Native Plants

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Thursday - October 03, 2013

From: Dallas, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Lists
Title: Native plants to grow with Earth Kind roses
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I garden on Blackland Prairie clay in Dallas. I am planning an Earth Kind rose bed. I am planning to add 3" of compost and 3" of expanded shale and to mulch with 3" of organic material, as recommended in the Earth Kind program. I would like to use native Texas plants as companions to my roses; could you recommend some appropriate choices?

ANSWER:

Since I don't know exactly what kind of plants you are looking for—small herbaceous plants or larger woody shrubs—I am going to suggest that you visit our Texas–North Central Recommended page to find a list of more than 100 plants native to your area that are commercially available for landscaping. You can use the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option to choose the criteria you want for Light Requirement, Soil Moisture, Bloom Time, Bloom Color and Height.

Here are a few suggestions from that list that might look nice growing under your roses:

Conoclinium coelestinum (Blue mistflower) grows in sun and part shade and attracts butterflies.

Engelmannia peristenia (Engelmann's daisy) grows best in full sun.

Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida (Prairie verbena) grows to less than 1 foot tall in sun and part shade.

Melampodium leucanthum (Blackfoot daisy) also grows to less than 1 foot tall in sun and part shade.

Oenothera macrocarpa ssp. macrocarpa (Bigfruit evening-primrose) has large yellow blossoms and grows in sun and part shade.

Salvia farinacea (Mealy blue sage) grows in the sun and blooms from April through October.

There are many more possible choices for you on the list.

From the Image Gallery

Blue mistflower
Conoclinium coelestinum

Engelmann's daisy
Engelmannia peristenia

Prairie verbena
Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida

Blackfoot daisy
Melampodium leucanthum

Bigfruit evening-primrose
Oenothera macrocarpa ssp. macrocarpa

Mealy blue sage
Salvia farinacea