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
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

rate this answer

Saturday - July 02, 2011
From: Houston, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Container Gardens, Herbs/Forbs, Shrubs, Trees, Wildflowers
Title: Container plant to grow in late afternoon sun
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have a shaded brick walkway that leads to my front door. It faces west, and can get very hot late afternoon Houston sun, although it is shaded for the remainder of the day. I have been successful in growing aspidistra in the plant bed next to the front door, I would like suggestions on any small trees, shrubs, or perennial plants that would be able to survive in pots bordering the front door.ANSWER:
Those are tough conditions with the only sun the plants get being the hot late afternoon sun. You are going to need a plant that will tolerate part shade (2 to 6 hours of sun per day) and heat. The fact that you will be growing these in containers rather than the ground is going to make it more difficult. Plants in a container can become overheated in the hot sun; whereas, plants in the ground will have the heat dissipated better than in a small container. We have an article, Container Gardening with Native Plants, that you should read. You should also read the answer to a recent question dealing with plants grown in containers and suffering from the heat.
Now for the plants—you didn't say but I imagine you would like an evergreen. Here are a few evergreens that should work:
Morella cerifera (Wax myrtle) will grow in sun and part shade 6 to 12 feet high. There are dwarf varieties.
Ilex vomitoria (Yaupon) will grow in sun, part shade and shade 12 to 25 feet high. There are dwarf and columnar varieties and they can be pruned.
Prunus caroliniana (Cherry laurel) is a small tree that will grow in partial shade to over 20 feet, but could be maintained in a container for several years before growing too large. Here are more photos and information.
Yucca arkansana (Arkansas yucca) grows in part shade and, with the flower stalk, can be 6 feet high. Here are more photos and information.
Sabal minor (Dwarf palmetto) grows in sun, part shade and shade 5 to 10 feet tall and can grow to be 4 feet wide. Here are more photos and information.
From the Image Gallery
More Wildflowers Questions
Smarty Plants on Bluebells
August 26, 2004 - Do you have Bluebells growing at the Wildflower center and if so how much longer will they be blooming ?
view the full question and answer
Planting wildflower seeds in Texas in February
February 04, 2010 - I would like to plant some wildflowers this month - February.
I have planted some bluebonnets and they will "bloom" in March/April.
Would there be any wildflowers that would also bloom in Marc...
view the full question and answer
Bluebonnets and Texas
March 20, 2004 - Can I plant Bluebonnets outside of Texas?
view the full question and answer
Possibility of survival of Genus Castilleja in Wisconsin
April 04, 2005 - In traveling through Texas last week we noticed many many little orange
flowers which are absolutely fascinating. I found a picture of that flower
in your website for Wildflower Days 2005 in the to...
view the full question and answer
Making a pollinator garden
August 11, 2014 - Hello, I have a ditch right by my house and I want to turn it into a pollinator garden using native plants. My problem is, right now it's so full of weeds that we have to mow those down so soon. For ...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |