ANSWER:
You can look at our Michigan Recommended list of native plants that are commercially available for landscaping in Michigan. Using the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option in the sidebar you can select various criteria for your plant. For instance, under GENERAL APPEARANCE, select 'Tree' or 'Shrub' and under LIGHT REQUIREMENT select 'Sun - 6 or more hours'. You can also make selections from other categories. Here are a few recommendations from that list, but you can make your own choices:
SMALL TREES/SHRUBS
Crataegus mollis (downy hawthorn)
Ilex verticillata (common winterberry)
Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood)
Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (shrubby cinquefoil)
Physocarpus opulifolius (common ninebark)
HERBACEOUS PLANTS
Lilium philadelphicum (wood lily)
Lupinus perennis (sundial lupine)
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot)
FERNS (these ferns will grow in full sun)
Dryopteris cristata (crested woodfern)
Osmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern)
Since I don't know all the characteristics of your site (e.g., soil moisture and type), you should check the GROWING CONDITIONS on each species page to be sure they are compatible with your site.
Here are photos from our Image Gallery:
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